Shine on You Crazy Diamond: A Mister Fanboy Music Remembrance of Syd Barrett

Mister Fanboy Music briefly remembers Syd Barrett.

Earlier this week, former Pink floyd frontman Syd Barrett passed away. Many are unaware that there was a frontman that preceded Gilmore/Waters (before their blow-up). He died at the age of 60 at his mother's home in Britain. In my opinion, Piper at the Gates of Dawn is one of the greatest albums ever, and it's mostly due to Syd. The song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" was written about him (and was respectful in nature) on Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album. As the title suggests, even though he left the band under not the best of circumstances, his bandmates still missed him. They reportedly made sure that he continued to receive the royalties owed to him over the last 30+ years. Quite upstanding guys. Good job. He had a history of drug use (it's said that excessive use of LSD contributed to his instability) and health problems. I strongly encourage you to get the album. It's best listened to with high-quality headphones rather than speakers. All of my "friends" in college enjoyed smoking weed and listening to it. Not that I would know anything about that.

On a more positive note, I am going to see Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam in concert this evening. Unlike most, I am more interested in seeing Sonic Youth play. It will be the first time I have and I've been a fan for 20 years. I hope to have a review up tomorrow, or soon thereafter.

-- Mister Fanboy Music