The story of Pink Floyd wunderkind Syd Barrett is at once a sad
and familiar one, but a story still fused with its own alluring mysteriousness.
That tale, as well as the formation and rise of the famous band, get a fine
overview in this engaging mid-form (which is to say halfway between short-form
and long-form) 2003 documentary from producer-director John Edginton, a title which
includes interviews with all the members of Pink Floyd.
The Pink Floyd and Syd
Barrett Story retells the fascinating story of the launch of one of the most
influential bands in rock ’n’ roll — named on a whim for an album by obscure bluesmen
Pink Anderson and Floyd Council — and the drug-induced breakdown of their
original songwriter and lead singer. As one of the most famous creators and
characters of the psychedelic era, Barrett conducted no interviews and released
no music between the early 1970s and his recent passing, yet his self-imposed
anonymity still fascinates fans old and new. The prodigiously talented original
songwriter for Pink Floyd was only with the band for a vibrant three years when
he left in 1968, yet when the group released their greatest hits album in 2001 Barrett’s
fingerprints were on over a fifth of the tracks.
The film incorporates rare early footage of the band
performing, including a live show at the UFO Club, and an appearance with
former landlord Mick Leonard on Tomorrows
World. Roger Waters, Dave Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright retell how Barrett’s
disconnection from reality happened rather quickly, yet still haunted the band
for many years, informing tracks like “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” and, of
course, “Wish You Were Here.” Their recollections are candid (“Should I roar
with laughter or try to kill him?” muses Mason at one point, then adding, “I
don’t remember being overcome with compassion”) and sometimes downright harsh,
particularly as Gilmour was groomed to take over for an unreliable Barrett. Intervention
and drug treatment programs, it seems, were not part of the 1960s
musical scene.
Running around 50 minutes, the movie at times feels like it
could use a bit more fleshing out, either from others who knew Barrett outside
of the band (an old girlfriend provides key reminiscences, for instance,
including the revelation that “Arnold Layne,” the tune that helped the group
first ink a record deal with EMI in 1967, was actually about a local
panty-sniffer) or critical-minded music authorities. Still, there’s no denying the
fascinating value of the insights and anecdotes that the major players all
provide. Brief guitarist Bob Klose even half-jokingly notes that the band “needed
me to leave” to hone their signature sound.
The film is presented in widescreen, with superlative audio in
the form of complementary Dolby digital 5.1 and DTS surround sound tracks. Supplemental
extras on the first disc include a few interview outtakes, and though these
seem to be mixed a bit lower, they include Gilmour’s thoughts on “Wish You Were
Here,” and him noodling around on what he recalls as the actual guitar that
birthed the original riff. There are performances, too: Blur guitarist Graham Coxon,
who talks up “Bike” during the movie, performs “Love You,” while Robyn
Hitchcock performs “Dominoes” and “It Is Obvious.” There’s also a detailed text
biography of Barrett. The release’s second disc contains the supplemental jackpot,
however, with more than two hours of unedited interview footage between an
offscreen Edginton and his subjects. Overall, this great disc strikes a great
balance; it’s accessible enough for casual music fans looking to learn more
about Pink Floyd, while the high quotient of the never-before-seen footage (there’s
even some home video footage of one of Barrett’s first LSD experiences) is
impressive enough to woo longtime fans as well.
To purchase the film via Amazon, click here. B+ (Movie) A- (Disc)