Crazy Diamonds

Syd Barrett, founder of Pink Floyd, died on Friday, July 7. “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” was written for him, about his dissent into nervous breakdown and his long seclusion. I wonder what he did with his solitude. Why was he so rerouted from rock musician to hermit? What extremes did he taste that made him withdraw? In the rock world it’s commonly known as the “too much too soon trap.” But perhaps it’s not such a trap. Accomplishing something so intense as the inception of psychedelic rock music seems grand, even mighty, enough to me. The world had been enough with Barrett; it's no biggie to take a load off. I’ve gone through some smaller scale ordeals, and I live a solitary life. For the longest time I have been a bit bitter about my solitude, but I am gradually growing to regard it as dear. What did Emily Dickinson write about the “admiring bog?” What of fascinating careers that come to odd, unexpected conclusions? Tell it to Zinedine Zidane!