Float on a river for ever and ever...
David recently pointed me in the direction of a website, of which I was previously unaware, called 'Eskimo Chain: Syd Barrett and beyond'. For those of you that appreciate the work of Barrett, this site really is a must. Eskimo Chain is primarily made up of articles originally printed in the fanzine of the same name, and they make fascinating reading. This is what 'Eskimo Chain' says about itself:
"Syd Barrett, the 'madcap' genius behind Pink Floyd, has not released a single new record since 1970. Yet ironically he is now more famous than ever, with a world-wide following of fans fascinated by both the man and his music. As the James Dean of British psychedelia, he had a brief flash of brilliance in the Sixties, only to withdraw completely from public life to pursue his interest in painting.
It seems highly unlikely that he will ever return to the recording studio, but we can still hope that like Captain Beefheart, he might one day use his fame to launch a new career as a fine artist. The original 'Eskimo Chain' fanzine was dedicated to celebrating his work and was active from 1995 to 1998. This new site aims to make many of
the old articles available again and to add new features, news and reviews - hope
you enjoy it."
David's enthusiasm for this site is no surprise when one considers some of the glowing things he has said regarding Syd's influence on him:
"Syd Barrett with his white white face and his black eyeliner all around his eyes - this strange presence singing in front of a band that was using light shows. I thought, 'Wow! He's a bohemian, a poet, and he's in a rock band!"
Check out 'Eskimo Chain' by clicking on the image above.