Music - Doomed Guitarists, Demented Songwriters, Lysergic Warriors and other Stories

Rock musicians can basically be divided into 5 categories.

(1) Those that died young due to misdaventure or drug abuse (the most famous being Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Jim Morrison, Keith Moon of the Who, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Layle Staley of Alice In Chains)

(2) Those that died young in unfortunate accidents (Duane Allman - a truly great guitar player, Buddy Holly, Stevie Ray Vaughan - another fantastic guitar player - listen to some of his live albums - it sounds like Jimi Hendrix's ghost is hovering over Stevie)

(3) Those who struggled through depression and drug addictions and are still vital today (Pete Townshend of the Who, Eric Clapton, David Bowie)

(4) Those who stayed drug-free and learnt to use fame and fortune to their advantage (Mick Jagger of the Stones, Roger Daltrey of the Who, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Dave Grohl of Nirvana)

(5) Those that lost their marbles and sanity along the way - some of these guys are still alive. This is the most interesting category and comprises people like Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd and Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac among others.

I never have been a big Pink Floyd fan. Let me correct that - I have never been a fan of the band in the latter stages of their career. They made some excellent albums before achieving superstardom with "The Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973. Once they became household names, they churned out increasingly formulaic albums with plodding rhythms and pessimistic lyrics, while laughing all the way to the bank. I know there are people reading this essay who will feel otherwise – but I am only expressing my personal opinion here. Roger Waters became a megalomaniac and made the band the exclusive forum for expressing his views. This eventually alienated the rest of the band – especially the talented David Gilmour.

However, Floyd did make some very interesting albums before becoming famous. My favorite is "Meddle", which came out in 1971. Even before that, they achieved a certain level of fame and made some very good music with their founder, lead singer and guitarist Syd Barrett.

Syd Barrett was a charismatic, handsome young man with a great sense of humor who for a few years was Pink Floyd. He was held in awe by the rest of the band. He was the original "Crazy Diamond". You remember the song "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" written about him some years later with its lyrics:

"When you were young, you shone like the sun
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky
Shine on you, Crazy Diamond"

Unfortunately, Syd was also schizophrenic, and his final descent into madness was hastened by the extensive use of LSD or acid. He was kicked out of Pink Floyd in 1968, due to his erratic behavior. He made a few arresting solo albums and songs in 1969 and 1970. But this was music from a man who knew he was going insane – though some of it was brilliant (listen to "Terrapin", "Golden Hair", Gigolo Aunt", "Baby Lemonade"). But overall, listening to it was like (as one critic put it) "watching a slow motion video of a car accident". This guy was going nuts and you could hear it in the music.

Syd died earlier this year from complications arising out of diabetes. He became a recluse and kept away from the media for the last thirty years, living in his mother's basement in Cambridge, England. Even as a recluse, he was hassled by media-persons and journalists who still wanted to know if the Crazy Diamond listened to rock music or had a view on what was happening in the world around him. The last journalist who went to meet him last year was greeted by the sight of a stark-naked Syd at the door when he rang the doorbell - this may have been Syd's way of keeping the media away. He remained a huge influence on Pink Floyd's music years after he left the band. He also deeply influenced his successor Roger Waters - think of how many of Floyd's songs deal with mental illness, not to mention their movie "The Wall", which was loosely based on Syd's life. However, the band without him was never the same, and never recaptured Syd’s playful sense of humor and wistfulness, which was captivating. Everyone still remembers what a talented, charismatic man Syd was, before he lost it.

The second guy on this list is Peter Green - Fleetwood Mac's original guitar player. How good was this guy? At a 1969 Royal Albert Hall concert in London which was attended by both Eric Clapton and George Harrison, the legendary guitarist B.B. King who was up on stage, suddenly said "I am sorry. Peter Green is the best".

Peter Green's guitar playing was less flashy than Eric Clapton's or Jeff Beck's. But like Jimi Hendrix, his sound was unique - and his mastery of tone while playing the electric guitar was unrivalled. Listen to early Fleetwood Mac songs like "Man Of The World" or "Oh Well", and the awesome "Green Manalishi" and you will know what everyone then was raving about.

Unfortunately for Peter, he decided to take a 3 day LSD trip in 1970 which destroyed his mind. He came out of that acid trip a changed man. At the age of 23, he declared that all money was "evil", donated all of his significant earnings to charity and took up a menial job as a lawn-mower man in a cemetery. For many years, he refused to pick up a guitar.

This particular story has a happy ending. Over the last 15 years, Peter Green has slowly nursed himself back to health and released a series of albums. Musically, he is getting better and better, though his best years are behind him. He will never attain the god-like status he had as a young man in the late 1960s, but he is playing guitar again and enjoying it. That's what matters most. There is talk again of a re-union of the original Fleetwood Mac - the fiery blues band that blew everyone's socks off in the late 1960s. No re-union will be complete without Peter Green playing guitar. Will we hear that great guitar playing again? Only time will tell.

The good news is that Peter Green may be visiting Mumbai and Bangalore soon. If he does come to India, forget reputations and go watch this guy play – because once upon a time, he was truly great – in the same league as (or even better than) the Eric Claptons of this world.