Syd Barrett: “An amazingly attractive, energetic, sparkly boy goes the wrong way in life and is lost”

Rosemary Breen knew her brother Syd Barrett better than anyone. They were inseparable as children, and in later years, Rosemary cared for Syd between the early 1980s and his untimely death in 2006. A "bright cookie" and kind, Syd had an unusual brain, and Rosemary became the single individual he could cope with.

Rosemary spoke to Ian Priston on 16 September 2023 to get things on record and encourage youngsters who look up to Syd to carefully think about why and how things happened to him.

Rosemary eloquently sums up how Syd wanted to play with the other members of Pink Floyd and with sound. He neither sought celebrity nor understood it. When being in the band ceased to be fun, Syd left.

Syd Barrett expressed his true self through his art. After he returned to Cambridge, Syd produced some memorable artworks when he was in a good frame of mind. He had many ideas and would paint enormous canvases, and there was often one in progress when Rosemary visited.

The two used to go on days out. On one occasion, Rosemary and Syd were in central Cambridge, and Syd stopped and feared crossing a road because he felt compelled to get a painting out of his head and onto a canvas. For Syd, art was about much more than simply being creative; according to Rosemary, the process fulfilled a need and was vital.

The interview covers some serious topics, but there is also humour. For example, Rosemary explains how Syd was “Mr. DIY”. Talking about Syd Barrett’s lyrics, Rosemary says, "They make me giggle. He was a clown and was joking. Life was a joke. If anybody took him seriously, he just would giggle away."

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:57 St. George's Hospital
02:25 "You didn't like the music?"
04:40 "He saw me and I saw him"
06:23 Top of the Pops
08:02 "He was incredibly attractive..."
09:41 "He needed a pen in his hand"
11:28 "Syd just wanted to play..."
13:42 Rosemary on their mother
15:21 "There was very little one could do"
19:01 Return to Cambridge
22:05 Disconnecting from the world
26:53 Being experimental
29:37 Libby Gausden
31:48 "You can hug nowadays"
32:28 Neurodiversity
34:49 Charity "Squeaky Gate"
36:47 Django Reinhardt, jazz and more music
41:55 Point of no return?
45:11 "It was a need to be creative"
48:38 An artist and not a musician?
52:24 "Making art was a personal thing"
55:31 Fans and harassment
57:08 Concerts and Mick Rock
59:53 Syd's legacy
01:01:41 The Syd Barrett Film(s)
01:05:08 Please be careful
01:08:50 Outro

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