Todays blog features a favorite of mine, Roger Waters "In the Flesh" tour video from 2000. I actually saw this tour and it was amazing. For those that didn't know, Roger Waters was the bassist and main songwriter for Pink Floyd. The DVD was filmed live at the Rose Garden
in Portland, Oregon back in June 2000. It is a 3 hour long concert and covers all of the
Floyd classics such as Time, Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here,
Money, Dogs, and many more. It also features a "best of" of Rogers solo
work. It comes with a 30 minute long documentary on preparing for the
tour, one of the few DVD side documentaries worth watching. Other than
that, it's kind of a no-frills deal, as are most concert DVDs.
Most notably in my opinion and the reason I'm blogging about this dvd today is the guitar playing of Doyle Bramhall II. Not only is he a left handed guitar player, but he doesn't reverse the strings for left handed playing. That means he's literally playing upside down with the low strings on the bottom and the high strings on the top.
As this quote from Bramhall himself says, playing left handed and upside down presents its own challenges when it comes to playing, transposing and music theory.
I play by ear, so it could be the same and have no challenges for me. However,
the different challenges for me are chords and transposing chords, because there
are no instructions or music books out there for the positioning of the fingers
for a left-handed, upside-down player. All the theory and technique doesn't apply
to me because I would have to transpose it completely, as opposed to if I strung
left-handed. Then all the finger positions on the first, second, third, fourth,
fifth fret would all be the same. But for me, it's useless. - Doyle Bramhall II
However, I think Bramhall does a nice job of playing both staying true to the original Pink Floyd guitar style while at the same time bringing his own style of playing and making the songs his own. Its a fine balancing act to do that correctly and I think he pulls it off.
Here is the setlist of the dvd
01. In The Flesh 02. The Happiest Days Of Our Lives 03. Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) 04. Mother 05. Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert 06. Southampton Dock 07. Pigs On The Wing (Part 1) 08. Dogs 09. Welcome To The Machine 10. Wish You Were Here 11. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-8) 12. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 13. Breathe 14. Time 15. Money 16. Pros & Cons Of Hitch Hiking Part 11 17. Perfect Sense (Parts 1 & 2) 18. The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range 19. It's A Miracle 20. Amused To Death 21. Brain Damage 22. Eclipse 23. Comfortably Numb 24. Each Small Candle
Sure Roger Waters solo career has some questionable tunes and they're definitely not the highlight of the dvd. But guitar players will like this dvd for the unique playing of Doyle Bramhall II. Pink Floyd fans will like the song selection from such underrated albums like Animals (a real guitar players album in my opinion). Enjoy.
Insanity: A perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world. - R.D. Laing [psychiatrist] he thought it was all a bit of fun really, it was just something he'd
enjoyed. He never wrote a piece of music to make money, he wrote it
because it was in his head and it was enjoyable to do so. - Rosemary Breen, Syd's Sister.
"All I
ever wanted to do as a kid [was] play guitar properly and jump
around, but too many people got
in the way."- Syd Barrett
Today I want to talk about what happened to Syd Barrett and why it's important today. Barrett was a founding member of Pink Floyd. He named the band after two obscure blues men Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. In 1968 he was dismissed over his increasingly erratic behavior and heavy drug use.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time going over Barrett's past. This is not a biography. I will post some links and sources for further reading into Barrett's life.
Barrett in the Early 90's
After scoring a couple singles with The Floyd that entered the charts, he released two solo albums before eventually withdrawing completely from the public view in 1974 at the age of 28, Barrett was done with being Syd and went back to his given name Roger. He lived his life simply, spending his time painting and gardening. He did not like being reminded about his past as a musician and the
other members of Pink Floyd had no direct contact with him.In 1992 Atlantic Records even offered him 75,000 British Pounds to record anything he wanted, in his home if necessary. Although its rumored that his family did consider the offer, Barrett simply declined flat out.
Some dickhead fan, knocks on Syd Barrett's door. Barrett spent a lot of his time dealing with people constantly knocking on his door, camping out in front of his house. and following him around town.It is said that he found it quite strange that people still cared about the musical recordings he made so many years ago.
Since Syd Barrett never receved an official diagnosis during his lifetime, speculation still persists over what the hell happened to him. Lots of posthumous diagnoses have been suggested ranging from Aspergers, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and just plain old acid burnout. I'm not a big fan of posthumous diagnoses, I just don't think they are effective, but just this once, I'll put my usual hesitations aside.
Barrett in 1975 crashing the Wish You Were recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios. Rick Wright said when he saw him, 'He kept standing up and brushing his teeth, putting his toothbrush
away and sitting down. Then at one point he stood up and said, 'Right,
when do I put my guitar on?' And of course he didn't have a guitar with him'
...he [Syd] had psychiatric problems, and was actually in a sanitorium. He
doesn't have any involvement with anything or anybody. He is a recluse... I see him very rarely. I mean, I
know where he is, but he doesn't want to be bothered; he just sits there
on his own, watching television all day and getting fat. That's what
he does - Bryan Morrison (former Pink Floyd manager and publisher)
"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. Still, I just don't think he could
deal with the vision of success and all the things that went with it.- David Gilmour, Pink Floyd
...acid to a
large extent can exacerbate that collection of symptoms we put together
loosely described as schizophrenia...There is no doubt that Syd was
schizophrenic and that he was taking those drugs at the same time. - Roger Waters, Pink Floyd I believe that Acid had a huge part to play in it...99.9% sure. - Rick Wright, Pink Floyd
He wasn't mentally ill in any way, he was different, eccentric, his mind
and ideas were simply different from the considered norm. Thank goodness we are not all the same, we need people like Syd to add colour to our lives. - Rosemary Breen, Barrett's sister.
For me, to say Barrett simply went crazy, or was an acid casualty, is such an extremely simplistic explanation that it falls short of explaining what really happened.
Aspergers Syndrome [link to wikipedia], is an autism spectrum disorder and its characterized by extreme difficulties in socical interactions and repetitive patterns of behavior. However, this is rare and it starts in childhood and stays consistent through life. In the books, "A Saucerfull of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey," and "A Very Irregular Head: The Life of Syd Barrett," it is made very clear by his friends and family that he was a very upbeat and charming kid. It is well documented by his friends and band mates that his decline didn't start until the mid/late 1960's shortly before his departure from Pink Floyd in the beginning of 1968. Post Floyd Barrett has been called, "mad," "paranoid" and "crazed."
Bipolar Disorder [link to wikipedia] doesn't seem to fit either. Being Bipolar myself, I don't see anything resembling bipolar when reading the books and numerous interviews that have been conducted amongst his friends and bandmates. What seems to have happened with Barrett is a slow steady decline into madness versus the highs and lows that characterize bipolar disorder. I would imagine that someone in his position that was bipolar would've seen several attempt to re-enter music throughout the 70's and 80's during high periods.
Schizophrenia [link to wikipedia]seems to manifest in the late teens or early twenties. Starting with minor oddities and quirks it progresses into a full blown breakdown of the thought processes. It's characterized hallucinations/delusions, disorganized speech/thinking, difficulties working and extreme social isolation. These symptoms are wide ranging and there are many expressions of them in this broad spectrum of schizophrenia.
This is the generally accepted view by those who knew him and also by mental health professionals today. The University of California San Francisco Med School even did a lecture on changes in people developing schizophrenia, and used Barrett as an example.
This would seem to fit Barrett however his mental decline doesn't seem to come into question until he began his marathon like use of LSD.
What I think really happened was that Barrett suffered from an LSD-induced Schizophrenic Psychosis that was exacerbated by a genetic predisposition to mental illness and the pressures of being suddenly thrown into Pop stardom, which he was completely unprepared for. An LSD induced schizophrenic psychosis, can happened after taking acid one time or after taking it multiple times.
Long term LSD use predisposes the user to psychotic personality changes and even to schizophrenic psychotic symptoms. However, distinguishing between psychotic symptoms related to LSD use and other pre-existing mental disorders is very difficult -Sami Pirkola, Senior Research Scientist, National Public Health Institute.
My Schizophrenic Psychotic view differs from the classic schizophrenia diagnosis in that I don't believe he had it before he started taking drugs. I believe his heavy use of LSD triggered a Psychotic State [link to wikipedia] or a loss of contact with reality. And this state may have lasted for several years until he completely withdrew from the public view in 1974. After this psychosis from extremely heavy LSD use went away he was left a solitary figure resembling more a schizophrenic who was extremely reclusive, extremely intent not to be around anybody that reminded him of his past and someone extremely paranoid and suspicious of people in general as his sister Rosemary once said in an interview after Syd's death. He did however become more selective, when he was younger everyone was
his friend, after the Floyd I think there was lots of issues and it made
him much more wary of human contact. Not everyone had good motives
towards him; therefore I think he became quite suspicious of people.- Rosemary Breen
Barrett, 2002
Barrett, it is reported, spend upwards of 8 years in a mental institution sometime after went into his self-imposed exile. However, he was never given an official diagnosis. This could be due to the fact that the full spectrum of schizophrenia and the affects of LSD on mental conditions was not widely understood at that time. We have a much better understanding of that now, especially with drugs like crystal meth and bath salts.
It's Important to see that we may take certain drugs today, thinking there will be no long term consequences but that doesn't mean that there won't be any 10-20 years from now. I'm including all drugs, legal and illegal, but mostly illegal.
IN CONCLUSION
Let me try to explain everything so far:
It's ultimately impossible to know whether Syd Barrett already had schizophrenia in him or if it was the LSD that created it. What we do know is that Syd Barrett had everything going for him and what did he get at the end of it all?
The depression that characterizes Stage 3, turns into pleasant surprise as Stage 4 unfolds. Several important landmarks signify the onset of Stage 4:
* For the first time you hear one of your favorite teenage songs on the classic rock station.
* You see one of those record compilation commercials for a CD of music from your "youth" Like my favorite "Freedom Rock," * "I'll never drink again," turns into "I can't drink anymore like I used to."
This is the age where, as Chris Rock put it, you're now, "the old guy in the club." Not old, but just a little too old to be in the club. You think its weird funny at first, hearing your old favorite songs on the classic rock station. You go get your hair cut and you make a joke that references an old movie that you like and the girl has no idea what you're talking about. You're at the mall, shopping with you wife, because she says you never want to do anything with her, and you don't see the point because all you end up doing anyways is just sitting in that seat outside the dressing room reserved for miserable, married men who've been castrated by their wives, and you just keep checking your Facebook over and over again, then you notice out of the corner of your eyes, this group of hot giggling girls and you realize that those teenage girls you're looking at are old enough to be your daughters.
Yeah thats a lot like what Stage 4 is like.
Musically, Stage 4, is like a man torn between two lovers. On one hand you got your old favorites, but you don't hear them in clubs anymore. You only hear them in bars when people put it on the jukebox, on a night when nobody is there, or some group of youngsters sing it as a karaoke goof. After a few years, that gets old.
You try to stay on top of new music, but with every passing year it gets harder. For example I just looked at the current Billboard Top Ten. Eight names I've never, ever heard of. One name I've heard people mention but I've never heard anything they've ever done, and one person I think I saw on an acne commercial once or twice. I used to love watching The Grammys and the MTV music awards, but I can't anymore because I don't know who the hell anyone is.
And not that I want to anyways. Everything just sounds like crap.
So by the time you figure out that you can't keep up with modern music anymore, you don't really care anyways.
There are a few newer artists making music nowadays that I find interesting, like The Black Keys, or The Mars Volta, who I listened to a couple years ago. But I couldn't tell you much about them or how many records they've put out and I really only heard their songs a few times, agreed that yeah, they're ok, and then never heard them again. It's just really hard for me to make room for new artists these days.
I've heard quite a few Radiohead songs, they're music is good, but I don't know much about them and don't know if they're still making albums.
I really like System of a Down, but I think they broke up.
I've always liked the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I don't keep up with them, I didn't get into the last album they did and I don't know if they've put anything out recently.
I like the foo fighters but I'm only familiar with the songs they play on the radio.
I'm not a big fan of modern heavy metal these days. I never thought I would ever say this, but its just getting too damn noisy for me to enjoy. I find it either annoying with the "cookie monster vocals," that is if they're still doing the cookie monster vocals thing, and if they're not I really don't care, cuz I don't wanna listen to it anyways.
Once in a while when I'm in the mood I might listen to System of a Down, but my headbanging days are pretty much over.
The artists on my I-phone today include, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, The Ramones, The Misfits, Danzig (his first two solo albums only), Social Distortion, Iggy Pop, Velvet Undergound, Sex Pistols,David Bowie...
I'll be 39 this fall. I've probably got more time behind me than ahead of me now. I've found my comfort zone- musically, and thats where I want to stay. I'm pushing 40, and there's no way I want to be one of those 40 year old douchebags pretending to be all hip with all the kids music and fashions n shit.
This is the latter half of stage 4. Other interesting things start happening too. Those pains in your knees and back that you occasionally wake up with, are becoming more frequent. You say its because, "you must've slept wrong last night." but who are you fooling? you have a tempur pedic mattress.
You drink Pepsi, not because it makes you feel young, but because it helps you burp. You stay away from pizza and beer not because you're watching your weight but because it gives you excruciating indigestion. You go out on Friday night, not because you're ready to party, but because its you and your wife's predetermined 'date night' and while you're not too thrilled about going out because one of you has to stay sober so they can drive, and this week its your turn, but still it beats staying at home and having to deal with the kids and all their bullshit.
OK ENOUGH SERIOUS SHIT, LET'S TAKE A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE BREAK, SHALL WE?
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Wow, that was a lot, let's go over what we've covered so far
Stage 4
* Begins with the enjoyment of the novelty of things you used to listen to, being relegated to the ranks of nostalgia.
* Attempts to hang on to your youth, stay hip and pretend you're not getting older.
* Eventual resignation and acceptance combined with extreme 'south park-like' cynicism where everything begins to sound and look like shit.
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Stage 5?
I'm not too sure about what stage 5 is. I'm still in the last part of stage 4 and I don't see that changing any time soon.
But I have some projections. It's hard though, considering I never, ever thought I would make it to thirty, and rock and roll doesn't really have an old timers day. Know what I mean?
* If you're lucky, you will enter old age, beat up but still functional and looking descent(considering the heavy mileage you've got) and still able to rock out without making it seem like you're trying to hard like a douchebag in denial.
* You end up as one of those "rapping granny" type old people. haha, oh how cute! it's so great to see someone your age still being active and refusing to give in to old age...uh, um ok you can stop now, becuz its starting to get creepy.
* You end up just an old cynical asshole. The new music sounds like shit. The old music you've heard too many times, and you're tired of it...Reminds me of a Pink Floyd Song...
You shuffle in gloom of the sickroom And talk to yourself as you die.
* Einstein had created the "Special Theory of Relativity."
* Steve Wozniak, Co-founded Apple Computer.
* Napoleon Conquered Italy
* Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane
What the hell had I done? not a damn thing. I had always had these grand notions of me being a famous writer or musician, but now at 27 I was faced with a grim reality.
Over 100 billion people have ever been born in all human historyand nobody has ever heard of most of them. Only a fraction of all those people have ever been famous, or well known for anything. The majority of people are born, live and die without leaving a trace that they were ever here, and you are most likely going to be one of them.
That's a hard pill to swallow. Where's Morpheus? I'd rather take the blue pill right about now, so I can go back to living in ignorant bliss.
It sends a chill down your spine. It's like a slap in the face whenever
you have that brief moment when you come face to face with
your own mortality. It's not a thought,there are no words,
it's just a feeling, that one day you will not be here, at least
in the form that you are currently familiar with.
It was this realization along with the fact that I already had
one failed marriage behind me, that sent me into a very
dark place, where I stayed for several years. This period is
stage 3, and it lasts for however long it takes you to get out
of it. There's that general sense of dread around age 27,
the dread of 30 rapidly approaching, then the realization
that your twenties are gone and middle age, for the
first time is visible far away on the horizon.
_________________________________________________
My musical tastes reflected this ever-present sense of dread.
The Doors,Pink Floyd, Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground,
Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Neil Young, Syd Barrett, David Bowie.
The singer/songwriter for the first time had become the dominant
voice in my life. Music that told of solitude,
loss, alienation, pain. The "I'm young and invincible, so let's
party," attitude that was my musical life of my early twenties
was over.
Day after day, love turns grey
Like the skin of a dying man
Night after night, we pretend it's all right
But I have grown older and
You have grown colder and
Nothing is very much fun any more.
One of My Turns - From "The Wall"
Pink Floyd: The Wall
After my first marriage ended at age 26, I did nothing
but locked away in my home doing nothing but drinking and
listening to Pink Floyd, The Wall for about a good 2 months.
The Wall is a case study in alienation, abandonment and
isolation, and the kind of paranoia, and insanity that can arise
as a result of 'building walls around yourself."
I love this album because I've always found solace in being
able to identify with the alienation that the main character in
the album feels. It lets me know its ok to feel down, so listening
to it is a very cathartic expeience. However, the main character
inevitably feels guilty and tears down his wall and exposes
himself to the outside world. So while I can identify with the
isolation that pervades the album, there is also hope
that eventually I'll be able to "tear down my own wall as well.
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett, was the founding member of Pink Floyd. I'm not
sure how many people know that. The Pink Floyd that most
people know today is completely different than Syd Barrett's
Floyd. All that remains from Barrett's time with the floyd, is
one album "Piper at the Gates of Dawn," and the band's name
which it was given by Barrett himself. Legend has it, Barrett
got the name from two blues records he owned by musicians,
"Pink Anderson," and, "Floyd Council."
Dark Globe - Syd Barrett
Nobody really knows why but after recording their debut
album, Barrett, gradually became insane. He lost touch with
reality, and soon found himself kicked out the very band that
he gave its name too. A couple albums of solo work were
produced before dropping out of sight entirely in the mid-
seventies until his death in 2006.
The recordings are raw and some say its a rambling mess
of false starts, fumbled notes and off-key vocals, but personally
I think they're brilliant. It's literally the sound of insanity.
Barrett completely and unashamedly bares his soul on these
records and I find that alot more real that most of the crap,
people try to pass off as music these days.
The Doors
People fear death even more than pain. It's strange
that they fear death. Life hurts a lot more than death. At the point of
death, the pain is over. Yeah, I guess it is a friend.
- Jim Morrison
The Doors were one of the first really 'dark' bands to come
along. People are Strange, The End, Riders on the Storm,
are still some of the darkest songs out there.
I believe in a long, prolonged, derangement of the senses in order to obtain the unknown.
- Jim Morrison
I looked up to Jim Morrison in a way, during the depression
that followed my divorce. I felt so helpless that maybe if I too
pursued a 'long, prolonged, derangement of the senses,' that
maybe I would 'Break on Through to the other Side," and
finally find peace and comfort there.
The Velvet Underground
For me, the Velvet Underground is just pure escapism. Venus in Furs, is just one of those songs that can pull you out of your reality and into another world. I'll let that song loop and replay for hours on end, while I just strum a Dm chord over and over, kinda a 'musical meditation.'
Heroin - Lou Reed & The Velvet Undergound
The first time I heard Lou Reed sing "heroin" it kinda scared me in a way. It
was disturbing to hear someone sing what almost appears to be a love song to
a drug.
It's my wife, and it's my life, haha.
With the droning guitar and Lou Reed's trippy sounding voice I like to close
my eyes and space out to this song. It also inspires me to really bare my soul and don't
hold back, anytime I'm trying to be creative.
____________________________________________
The depression and general overwhelming sense of dread
pervaded begining of my mid-twenties gave way to a high
period that lasted into my early/mid thirties.
But this was nothing more than a lame attempt to hold on to
my early twenties. This period of drinking, partying and
screwing around was also my way of dealing with my divorce.
This 'lost weekend' lasted well over five years.
Lots of hanging out in bars, where strange dudes would
offer you even stranger drugs...
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Ok, I've covered alot of ground so let me explain...
Stage 3
* The 'mid-twenties' blues
* Desperately trying to party away the fact that
yer gonna be 30 soon
* Musical tastes begin to shift from loud, party, sex, drugs
and rock n roll, and start to incorporate more deep, emotional
