“I’ve got a tryke, you can ride it if you like…”
Syd in his garden in Cambridge. © Mick Rock.
You’ll lose your mind and play…
David recently pointed me in the direction of what looks to be another essential Syd Barrett book. Due out as a hardback in October, ‘Madcap’ by Tim Willis is published by Short Books and “promises to both set the record straight and shatter a few long-held myths in the process.” Eskimo Chain, the Syd site that David recommended last month, (02/12/02 NEWS: DAVID RECOMMENDS ESKIMO CHAIN!?) has a tantalising interview with author Tim Willis.
Willis claims to have the ultimate scoop with this one, in that he has actually talked to Barrett for the book, but when pushed to give a reason why Syd has decided to break his thirty-year silence, the author teased: “The interesting thing is not why he talked, but what he said. And, for that, you’ll have to wait ’til publication…” Indeed we will, and what a long wait it’s going to seem. 🙁
Of course Mick Rock’s brilliant Syd Barrett book, PSYCHEDELIC RENEGADES, (in which Mick recalled his first meeting with David, see story above) has the first real Syd exclusive with 320 copies of the book being signed by the Madcap himself. Only a handful of these editions are left now, so if you don’t want to be kicking yourself forever more, you best nip over to Genesis Publications by clicking on Mick’s picture of Syd above.
