Syd Barrett dead / Thom Yorke alive

I, and the rest of the world, learned of Syd Barrett's death today, coincidentally the release date of Thom Yorke's new solo album "The Eraser". Some parallels can be drawn, if forced at times, between the two very English musicians. I have pondered, and even written here before about the similarities between Pink Floyd and Radiohead, musically and where they fit in their contexts, the music scene current to their eras.

Yorke's new album is full of the electronic side of Radiohead and having listened to it twice in a row, I feel that eventually I'll like it. Right now I don't really hear it but I can tell there's interesting music in there. And my reaction growing up, listening to the early Floyd to which Syd Barrett belonged, was quite similar. I and my friends had thought that we were the only people interested in something so esoteric. We weren't yet familiar with the idea of a cult following, though we did know intuitively that somehow our investment in listening to the music and trying to like it contributed greatly and legitimately to the enjoyment of it. And for me, this wasn't a feigned accomplishment. It could be checked against the fact that I knew some stuff would never work for me.

For the two groups, almost as interesting to me as their being unusal is that in their music I hear and understand the creative process itself. Somehow it's new enough or raw enough that the bare materials show through. And, as in all arts, this is the element I find most moving, much moreso than skill. So, I was surprised to read about Barrett being a skilled musician. Having read that, I now hear the taut clockwork of his music alluded to in his song Bike.

Overall, I also find it surprising to read positive, or at least knowlegeable articles about Barrett. I guess we are talking about the founder one of the most popular rock bands of all time and anyone who comes close to their aura can't help but shine a little. And that doesn't pay respect to his contribution to the early days that at least gave them a name. But this is where any comparison between him and Yorke breaks down. Barrett was just a chapter and his creativity waned quickly.

Yorke is the soul of Radiohead, the Roger Waters by analogy. And, like Waters, Yorke's output is dystopic but full of vision and complete, in contrast to the world of Barrett's disconnected saccharine childlike creations. They have one more thing in common: a sort of antithetical contempt for the industry they're in and even their audience itself. I've often felt the withdrawn personalities of these rock celebrities has to be to some degree posturing. I mean, look at their jobs and how they got there. But Syd Barrett is the exception. From the mythology I grew up understanding, which has been bolstered and enhanced by the obituaries that I'm reading today, it looks like he truly couldn't handle the pressures of stardom.