Getting Depressed?

[greensubmarine]

I've become obsessed to say the least about the Syd Barrett story lately. I've been trying to find any information I can on the internet about events that happened in his life. Well, I've found out a lot, and I have learned a lot....but what came with this is an overwhelming feeling of depression....i mean i guess that's normal b/c Syd has a sad story

but like have any of you become obsessed with his story to the point of almost making yourself depressed?

[bpmolder]

Excellent question. For me, it was the other way around. I was suffering from chronic depression and paranoid delusional schizophrenia for a long time. In my search for understanding about what I was going through, I looked for other people who suffered from similar things. Eventually, I came across Syd Barrett, studied as much as I could find about him and eventually came to love his music. That, in turn, got me interested in Pink Floyd.

Here's a good place to read up on him. It's a wellspring of information about him:

http://www.sydbarrett.net/welcome.htm

[Syd'sSexy]

After I heard about Syd's death, I did become rather obsessed with learning as much as I could about him, but never to the point of depression, per se. There are quite a few great books that have been published about him and about his life until about 1974. After that, I don't believe much of anything exists except some brief journalistic interviews, a few candid photos and some stalker footage (I can't believe I opened that can of worms again ). There is a Syd Barrett forum which is quite informational (not the one already posted). If you are interested, PM me and I will send you the link.

[drafsack]

Whats to be depressed about - in his own way Syd had a happy life and that should make us happy

[snifferdog]

I wouldn't go as far as to say Syd's story makes me depressed but to me it's a sad story of loss and what could have been. I feel a lot of sympathy for him and also for his family. I'm only speculating here but I suspect they suffered a lot more than Syd did.

[theshockofthenew]

Whats to be depressed about - in his own way Syd had a happy life and that should make us happy

Agreed 100%!

Syd/Roger's story has never made me feel depressed - in fact, quite the opposite actually. I think, despite his alleged mental illness, the man lived a pretty decent life starting with a privileged and loving childhood onto adolescence where he was exceedingly popular among his peers then culminating in a fantastic foyer into producing some of the greatest tunes ever conceived. Sure the popular belief is that his life spiralled out of control, but perhaps his "descent" was of his own making. I thoroughly agree with the theory that he needed to step away from being "Syd the pop star" in order to survive as a mere mortal. Being deified by everyone who came in contact with him must have had an enormous affect on his perceptions of himself - one that he most likely could not contend with (slightly off topic, but listen to the recently released audio interview with Syd from '67. The interviewer asks questions of him that sound more like what a disciple would ask of their spiritual leader. Clearly Syd is out of it slightly, but he also sounds quite confused by what the interviewer is asking of him - I'm sure this was not an isolated occurrence).
Now, I'm neither disputing or agreeing with the fact that he was mental ill, I just believe that in addition to his possible problematic psychosis, I think he became very disillusioned by the whole music making process that inevitably made him something he could no longer deal with. I personally respect the man for choosing the path he took. I’m not saying it wasn't hard for him at times, but by all accounts, he seems to have lived a relatively content life up until his death. Based on this knowledge, how could his story depress me? He made his choice and I for one think he made the right one. What would have depressed me about Barrett is if he had OD'd or committed suicide. He survived while many of his contemporaries did not. Nothing depressing about that!

[bpmolder]

^^^ Very nicely said. His time creating music, however short lived and badly ended, is something to rejoice about as he had a rare, beautiful gift that few people are privileged enough to possess. It's sad to think that he didn't go on in that business as long as we would have liked him to, but there is a very valid, almost entirely overlooked point in the fact that he the remainder of his life was spent how he wanted it, financially independent enough to do what pleased him in life. He lived a dream that few others are fortunate to.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is selfish to be sad about him not producing as much as we would have liked him to, but in believing that, we would be missing the bigger picture.

The tragedy lies in his creative musical flame being extinguished prematurely due to many factors that could have possibly been avoided, such as his friends and band mates casting him aside when he wasn't able or willing to perform instead of giving enough of a damn to get him help or just give him a break to ease the pressure.

Many believe that regardless of what could have happened differently, he was most likely just not suited for fame and recognition. He didn't adjust to being used by everyone as a hot commodity, meal ticket, high or whatever else he was taken for. It's a very hard life to lead, one of isolation and serious mistrust of everyone and everything. In the end, the only people he could really depend on and who really cared about him were his family.

There are those of us who value Syd where the value really was, in quality rather than quantity, in making a powerful statement without using a lot of words (Yeah, I'm one to talk about THAT, huh? ).

A lot of people believe that when following a limited catalog of work for over 40 years, almost every avenue is explored to death after a certain point. For most other artists' contributions, this may very well be true, but artists like Syd have created with such depth and meaning that those boundaries are stretched and new territory is constantly being explored. It stands to reason, as his music itself stretched boundaries and explored bold new territory.

[greensubmarine]

The tragedy lies in his creative musical flame being extinguished prematurely due to many factors that could have possibly been avoided, such as his friends and band mates casting him aside when he wasn't able or willing to perform instead of giving enough of a damn to get him help or just give him a break to ease the pressure.

this is what gets me depressed. all i can think about sometimes is the day they didn't pick him up and what must've been going through his head.

[bpmolder]

The tragedy lies in his creative musical flame being extinguished prematurely due to many factors that could have possibly been avoided, such as his friends and band mates casting him aside when he wasn't able or willing to perform instead of giving enough of a damn to get him help or just give him a break to ease the pressure.

this is what gets me depressed. all i can think about sometimes is the day they didn't pick him up and what must've been going through his head.

Yeah, I have thought about that many times myself, how betrayed, confused and who knows what else he felt. I chalk it up to immaturity on the others parts and believe that they are genuinely regretful of those things happening the way they did. I'm sure about Nick and Rick but I don't know about Roger and David, as I get mixed vibes from them on that subject.

[princessDungan74D]

its sad when someone gets ill like that.......I only have it light

[BeeJay]

Bored? Depressed? This is for you, Public Image:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE56P7uh ... re=related



(I knew you'd like it! )

[PublicImage]

You BASTARD.

[BeeJay]

You're welcome.

[PublicImage]

You might like this:

http://www.electricretard.com/0003.html

[BeeJay]

Hahahaha! I'd like to know him!