Floating & Flaming - Syd Barrett

Letters

FROM AMSTERDAM

Piper Gates - 82 Windsor Road - CAMBRIDGE - CB4 3NM - UK

Dear Piper,

This is strange. I'm speaking to you but I cannot see you. I'm forced to write a one-way message that fails to convey anything I truly feel. I CAN WRITE IN ALL CAPITALS TO SHOW THAT I AM SHOUTING. When in reality, you would not hear me from all these miles away. perhaps i shall whisper. Picture that for a moment. I'm with you, close enough that even the quietest words would reach you with total clarity.

That's one of the many things I miss about you. The world around me snaps into focus. I've had my vision checked, and they say I have perfect eyesight, but I beg to differ. You give me a crystal clear perspective.

Now, about the tour. I'm writing from Amsterdam currently. It's beautiful here. Here where I'm writing of course, on a bench near the water. The room that the four of us share is atrocious, but we've become used to it over the past few weeks. We aren't well-known enough to get the celebrity treatment. I am not complaining in the slightest. Before this tour, I had never left the country. I hadn't even been to the North! Now, I've seen so much more than I could have ever imagined. This isn't even the beginning of all of it! Piper, I want to see the world. I want to capture it in photographs, in words, and on canvas. I want you to be there with me at every turn.

The shows have been going quite well, thank you for asking. Honestly, I was really nervous that we weren't going to be as well-received as we were at home. We are a bit out-there. The first night we played, at a venue in Dublin, the crowd was silent during our first song. I wasn't completely thrown off, but I thought they would like Astronomy Domine at least a little bit.

As it turned out, I had the wrong impression. The crowd wasn't silent in judgment or distaste. They were captivated! They erupted in deafening cheers that made my adrenaline skyrocket. The rest of the show, they couldn't keep quiet in their excitement. It made me remember the reason why I agreed to this tour in the first place. The music brings such an exhilarating rush of energy to a room! Complete strangers can feel a sense of unity in the thrill of it all.

How has everything been for you? I hope that you've been permitted to get out of the house more, without having to go rogue after dark. I would think that they'd at least let you see Lindsey every once in a while. Even though they can be hard on you, it's good to know that they care about you.

Speaking of which, have I mentioned how much I miss you lately? Sitting here as the sun sets, sending bright reflections over the calm water, I can't help but think, "If Piper were here..." But I'll leave the rest to your imagination. I hope the saying is true, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Right now I'm just feeling a perpetual loneliness. I hope it pleases you to know that no amount of glorious gigs could ever replace how it feels to be in the same room as you.

Brace yourself for the understatement of the century: I am so looking forward to the day I can see you again.

Your wayward traveller,

Syd

FROM BARCELONA

Piper Gates - 82 Windsor Road - CAMBRIDGE - CB4 3NM - UK

Dear Piper,

I'm sorry for not responding to your letters for a while. We haven't stopped in a city long enough for me to have the peace and quiet to fully respond, or I've collapsed from exhaustion. Do not even begin to think that I haven't spent every hour consumed with thoughts of you.

Your aspect haunts my every waking moment.

I'm sorry that I'll have to keep this one brief, but I have some very exciting news. A producer from a major label in London saw our show last night and is considering signing us. We would have to build our reputation and material, but it's so solid I can almost see it. A real future in music. I thought it was impossible.

I have to run again, but please know that the way I feel about you has not changed since last we spoke. That would be impossible. We'll see each other again before you know it.

Counting the days,

Syd

FROM LONDON

Piper Gates - 82 Windsor Road - CAMBRIDGE - CB4 3NM - UK

Piper,

I'm alive. We'll be doing a home show at the UFO next week.

- Syd