Talk:Syd Barrett

Changing infobox genre form "psychedelic rock" to "psychedelia"
On three or four occasions, I have tried changing the infobox genre on account of two facts: This gets reverted each time without a counterargument. What gives?--Ilovetopaint (talk) 13:08, 3 June 2018 (UTC)
 * 1) no source in the article tags Barrett as "psychedelic rock"
 * 2) Barrett is equally, if not more associated with "psychedelic pop" and "acid rock" (compare:  https://www.google.com/search?q="psychedelic+rock"+"syd+barrett"&tbm=bks  to  https://www.google.com/search?q="psychedelic+pop"+"syd+barrett"&tbm=bks  and  https://www.google.com/search?q="acid+rock"+"syd+barrett"&tbm=bks )

Erratic behaviour
Was Syd's erratic behaviour onstage - e.g. playing only one note or chord on his guitar for a whole show, detuning his guitar strings or not playing at all - caused by his use of LSD or was he deliberately sabotaging the concerts and TV appearances as a rebellion against record company pressures and pop success? There is a footage from late 1967 showing Mike Leonard doing light experiments with projectors and Pink Floyd are improvising some music with Syd playing his guitar without any incident and according to an interview with Rick Wright, there is indications that Syd sometimes played okay onstage, so these back up my question about Syd's erratic behaviour. 1.43.34.138 (talk) 04:44, 8 June 2018 (UTC)


 * This is not a forum for asking general questions about the topic. This page is for discussions about improving the article. Binksternet (talk) 04:03, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Barrett's erratic behaviour generally is mentioned in a number of places in the article. If you have a good source for his erratic behaviour or stage, particularly with his guitar player, it might be possible to add it. Martinevans123 (talk) 07:51, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
 * I just watched a Youtube documentary where David Gilmore makes the statement that he regards Barrett as an "LSD casualty", referring to a large number of young people that experimented with LSD and "never came back". There is room in this Article to place Barrett within that larger context, instead of simply connecting him to LSD, with no mention of what that might mean from the medical/mental health perspective.  It's been several decades since then, and I assume there is research on what happens to the mind on LSD and what the permanent effects of it might be.  Jordan Peterson also has something to say about the permanent effect of taking DMT (and other hallucinogens), to the extent that there is a significant and measurable (by objective, psychological testing) change in a person's personality.  So much of Barrett's life, and the history of Pink Floyd is centered on the effects and/or consequences of LSD use, and there were so many people that were permanently destroyed by it, that the Article practically begs to have some mention made of this "larger context" and the profoundly permanent effects of taking LSD mentioned within the Article.
 * Tym Whittier (talk) 10:30, 29 November 2018 (UTC)
 * The article also cites David Gilmour saying that he felt that Syd Barrett had deep rooted mental health problems. In other words taking LSD may have been part of it, but he was and would have been mentally unstable regardless.  As for the claims made by Jordan Peterson does he supply objective results and demonstrate what those changes were?  What references does he cite?  Not to mention claiming that profound experiences change people isn't anything inherently negative.  I'm not aware that a lot of people were or are being permanently destroyed by LSD or any other similar hallucinogens, so this alleged larger context would require citing some unbiased sources.  That LSD might cause permanent effects in itself means nothing, given that this can just as easily mean something positive.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by [[Special:Contribution

s/41.160.193.170|41.160.193.170]] (talk) 06:34, 16 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Cool, but where exactly does Gilmour say that? Does he say it in a magazine interview? Does he say it more than once? Mental illness and "instability" can't be diagnosed properly by bandmates, is what I'm saying.QueenofRods (talk) 01:10, 1 June 2021 (UTC)


 * Since when is it okay on wikipedia to use some person who knows the person whose bio is written...and they say some random thing and then it's true? Are there any professional sources or biographies that agree with his bandmate?QueenofRods (talk) 00:55, 1 June 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 22:29, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
 * Syd Barrett.jpg

Semantic error / correction
The following sentence (in the final paragraph of the article) is incorrect:

"Barrett had relationships with various women, such as Libby Gausden, Lindsay Korner, Jenny Spires and Iggy the Eskimo (aka Evelyn)."

He had relationships with women *including* those listed, not with women "such as" them. The latter means that the relationships were not with them specifically, but with women who were comparable in some unspecified way to those listed.

The sentence should be replaced by:

"Barrett had relationships with various women including Libby Gausden, Lindsay Korner, Jenny Spires and Iggy the Eskimo (aka Evelyn)." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.175.56.4 (talk) 10:04, 1 January 2019 (UTC)

"Such as" is correct. Merriam Webster says it is "used to introduce an example or series of examples". (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/such%20as) Those women are examples of the various women he slept with. It shouldn't be changed. 2604:2000:EFC0:2:4DF6:6328:1154:9482 (talk) 02:27, 3 October 2019 (UTC)

"Tortuous"?
Did Gilmour really say, "[Sessions] were pretty tortuous and very rushed."? If so, then I'd include a [sic], because I think that most people would expect him to have said "torturous" instead. 2604:2000:EFC0:2:4DF6:6328:1154:9482 (talk) 02:25, 3 October 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 May 2020
Change "Barrett was musically active for less than ten years." to "Barret was musically active for FEWER than ten years." It's grammatically incorrect. 108.41.41.137 (talk) 01:43, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: I believe the former is grammatically correct. Thanks for taking the time, though, to spellcheck this article. :) Aasim 01:55, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

Fix marked tone issue in Health section.
Change "Other friends state that Barrett's flatmates, nicknamed Mad Jock and Mad Sue, believed that acid held all the answers..." to "Other friends state that Barrett's flatmates, nicknamed Mad Jock and Mad Sue, were of the belief that LSD was the source of Barrett's musical talent..." Pikgears (talk) 04:36, 14 November 2020 (UTC)
 * That would be a ridiculous example of WP:SYNTH - follow what the RS says.

family on mental illness
I'd say this --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zi_o1_7zDc  pretty much shows that his sister Rosemary realized he had some major mental issues. see the 21:29 mark ... 50.111.8.23 (talk) 15:36, 27 December 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 26 February 2021
Iggy the Inuit, aka Evelyn Rose was not Pakistani born. She was born in Mizoram, India to a British father and Indian mother and came to live in the UK as a child. Supereditor2021 (talk) 01:47, 26 February 2021 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. ◢  Ganbaruby!   (Say hi!) 02:02, 26 February 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 May 2021
I want to change the detail about Evelyn “Iggy” Rose. Iggy is wrongly described as being Pakistani born, she was born in Mizoram, in what is now north east India. The detail in the article should be Mizoram - born. Umbrellapine (talk) 21:53, 16 May 2021 (UTC)
 * , Was it Pakistan when she was born? Generally we'll identify them by the country that controlled the area at the time of birth. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 02:05, 17 May 2021 (UTC)

Re my previous request to change the detail on Evelyn Rose in the Syd Barrett Wikipedia article I should have included the information that I am her sister. Umbrellapine (talk) 22:00, 16 May 2021 (UTC)


 * I have combined this with the previous request above. RudolfRed (talk) 22:20, 16 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Self-proclaimed anecdotal evidence is not sufficient. We need reliable sources to have published this somewhere. RandomCanadian (talk / contribs) 03:13, 17 May 2021 (UTC)

Iggy Rose news
I wonder if this can be regarded a "reliable source"? https://theprint.in/neye/pink-floyd-muse-evelyn-iggy-rose-had-mizo-roots-4-yrs-after-her-death-the-families-connect/678683/

Refs errors
There are multiple targets for Palacios ref and several others. I'm not experienced in ref formatting, but for a GA refs should probably be consistent and contain no error. Would be great if somebody could fix it! Artem.G (talk) 18:58, 10 September 2021 (UTC)


 * Done for now, though a lot of refs are not superb: lots of refs are to a whole book, missing pages, and some are something like "1993 interwiew to Guitar World" without any link. Artem.G (talk) 10:03, 2 October 2021 (UTC)

Early life
It is claimed on the Syd Barrett website that Syd acquired his nickname because he amused his friends at scout group with his impressions of the comedy actor Sid James. 2A00:23C7:811F:6C01:8843:96D9:EC93:8F4D (talk) 14:24, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Lol. Was it Carry on Floyding (1961) or perhaps Carry on Tripping (1962)? (.. or maybe Don't Lose Your Head??) Martinevans123 (talk) 14:32, 30 December 2021 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 April 2022
I purchased some vintage, 1980s limited edition Pink Floyd historical books from my local antique library and found that there was an entire section dedicated to the death of Syd Barrett that occurred in 1974 from a heroin overdose. They had found him in a medically induced coma inside of a Hilton hotel room within Los Angelas and by the time they reached the downtown Los Angeles hospital he was pronounced dead. Inside this book there is pictures of the crowds who attended his funeral, the memorials built around the site of his death and several quotes from fans at the time. If you need anymore information please let me know and I’d be more than happy to further elaborate. His date of death as listed in the book is March 13th 1974 Tiredwolf74 (talk) 23:24, 18 April 2022 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 23:31, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 18 April 2022 (2)
Change death date to March 13th 1974 Source: Pink Floyd Gold Edition 1980 Shine on you Crazy Diamond - memorial booklet pages 47-50 2601:283:C102:4200:0:0:0:FF68 (talk) 23:52, 18 April 2022 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Seems unlikely. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 23:57, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

Two Health problems sections
The article has two sections on his mental health. I believe this is WP:UNDUE. They should be merged to avoid the current repetition. Ashmoo (talk) 12:20, 9 June 2022 (UTC)


 * There seems to be very little overlap between the two? Where do you see specific duplication. One section is embedded in the chronology and the other is more a retrospective review? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 12:28, 9 June 2022 (UTC)

Untitled
The wall is not about syd Barrett, nor a homage to him. It is 95% written by Roger waters and is autobiographical, not a biography of syd. At least know the band if you're gonna write it lol. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:283:C200:1930:D5AA:6E10:3C64:54B7 (talk) 03:36, 3 April 2023 (UTC)


 * The fact that the character Pink is based on Waters as well as on Barrett is well-sourced. (And fairly obvious.) Mark in wiki (talk) 11:39, 3 April 2023 (UTC)

Solo albums
The article states that he made his two albums with the help from ”several” members of Pink Floyd. The weren’t so many members in the band. Write: ”David Gilmour” or ” David Gilmour av Richard Wright”, of whoever helped him. ”Several” sounds like att least five, as in ”Several members of wild, furry animals”.@ 2A00:801:701:8A19:594:79FB:A15A:38D1 (talk) 12:53, 5 July 2023 (UTC)


 * The article mentions that Gilmour and Waters helped Barrett on The Madcap Laughs and that Gilmour and Wright helped on Barrett. The lead summarises this as "the aid of several members". Because this constitutes three of all four members of Pink Floyd, I'd say that "several" is justified. I'm not a native speaker of English, but to me "several" does not automatically sound as "at least five". Does it? Mark in wiki (talk) 13:49, 5 July 2023 (UTC)
 * If there is ambiguity in the word 'several', then why not just say 'three'? BotleySmith (talk) 17:36, 20 July 2023 (UTC)

Blake 2008 citations leading to incorrect volume
All of the "Blake 2008" citations in the article currently have a hotlink which leads to this archive.org link containing the book:

https://archive.org/details/comfortablynumbi00mark/page/2/mode/2up

Which, either in error or simply to evade detection, has the author and title listed below from a completely different book in a library collection somewhere in Boston University.

I make no comment on how this error came to be, but it's probably a good idea for those hotlinks not to be added to the clickable text citation. BotleySmith (talk) 17:35, 20 July 2023 (UTC)


 * Done. Thanks! Mark in wiki (talk) 13:26, 21 July 2023 (UTC)

The two photos of Roger Barret are somewhat unrepresentative
I'd like to suggest having a more representative collection of photos of Roger in the article as the two shown are from periods when he was very troubled and sad - which he was not at all times during his period of working in the music industry (his last Abbey Road session was in 74). In 1971 Mick Rock did a photo shoot with Roger in Cambridge and the photos show what appear to be a very healthy and happy individual. This photo shoot according to Barret produced his favourite images of all the shoots he'd done. Seeing how well he looked in 1971 dispels a few myths in the common narrative that he left the band in '68 and was a disturbed character for the remainder of his life. 2A02:C7C:D456:4700:F999:B167:1DDA:6D39 (talk) 14:42, 18 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia can only use free images and most of the ones of Barret, including  from the photo shoot you mentioned,  are not available to us. Graham Beards (talk) 17:54, 18 August 2023 (UTC)

cambridge 2005
The "Death and tributes" section includes the unsourced statement "His small, paperback copy of cambridge 2005 [sic] has the handwritten inscription "RB '06" inside the front cover." Huh? I assume 'sic' alludes to the fact that "cambridge" is uncapitalised, but if it's a book title it should still be italicised. (I can't see anything of that title on Library Hub Discover.) In any case, if all this is saying is that he acquired a book in the last year of his life, and put his (real) initials in it, that seems like utter trivia and not worth mentioning - unless the item is known to be held as a precious relic in some public collection. I'm going to italicise the title and add a "clarify" tag, but unless someone can add a source or some more substantial information, I suggest the sentence is deleted. GrindtXX (talk) 21:30, 26 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Wholly agree. A source might demonstrate the significance of the book, but without one it looks quite worthless. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:23, 26 December 2023 (UTC)

On watching Omnibus with Rosemary (Footnote 142)
Rosemary denies this on 03 11 23 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QksTeFyogmE 80.3.157.146 (talk) 14:09, 2 January 2024 (UTC)


 * That video is about 70 minutes long. Could you possibly give a rough time? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 15:00, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

"English accented"
The lead section says "... known for his whimsical style of psychedelia, English-accented singing, and stream-of-consciousness writing style." "English-accented singing"? Well, he was English. Does this imply when most singers in rock bands adopted an American accent? I searched Chapman (2010) for the source of this, as that's given in the lead, but couldn't find anything. I see that the main body says "strongly British-accented" and The Guardian source there says "Barrett's dislocated, quintessential English style of vocal projection". So I guess that's where it comes from? Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:10, 14 April 2024 (UTC)