Syd's "obligatory Hendrix perm"

[BlondeonBlonde]

I don't have my Barrett biographies with me at the moment but wanted to check on when Syd got the "obligatory Hendrix perm". Was this referring to the perm that he got when he came to the US? As I recall that turned out badly and he was upset about his hair, resulting in his pouring Brylcream on it and mashing Mandrax into the mess. I may have these events out of chronological order and wanted to understand whether the Hendrix perm and the bad perm/melting Brylcream event were referring to the same time period.

[dgsyd1]

Judging from the pictures I've seen, Syd got the perm sometime around June 1967. He doesn't have it in the clip of the band on Look Of The Week, which was in May, but he certainly has it by the time the band made the "Scarecrow" promo film a month later.
Hope that helps.

[BlondeonBlonde]

Okay, so the Brylcream and Mandrax meltdown occurred later and resulted from a second bad perm, right? I realize that this is a very trivial question but want to make sure that we are indeed talking about two separate bad hair periods!

[zag]

Okay, so the Brylcream and Mandrax meltdown occurred later and resulted from a second bad perm, right?

no true facts, only (!) rumours and gossip and... you know the source !

peace
zag

[shesahellion]

it could be a general refference to the 60's/70's rockstar image since a lot of guys like clapton, mitch mitchell and syd all had that hairstyle at one point.

[dgsyd1]

Syd did indeed get another perm on the US tour which he hated, and if you look at pictures of Syd in his last months in the group, his hair is getting increasingly out of control, reaching it's 'obligatory Hendrix perm' apex in the "Jugband Blues" promo film. By the time of the 5-piece photo session in January 1968 the perm had all but gone.

[Ef.U.if.U.Dont.Like.it]

it could be a general refference to the 60's/70's rockstar image since a lot of guys like clapton, mitch mitchell and syd all had that hairstyle at one point.

This is EXACTLY what Waters meant in that song. One of the most eloquent and correct answers to ever be seen here at Neptune. Thanks! It's good to see at least some people understand what it is they are listening to. Congratulations!

Love & Kisses,
Lisa

[shesahellion]

aw shucks, thanks lisa!

[my breakfast.]

He looks like Marc Bolan with a perm!

[shesahellion]

He looks like Marc Bolan with a perm!

kind of! but syd's cuter by a few lightyears

[Keith Jordan]

I wonder if anyone else other than Syd put the Mandrax in the hair??

[nosaj]

How do we know Syd put Mandrax in his hair? What is the definitive source to this rumour?

[Keith Jordan]

I think Roger Waters and Nick Mason who were with him said he did it. So it must me true!!

[jtull]

How do we know Syd put Mandrax in his hair? What is the definitive source to this rumour?

*source "Pink Floyd - The Visual Documentary by Miles & Andy Mabbett"

"The archetypal Syd Barrett story concerns the Mandrax hairdressing incident: It is hard to pin-point which gig this actually occurred at but it was one of the last that Pink Floyd did with Syd. The other members of the group left the dressing room to go on stage leaving Syd to finish fixing his hair - he had a rather elaborate coiffure at the time. Seemingly he couldn't get the hair right because in a last minute flash of inspiration he took a jar of Mandrax - the little pills that made him go so funny - and crushed them up. He then mixed the crumbs with the contents of a full jar of Brylecreem hair cream and emptied the whole mess onto his head, picked up his mirror Telecaster and hit the stage.
Under the heat of the stage lighting the slop on his head began to melt and dribble down his head, giving a mask-like look to his visage, as if his face was melting. No wonder the others couldn't concentrate."

[nosaj]

How do we know Syd put Mandrax in his hair? What is the definitive source to this rumour?

*source "Pink Floyd - The Visual Documentary by Miles & Andy Mabbett"

"The archetypal Syd Barrett story concerns the Mandrax hairdressing incident: It is hard to pin-point which gig this actually occurred at but it was one of the last that Pink Floyd did with Syd. The other members of the group left the dressing room to go on stage leaving Syd to finish fixing his hair - he had a rather elaborate coiffure at the time. Seemingly he couldn't get the hair right because in a last minute flash of inspiration he took a jar of Mandrax - the little pills that made him go so funny - and crushed them up. He then mixed the crumbs with the contents of a full jar of Brylecreem hair cream and emptied the whole mess onto his head, picked up his mirror Telecaster and hit the stage.
Under the heat of the stage lighting the slop on his head began to melt and dribble down his head, giving a mask-like look to his visage, as if his face was melting. No wonder the others couldn't concentrate."

Well, this quote starts out "The archetypal Syd Barrett story...". A myth basically. The above quote does not seem to be attributed to a direct eye witness. This is why the An Irregular Head is so interesting, as it points to many variations on the same story, but nobody can identify when exactly it happened...in fact the author spends a chapter showing how many stories (or myths) started somewhere to such an extent that people will retell them as if they witnessed it, yet they probably did not...memory is a funny thing.

I like one of the quotes in regards to the story, one person suggests Syd would never waste good Mandrax on his hair...