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compassion, delusion, despair, desperation, emotion, empathy, fantasy, free, mental illness, music, psychedelic rock, schizophrenia
.
Eugene had a mind of his own,
not, as some would say, a sound mind,
but his own mind, nevertheless.
“It’s awfully considerate of you
to think of me here.
And I’m most obliged to you
for making it clear
that I’m not here.”
Eugene was a great musician,
taking music to the limit;
his songs will always survive.
Eugene took drugs to the limit;
he’s now in Interstellar Overdrive.
When we observed him with an axe,
you may understand our concern.
Was he in danger, or were we?
Eugene had already left us in spirit,
but he wandered away that day
and was lost to us forever.
.
This poem is dedicated to the memory of “Syd Barrett (born Roger Keith Barrett; 6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) who was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and artist. He is most remembered as a founding member of band Pink Floyd, providing major musical and stylistic direction in their early work, although he left the group in 1968 amidst speculations of mental illness exacerbated by heavy drug use.”
Axe is also British slang for guitar. Pink Floyd’s use of the title Careful With That Axe, Eugene may refer to “Barrett’s behaviour (which) became increasingly unpredictable, partly as a consequence of frequent experimentation with psychedelic drugs such as LSD. Many report having seen him on stage with the group, strumming on one chord through the entire concert, or not playing at all. At a show at The Fillmore West in San Francisco, during a performance of “Interstellar Overdrive”, Barrett slowly detuned his guitar. The audience seemed to enjoy such antics, unaware of the rest of the band’s consternation.” (Source: Wikipedia)
Dennis Cardiff 
Great post! I’m always appreciative of anything Syd. In fact, my license plate read “WHERSSYD” for years – “Where’s Syd?” being the running joke in the Floyd recording studios after Barrett’s departure. I’ve theorized that Syd wasn’t all that crazy. There is compelling evidence that he made a conscious choice to leave Floyd and what better way to add mystery to the band than for their lead vocalist and primary song writer to go “mad. Absolutely mad. …over the edge for years.”
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I read that he enjoyed gardening. Maybe he was just content with nature. ~ Dennis
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The article is quite interesting, and thank you for your participation in our website, and regards compassion.
We awaited his presence back and we present another interesting article.
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I am honored that you visited my blog. My life and my decisions are based on the writings of Buddhism. I enjoyed your post “Messages of Light”. I will visit often to be reminded of the light and of awareness. ~ Dennis
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That’s sad. So much talent being wasted…
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So many musicians have been lost to drugs. It’s tragic.
“There has been much speculation concerning Barrett’s psychological well-being. Many believe he suffered from schizophrenia. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder has also been considered. Some have also suggested that Barrett might have had Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder.Barrett’s use of psychedelic drugs, especially LSD, during the 1960s is well documented. In an article published in 2006, in response to notions that Barrett’s problems were the result of such, Gilmour was quoted as saying: “In my opinion, his nervous breakdown would have happened anyway. It was a deep-rooted thing. But I’ll say the psychedelic experience might well have acted as a catalyst.”
~ Dennis
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Reblogged this on Stop the Stigma! and commented:
We need to know the greatness of people despite their affliction of mental illness…this is truly a beautiful poem in that respect…read on…
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Thanks, Cheryl, for reposting my poem. It is much appreciated. ~ Dennis
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You’re welcome…it adds to the richness of my message, you say it so well:)
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Hauntingly tragic.
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I agree, Tony, both haunting and tragic. The title, “Be Careful With That Axe, Eugene” stuck in my mind for years before I found words for it, especially since the song is an instrumental with no clue as to its meaning. ~ Dennis
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this is beautiful. one of my favorites by ya!
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Thanks Ian, I have always been fascinated by Pink Floyd. If I couldn’t sleep I’d put on their dvd “Live at Pompeii”. I had it memorized, so It would lull me to sleep. The group had an absurd sense of humor. In one of the candid clips at a cafe, Roger Waters ordered a pie, but he didn’t want a round one, he wanted a square one.
I love your blog. “John Prine Monday” brought back some memories. He is a true original. ~ Dennis
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The de-tuning may well have been a poignant cry for help, regardless, it certainly summed-up his life. Well written.
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“The other band members soon grew tired of Barrett’s antics and, on 26 January 1968, when Waters was driving on the way to a show at Southampton University, the band elected not to pick Barrett up: one person in the car said, “Shall we pick Syd up?” and another said, “Let’s not bother.” ~ Wikipedia
“”[Sessions] were pretty tortuous and very rushed. We had very little time, particularly with The Madcap Laughs. Syd was very difficult, we got that very frustrated feeling: Look, it’s your fucking career, mate. Why don’t you get your finger out and do something? The guy was in trouble, and was a close friend for many years before then, so it really was the least one could do.”
— David Gilmour, [96]” Wikipedia
I’m sure it was a cry for help, but it wasn’t understood. Syd appeared at the door of a later session with his head shaved, madly brushing his teeth. The other members of the band didn’t recognize him.
David Gilmour and Roger Waters had massive egos. That is what caused the band to eventually split up. They each followed solo careers playing Pink Floyd music.
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