Peter Jenner

We tried to stop him going crazy. I put all my textbook sociology, all the stuff I'd read about psychology in action; we took him to R.D. Laing. Laing didn't say much. We tried to take what he said literally, we tried to use the inner meaning of what he was saying, we tried to change the objective situations. We moved him out of Cromwell Road but by the time he was with Storm and Po it was too late.

I think Syd was in good shape when he made 'The Madcap Laughs'. He was still writing good songs, probably in the same state as he was during 'Jugband Blues'.

Creatively, he was as dead as Jimi Hendrix. He appeard every now and then after that. Twink, from Tomorrow, tried to get him together, I tried, Dave Gilmour did sessions with him. He'd occassionally turn up to Floyd sessions and talk about them as 'my group'. He kept thinking he was still with them. Syd does resent the Floyd. I don't know - he may still call them 'my band' for all I know. Either (Syd is unable to write songs) or he won't show them to anyone.

He'd come in to Abbey Road studios and glimpses of tunes would come out, and we'd think, 'Record that!' and then it would disappear into incoherence again. It was horribly frustrating because there were sporadic glimpses of the old Syd coming through, and then it would all get horribly distorted again. Nothing remains from the sessions.

(on Syd shaving his head) I'm rather tempted to view it as a symbolic gesture. You know - goodbye to being a pop-star.