Rick Wright

You co-produced Syd Barrett's second album (Barrett in 1970). Could you see yourself moving into production?
Producing yourself is one thing but producing somebody else is another. Anthony (Moore) could do it and does do it. But I don't have the right sort of personality and desire, if you like. I couldn't see myself doing something like Brian Eno. Doing Syd's record was interesting, but extremely difficult. Dave and Roger did the first one (The Madcap Laughs) and Dave and myself did the second one. But by then it was just trying to help Syd any way we could, rather than worrying about getting the best guitar sound. You could forget about that! It was just going into the studio and trying to get him to sing. However, I think both of Syd albums are an interesting part of history.

Do you have any contact with Syd Barrett?
I read in a magazine, that he's now going blind because of diabetes. It's terribly sad. We don't see him, because apparently if he's ever reminded of Pink Floyd and when he was in it, he goes into a depression for weeks on end. His mother asked us to stay away a few years ago. Apparently, most of the time he's quite happy - or was - but our faces can trigger off a lapse. Would it have always happened or was it because of a huge overdose of acid ? Who knows. I suspect it was a bit of both. All I know is one week he was fine and a week later he turned up again and was completely different. It's just a terrible tragedy.

What are your views on acid now?
Syd was very influenced by a lot of people around him, who encouraged him to take trips. There are a load of acid casualties out there. He wasn't alone. Back then, we had people like Timothy Leary openly advocating it: trip out and take it every day. Wrong? Yes. Misguided? Yes. It was wrong for me. I took two trips in my life. The first was quite enjoyable and that was before I was in the band. Then I took one more and I didn't enjoy it at all, so I never took it again. It certainly destroyed Syd and I think it has destroyed a lot of other people.

But Floyd's music has often been described as "drug-inspired". Do you think that suggestion is wrong?
If you mean Pink Floyd took drugs - you're wrong. There is no way that I could play music and take any kind of drug at the same time.

August 1996, Interview by Mark Blake

I walked into the studio at Abbey Road, Roger was sitting, mixing at the desk, and I saw this big bald guy sitting on the couch behind. About 16 stone: huge, bald, fat guy. And I didn't think anything of it. In those days it was quite normal for strangers to wander into our sessions. I thought, 'He looks a bit...strange' Anyway, so I sat down with Roger at the desk and we worked for about ten minutes, and this guy kept on getting up and brushing his teeth and then sitting, doing really weird things, but keeping quiet. And I said to Roger, 'Who is he?' and Roger said 'I don't know.' and I said 'Well, I assumed he was a friend of yours,' and he said 'No, I don't know who he is.' Anyway, it took me a long time, and then suddenly I realized it was Syd, after maybe 45 minutes. He came in as we were doing the vocals for 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond,' which was basically about Syd. He just for some incredible reason picked the very day that we were doing a song which was about him. It was a huge shock, because I hadn't seen him for about six years. He kept standing up and brushing his teeth, putting his toothbrush away and sitting down. Then at one point he stood up and said, 'Right, when do I put my guitar on?' And of course he didn't have a guitar with him. And we said, 'Sorry Syd, the guitar's all done'. That's what's so incredibly...weird about this guy. And a bit disturbing, as well, particularly when you see a guy and you don't recognize him. And then for him to pick the very day we start putting vocals on a song about him. Very strange.