9781904095248 / 1904095240

Beautiful, charismatic, prodigiously talented, Syd Barrett in 1966 invented the British psychedelic scene - founding Pink Floyd, writing and singing on the band's first album - before collapsing into madness two years later. Now living a reclusive existence in a suburban Cambridge terrace, Syd has not given an interview for more than 30 years. But in his half-life he has become a cult icon of rock - as Hendrix, Morrison and Cobain became after their deaths. This text traces the history of rock's lost genius, through exclusive access to those closest to Syd throughout his life, and brings his crazy, illuminating story up to the present day.