Shine On

Roger Barrett, aka Syd Barrett died at an unknown time in the past week. From a founding member of Pink Floyd, he went to a recluse living in Cambridge – riding his bike, and living a quiet life. Too much LSD, and what followed was a life, the details of which are unknown. I am amazed by people who give everything up, and retreat to a life of silent existence. His songs used to leave me in wonder, and I could never wrap my head around how such a dangerously deviant musical experiment as the Piper at the Gates of Dawn became a commercial and critical success. I owe him a word of gratitude for having made my teenage years more colourful, and for teaching me to appreciate art. I wonder what his thoughts were in the later years of his life – maybe nothing remarkable, and maybe his silence was his biggest message – that there is no “message” – that life is just meant to be survived – a day at a time.