40 YEARS OF MADCAP LAUGHS

Shine on, Sydney!

Whether you consider the late Roger Barrett better known as Syd to be an artistic genius, or an acid-toasted, mentally ill several hit-wonder hype really doesn't matter.
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What does matter is that the Barrett brand is still strong some 44 years after he formed the Pink Floyd, unleashing progressive "art rock" to the masses and securing a place in pop lore.
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And if you have any curiosity about a man whose shining was a very brief 5 years or so, and who quit the music business in 1972 and died at age 60 in 2006, you need to pick up the current MOJO mag, which has a terrific feature on Syd the "crazy diamond."

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Specifically, Barrett's first solo LP, 1970's, The Madcap Laughs, is

given the forensic treatment, with an accompanying bonus CD of
newly recorded songs from the album. A first-class package.

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And Barrett's complex/trippy word-play and melodies seem to have been given a welcoming by contemporary artists like REM, Captain Sensible and Robyn Hitchcock which make them-dare we say-more listenable and/or like-able than the originals.

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The word "genius" is bandied about a lot in the MOJO piece in regards to Syd's talents. Whether he was or was not is purely subjective.

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But surely not subjective is the sad truth that the level of Barrett's talents were certainly diminished by his uber-copious use of LSD25, the heavy-duty hypnotic, Mandrax, and clouds of strong hash and weed.

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And, as per the MOJO story, Barrett's personal conduct was certainly of the non-genius level, as he is alleged to have once taken a dump on a friends front porch, as well as after having sex with his current girlfriend in 1969, put out a cigarette on the poor girl's naked hide.

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Perhaps like that other "genius," Brian Wilson, Syd just wasn't made for his times.