Yeah, not only did Syd die but everyone on the goddamned Internet posted it about it about six times. A lot of it was genuine, but people who talk a lot about Syd Barrett usually do it to show off what cool and discriminating connoisseurs they are, true aficionados who deserve immediate blowjobs. Name-dropping a dead guy makes me grumpy.
Though I know you weren't singling anyone out, some of us own The Madcap Laughs, Opel and Piper at the Gates of Dawn and still listen to them. Those whose only exposure to Syd is thru Robyn Hitchcock are the ones who make me grind my teeth.
That's pretty much it, yeah. Except they haven't even heard Robyn Hitchcock, because he's a star to people my age and a bit older. It's just hipster culture. One of the staples is that you're supposed to only like Floyd when Syd was in the band, and show your date the vinyl Syd Barrett albums you have, etc. etc. Also name your band after one of his songs.
I hated Pink Floyd as a kid because I had to hear the classic rock hits 1,000,000 times. My introduction to Syd Barrett was actually through hearing Paisley Underground bands I like cover "Lucifer Sam" which is still a favorite song of mine. I like his stuff generally, but I'm not a gigantic fan.
Because a gigantic fan would be blowing cool air around and that would be way more useful.
I adore Syd's music. When I heard he was dead, I was at first saddened, then sad for his family, now sad for his family and deeply angry at Syd. He had a unique talent that was supposed to be shared with the world. I understand he had mental issues. Lots of artists do - yet they create art. They can't help it.
I hope that when they go through his belongings, they find hundreds of songs. I doubt it, however that would be wonderful. Selfish of me? Sure. Since I never got to know him as a person,the only way I can react is as a fan.
The guy who did the Forest for the Trees record, whose name I can't remember right now, was a similar case but he pulled out of it. He pretty much invented Beck's triphop sound and then, after making his own record around the same time as /Loser/, he went thoroughly insane. He thought his own music would destroy the world and refused to let it be released. I remember someone playing me a secret tape of it in 1995 or so and saying "you can't have a copy, because the poor guy might kill himself if he knew it was out there."
And then he got better and released the record and it was a big success, because it still sounded fresh years after he made it. Whew.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 01:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 02:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 03:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 04:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 05:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 02:02 pm (UTC)Syd has pretty much been dead for what? 20 years? longer? HAHA
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 04:48 pm (UTC)Signed,
Fred Garvin
Male Prostitute
that cat's something I can't explaaaaain
Date: 2006-07-13 06:26 pm (UTC)I hated Pink Floyd as a kid because I had to hear the classic rock hits 1,000,000 times. My introduction to Syd Barrett was actually through hearing Paisley Underground bands I like cover "Lucifer Sam" which is still a favorite song of mine. I like his stuff generally, but I'm not a gigantic fan.
Because a gigantic fan would be blowing cool air around and that would be way more useful.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 04:33 am (UTC)I hope that when they go through his belongings, they find hundreds of songs. I doubt it, however that would be wonderful. Selfish of me? Sure. Since I never got to know him as a person,the only way I can react is as a fan.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-13 06:43 pm (UTC)And then he got better and released the record and it was a big success, because it still sounded fresh years after he made it. Whew.