Peter Barnes

(Syd's last recording dates) It was an abortion. He just kept over-dubbing guitar part on guitar part until it was just a total chaotic mess. He also wouldn't show anyone his lyrics - I fear actually because he hadn't written any.

Syd has always had this big phobia about his age. When we would try to get him back into the studio to record he would get very defensive and say 'I'm only 24, I'm still young. I've got time.'

(Interviewing Syd) It was fairly ludicrous on the surface. I mean, you just had to go along with it all. Syd would say something completely incongruous one minute like 'It's getting heavy, isn't it?' and you'd just have to say, 'Yeah, Syd, it's getting heavy,' and the conversation would dwell on that for five minutes. Actually, listening to the tape afterwards you could work out that there was some kind of logic there - except that Syd would suddenly be answering a question you'd asked him ten minutes ago while you were off on a different topic completely!

I mentioned the Syd Barrett International Appreciation Society to Syd once. He just said it was O.K., you know. He's not interested in any of it. It's ironic. I suppose he's much bigger now as the silent cult-figure doing nothing than he was when he was functioning. Syd has always said that when he goes back into the studio again he will refuse to have a producer. He still talks about making a third album. I don't know. I think Dave is the only one who could pull it off. There seems to be a relationship there.