"Syd Barrett died again" read the best headline on the passing away of Pink Floyd's former frontman on July the 7th, aged 60. I was awestruck by the amount of coverage Syd's death received in the mainstream press. I would have certainly expected a fair amount of coverage in the music press and on online music websites but to see his obituary printed in the front page of Publico, a mainstream Portuguese newspaper - sort of equivalent to the Guardian - was a surprise. Sure he was an acknowledged creative genius whose short career deserves recognition. But that's the stuff you'd expect to see highlighted in Mojo, Uncut or in Pitchfork. Then I remembered that he was in Pink Floyd, the million-selling act. Had Pink Floyd broken up after Syd's demise in 1968 and surely his passing away would be a footnote in the press. But then if it was Roger Waters - who wrote, recorded and sold far more records with Floyd than Syd -the one who had passed away would he receive just as much attention in the press? Probably not.
More than a music genius, Syd was/is a perfect pop myth. He formed Pink Floyd and lead them in one of the best albums (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn) of the (arguably) best year in pop history (1967). He then became mentally ill due to a fragile mind boosted by drug overuse. When he became detached to the point of being unable to perform live he was sacked and replaced by Dave Gilmour. He released two solo albums then disappeared from public view and lived as a recluse. But his downfall cast a shadow over Pink Floyd who used Syd as a muse in million-selling albums like "Dark Side of the Moon", "Wish You Were Here" and "The Wall". When Floyd had to face the pressures of being a huge million-selling machine, they (Waters in particular) turned to Syd and to what he represented: the unspoiled, uncorrupted talent who couldn't cope with the evil music industry and the pressures of fame. He was living in Floyd's best known moments as the lunatic on "Dark Side" and the crazy diamond on "Wish You Were Here". He therefore became a myth and like any perfect pop myth he is now remembered for what he didn't more than for what he did musically.
As a friend of mine predicted, on the week after his death the radio would be paying homage to his memory by playing "Wish You Were Here" instead of "See Emily Play".