The Madcap Laughed: Remembering Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett – In Action In 1967

A decade has now passed since founding Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett died on July 7, 2006 at the age of 60 in Cambridge, England. The groundbreaking psychedelic artist had profound impact on the early stages of Pink Floyd, though his increasingly unstable behavior and bouts with mental illness forced his departure from the band in 1968. In the four years he contributed to the iconic band, Barrett left an indelible mark on what would become one of the world’s most popular and influential rock groups.

Even after leaving Pink Floyd and being replaced by David Gilmour, Syd’s impact on the band carried on, often serving as the source for the band’s material like “Wish You Were Here,” “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and “Brain Damage.” Earlier this year on what would have been Barrett’s 70th birthday, an official website created by his family and friends was launched and a new documentary film featuring previously unseen video and rare photos of Syd, entitled Get All That Ant?, will premiere at the 2016 Cambridge Film Festival, as part of the Cambridge Live celebrations of the late musician’s life and work.

Visual documentation of Barrett’s time in Pink Floyd, especially live performance footage, is particularly rare. Below are two video clips from 1967 that capture Pink Floyd performing while Syd was still an integral member of the band.

This video is from November 1967 when Pink Floyd were guests on American Bandstand. Introduced by host Dick Clark as “The Pink Floyd,” drummer Nick Mason bassist Roger Waters, keyboardist Richard Wright and Barrett on guitar played along to a recorded rendition of the single “Apples And Oranges.” Watch their TV appearance that showcases an interview conducted by Clark at the conclusion of “Apples And Oranges” below:

One month later, the quartet was filmed by the BBC. Once again playing along to a recorded track, the psychedelic video below of the A Saucerful Of Secrets track “Jugband Blues” was produced ahead of the album’s release in 1968. Watch the grainy color footage here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuL1CCJqHEc