The Madcap laughs last: Tribute to Syd Barrett

By Kurt Langmann
London's Barbican Centre played host to an all-star tribute to the troubled genius of Syd Barrett May 10.
Celebrating the muse of Pink Floyd's formative years of 1966-67 drew on the talents of many old friends for this multi-media event, including the legendary UFO Club lightshow recreated by the Boyle Family and Peter Wynne-Willson, and culminating with surviving Pink Floyd members climbing on stage for a grand finale of "Arnold Layne."
The Barbican area is a cold grey expanse of concrete modernism that only a fan of Arthur Erickson could love, as it had to be rebuilt after suffering the worst of the Blitz in WW2. There are only a few vestiges of Georgian or earlier architecture left here today. But this made it an appropriate venue for the "Syd Barrett: Madcap's Last Laugh" concert, as the experiences of the childhood war and post-war years made such an indelible impression on the members of Pink Floyd, playing an important role in their song-writing, particularly that of Roger Waters (his father was killed in action at Anzio).
But it was also the warm wit, wide-eyed innocence and "fearlessness" of Syd Barrett that inspired record producer Joe Boyd to call on several dozen performers to try their hands at cover versions of, and musical tributes to, Syd Barrett. And, apparently, it was more a Sisyphean effort than a Herculean one.
"I was not up to taking this all on, so I dragged in Nick Laird-Clowes," said Boyd that night. Over the months since Barrett's passing last summer, Clowes inveigled sundry promises from artists to participate but "even (Laird-Clowes) got deflated after a while. It was Chrissie Hynde who galvanized the whole thing."
Boyd, who was Elektra Records' London A&R man in the '60s, as well as partner in the UFO Club, and who discovered such seminal talents as Pink Floyd, the Incredible String Band and Fairport Convention, says he was "fortunate to work with rare talents" but the briefness of Barrett's career before he was lost to mental illness was "frustrating."
Boyd said, "I am haunted by an evening in 1966" when Barrett performed a series of new songs for Boyd that Barrett felt were "not right for Pink Floyd." He asked Boyd if there was anyone else who might be interested in recording the songs. Those songs eventually ended up on Barrett's solo records, recorded and released after "Syd changed... altered himself into the damaged person we think of when we think of Syd."
"In 1967 we thought we were at the beginning of something really big. We didn't realize we were nearing the end. Everything we created in those years of optimistic freedom wound up on a corporate website... I think Syd saw it coming, like the small animal that runs out of the forest two days before the earthquake," said Boyd.
Thursday night began with an old Blind Boy Fuller recording which played while the album credits were screened, paying homage to bluesmen "Pink" Anderson and "Floyd" Council (Barrett also named his pet cats after the latter two men). Then for the better part of three hours a bevy of old and new artists paid their musical tributes to Barrett
The 24-voice mixed Sense of Sound choir opened the first half, followed by Captain Sensible backed by David Coulter bowing a carpenter's saw. Kevin Ayers did two songs, including one he wrote about Barrett during his Soft Machine days, "O, wot a Dream". Nick Laird-Clowes, The Bees, Neulander, Mike Heron and the House Band (Ted Barnes, Andy Bell, Simon Finley and Adam Peters) were followed by the family trio of Kate McGarrigle, Martha Wainwright and Lily Lanken harmonizing gorgeously on "See Emily Play."
Then it was the night's first big surprise: Roger Waters strode on stage with an acoustic guitar and a song he wrote for Barrett, called Flickering Flame. Waters said he was not used to performing solo, usually having a "big production to hide behind, but not Syd. He lived life like he walked; he bounced. Thank you, Syd, wherever you are."
The second half opened with a humorous BBC archives clip of Barrett eloquently defending his music in an interview with a snotty toff. This was followed by the Sense of Sound and House Band, the ethereal vocals of Vashti Bunyan backed by Gareth Dickson and Kate St. John's English horn, performing "Love Song."
Damon Albarn provided the night's comic relief, first inviting Barrett's nephew Ian on stage (Ian grabbed Albarn's "cigarette" and after several deep draws, told the audience how happy he was to be here, then blew raspberries at us - a nervous tic rather than out of disrespect, I suspect). Then Albarn introduced the surreal "Word Song" as an "early rap" and rattled through it with the help of David Coulter's bowed saw and St. John's English horn.
Captain Sensible said he named his own son after Syd ("I spelled it right too"), and after describing "Astronomy Domine" as the "perspective of a fish looking at nuclear war" he proceeded to perform a note-perfect version of the early Pink Floyd classic.
Robyn Hitchcock, accompanied by John Paul Jones on mandolin and Ruby Wright on bowed saw, performed a couple of songs that proved he is Barrett's musical heir, including the weird "Gigolo Aunt". Hitchcock observed that "Barrett knew the value of a good A chord."
Chrissie Hynde and another guitarist brought a pair of Walkman-sized amplifiers with them, placed them on a chair, and launched into two songs from the "Madcap Laughs" album, "Dark Globe" and "Late Night."
"It's such a beautiful album," said Hynde. "I'm just sorry about my American accent."
Boyd the spoke of how Barrett was "full of life and ebullience... before the unbearable sadness. As Roger Waters said, he had a 'fearlessness,' a braveness. I thank everyone here tonight for helping to keep his name alive."
Boyd said the only remaining challenge was "how to finish this night" and the audience erupted into cheers when he said that David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason were waiting backstage to perform "Arnold Layne." It was the perfect ending to a perfect night of tributes to a "Crazy Diamond" who never seems to lose his shine, even 40 years after the Powis Street heyday.
As Boyd said, "It's the only way we know how to tell his ghost we loved him... Syd won't know or care but perhaps we'll walk slightly differently as we leave."

NOTES:
Proceeds from the concert were donated to the mental health charity SANE, nominated by the Barrett family.
Kurt Langmann is a child of the '50s who distinctly recalls the halcyon days of Pink Floyd, and looks forward to sharing old stories with his granddaughter Emma.