The Members Of Pink Floyd

Roger Keith (Syd) Barrett

More commonly known as Syd Barrett. Syd was born on the 6^th of January of 1946. Syd is responsible for the name Pink Floyd, which came from two of his favorite blues artists, Pink Anderson, and Floyd Council. Syd played guitar and sang. Instead of going in depth with his pre-Floyd adventures( Architectural Abdab’s, etc.), I’ll credit his involvement with the first Floyd album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, and a few writings on A Saucerful Of Secrets. His work can be heard on later live recordings of the band with songs like; Interstellar Overdrive, and Astronomy Domine. Syd was basically removed from the band due to his unpredictable and erratic behavior in about 1968. He was into the big LSD underground movement which toyed greatly with his sanity. This has been a heated debate on the net. Some faithful Barrett fans state that Barrett was in no way effected by his use of the drug. After a little studying (and personal invocations) I have learned that prolonged use of this drug has very extreme long term brain damage effects. Syd has admittedly indulged in more than his fair share of the drug, so it is safe to assume that much of his instability was greatly caused by his use of LSD. Syd had, after his departure from Floyd, embarked on solo albums; The Madcap Laughs, Barrett, Syd Barrett, The Peel Sessions, Opel, Octopus, and the Crazy Diamond box set. These days Barrett lives a much more reserved and quite life in care of his sister. In the end of Nicholas Schaffner’s book, A Saucerful Of Secrets, there is a nice little page devoted to Syd’s where-abouts and what he is doing. It says;

"In Cambridge, tucked away on a cul-de-sac in his little semidetached suburban home, the man who named the Pink Floyd follows a quiet, solitary existence.

Among his everyday hobbies and pastimes, only the unfinished canvases- painted in a style that is, to say the least, abstract- give any indication that this is an individual of any exceptional sensibility. The rest of Roger Barrett’s time is whiled away tending to his beloved garden and his coin collection; watching TV and reading (everything from Shakespeare to the daily newspapers to books on home improvements and mathematics); and endlessly redecorating his cozy Shangri-La. He has not touched a guitar in years, and the only music he ever listens to is jazz and the classics- never pop or rock ‘n’ roll.

This portly, balding, middle-aged man is not entirely unaware of that other life he led as "Syd", or of the on going fascination with his extinguished alter ego’s work and legacy. But any lingering memories are rarely accompanied by any trace of pleasure or satisfaction with the exception, however perverse, of America, which he is tickled pink as an old sailor to have gone so far as to visit. As for the rest, it was a difficult and demanding life that he would never again wish upon anyone, least of all himself.

Yet Syd’s Floyd records continue to bring in more than enough to subsidize Roger Barrett’s modest pleasures and needs; he rarely buys anything, and money in the bank means nothing to him. Occasionally, moreover, he does think about his old friends Dave, Rick, and Nick- and Rog.

Any Syd freaks so presumptuous as to track him down, however, are likely to find their faces on the receiving end of a slammed door; Roger Barrett would in any case have absolutely nothing to say to them. While his family and few friends are grateful that he is "getting better" with each passing year, it remains painfully difficult for him to relate to or communicate with other human beings on almost any level. But though he seldom ventures beyond the perimeters of his English garden, the man who was once Syd is settled and reasonably content- and almost determinedly ordinary as he shuffles through his simple daily routines.

Sometimes, he even dreams that he will soon be well enough to hold down a nine-to-five London office job, and commute every day into the big city.

WHEW! That was a lot of typing.

George Roger Waters

Roger Waters was born on the 9^th of September in 1943, making him the oldest member of any member of Floyd. Roger was aware of the underground music as he was growing up, but was more interested in being an architect. Roger also wasn’t very musically inclined, he was tone deaf, making him the "octave ridden bass player". Roger and Syd shared the loss of their father in their youth together, though it is quite evident that Roger draws inspiration for his music greatly from the World War 2 death of his father. They grew up jamming on Rolling Stone and Beatle tunes at Syd’s house. When the group became popular, Roger continued his bass playing. When Syd was removed, Roger took control of Pink Floyd, assuming the business responsibilities and writing their material. Roger Waters made sure that the Floyd sound stayed as underground as possible in the albums up to Ummagumma. Atom Heart Mother woke up a bigger crowd of underground sleepers. Then Roger lead the way into Meddle, and blew people away. Though the music seemed to be heading to mainstream, Waters kept the famous underground edge to the album. Two albums later, Roger led the way into the longest lasting billboard album, Dark Side Of The Moon. When The Wall finally hit the shelves, the tension between Roger and the group was growing quite a lot stronger. When making the album The Final Cut came around, Roger, among the agreance of the others, decided to remove Richard Wright from Pink Floyd. The Final Cut ended up being Waters last album under the Floyd name. When Roger left, it was assumed that the Floyd name would go too. Instead, Gilmour, Mason, and re-added Wright, embarked on a tour for their new album, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, under the Pink Floyd name. Waters, to say the least, wasn’t happy. He ended up taking them to court were a settlement was made and the trio continues to sell that record and those proceeding it under the Pink Floyd name. Roger has also done his fair share of solo work, during and after his rein with the Floyd. His solo albums include; Music From The Body, Pros And Cons Of Hitchhiking, When The Wind Blows, Radio KAOS, The Wall- Live In Berlin, and Amused To Death. Waters has been credited for writing the best of Floyd’s music at the time when Floyd seemed to be at the height of their career. His solo work is quite different than that of his work with Pink Floyd, with the exception of The Final Cut. Waters has settled down quite a bit lately. But people that follow his work closely now that its only a matter of time before he hits the studio again. It has been rumored that he is working on a stage adaptation to The Wall, but I am not sure and I don’t like to support rumors.

The rest of the biographies will be coming soon!