we love it mate, not aff!

a bit of a fairground attraction this...

Like the song and good luck - good cause I reckon. And tell Mr Hewerdine to get more prolific - there isn't enough of his stuff out there.

I read the posting and was about to dismiss it as a someone trying to garner a tiny bit of publicity, but thought I'd check the comment. I then saw it was from my good friend Brother Blast so followed the link. And he's right. That extract is a lovely piece of music.
As Victor Kiam might have said "I liked it so much, I bought the band".

Am I the only one who finds this festival a little dispiriting? Syd Barrett never wanted any celebration or recognition of his musical work for the last 30 years of his life and asked for nothing more than to be left alone to live his life in peace and anonymity. But as soon as he dies lots of people then start making a public and vocal fuss about how much they love him. It's almost as if they were waiting for the inconveniance of the fact that was still alive to go away so that they could start deifying him. Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour have arguably had a much greater impact on modern music, have been much more successful and are certainly better musicians but then their story can't be cast as romantically tragic like Barrett's has so they are unlikely ever to be subject to the same idolatry.
It's just like Elliot Smith, Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley all over again, the only difference is the flocks of worshippers had to wait for Barrett to actually die before they started bleating.

like a darned good event, whatever Niks says. Beautiful music too.

Should we have a note from Shakespeare to show his plays? Permission from the Moptops to have a Beatles Day? A grand way of celebrating a life and saying a simple thank you.

Hi Nik,
I would like to pick you up on a few of the points you made.

'Syd Barrett never wanted any celebration or recognition of his musical work'

A sweeping statement... In 1968 Syd attempted to make his way back into the music business, according to Duggie Fields his flatmate at the time... journalists would come round and solely concentrate on Syd's drug experiences and completely ignore his music so Syd gave up on the idea of progressing again in the scene, as he felt trapped in a "media loop of dis-information"...
As a working musician myself with over 20 years experience of major labels, music media etc.I can understand why an artist can grow despondant through the pressures of being in a band, being pigeonholed by the media, and manipulated by record companies.
To me, Syds journey is one of supreme dedication to the work.. supreme dedication to the art of improvisation, the important discarding of previous rules of songwriting/lyricism. Syd was a Jazz head.. the very idea of repetition or following someone else's path would have been soul destroying for him...And, after writing some of the early hits.. massive pressure would have been brought to bear by the management/record companies (who have an almost military approach in my experience, God knows what it must have been like in the 60's) to write more of the same and certainly go out every night and play the hits.. not to mention the understandable pressure from band mates to do the same...i place no blame on those young, wonderful musicians... back then, Syd and his attitude must have been tough to live with, never mind define and encourage. It's hard enough these days to claw your way through the fog of myth and propaganda to find something that resonates as truth.
Syd may have abandoned his work and wanted to leave all those painful days behind, but my view is it was done through a degree of despondency and misunderstanding, and probably a sense of failure, and we all know how hard that is to live with.

I do agree with your distaste at the 'romantic tragedy' that Syd's life is sometimes pigeonholed as, and I can understand your problem with how the dead are 'deified' more than the living... but.. in truth.. what book would you rave about if you had not finished it.. what film would you recommend without seeing the whole thing... A full stop can, on the surface, seem cruel ..yet,it can also be useful.

My song, Oranges and Apples, was written as a tribute to Syd and is my attempt at celebrating the sensitive visionary without any reference to the 'romantic tragedy' that you correctly point out as distasteful.
Here's to Syd and his old pal Rick who are hopefully having a jazz freak out show up in the clouds...

special and unique and surely that's worth celebrating. Plus, the Trashcan Sinatras track is magic. I don't plan on being anywhere near Cambridge but I'll certainly be downloading the single as soon as it's available.

Hi nik... I am enjoying the debate... I apologise if It came across that i was solely blaming journalists... My theories are journalist, ie. your gateway to public perception (how other people see you is a massive part of anyones mental stability ).... record companies.. publishing companies.. management.. gig promoters.. drug dealers.. society in general at the time... they are all in the frame.. if blame is the word.
Let me put it this way.. it's the 60's.. you have a new vision of music and songwriting as an improvisational exercise.. you have a theory that all the rules of art, song, structure etc. are things that you were much more creative being ignorant of... Charlie Mingus resonates with you.. the early free form blues writers make sense... the leaps of logic defying in the writings of lewis carroll excite you .. all else is humdrum.. the planet is straight laced... post war middle class attitudes are everywhere... You express your theories in music and change the mindset of even the counter culture.. you become a star of the underground.. the drugs scene is accessable in your circle.. it excites you as it takes you out of the soul destroying, imagination crushing, repressive humdrum of mainstream society... then success !! and the 'straight' world wants to quantify you, depend on you, sell you as a commodity and encourage/bully you into repetition of the profit making product.. night after night after night ... all the values and theories and inspirations you began with are now the enemies of your 'friends'.... So.. Escape !! Run, young Syd !! Into drugs and silence.. and who could blame you or chastise you now.... Hindsight is bittersweetly beautiful...Your words "He had a gift and he threw it away" seem harsh when one dwells on the times he lived in. In my opinion, Syd was surrounded by a society completely oblivious to his vision, and he was completely unequipped for the harsh business world.. a sensitive soul who was attracted to escaping from what he did not understand. As the man said, eventually..."Shine on..."

My point in the last reply was that, in my opinion, there are circumstances surrounding Syd's departure from music making that help explain it. I do not dispute Syd took drugs by his own choice.. I only wish to point out the pressures on him at the time, so that his enduring image is not one of a drug hoovering hedonist... The pressures were nothing as trivial as "a few squares not liking his hairstyle" or "someone daring to criticise" But something as serious as being pressured by the Industry (his workplace, his bosses, his livelihood ) to do the same set each night, when his whole, so far successful, creative idea is about improvisation. Being pressured to listen to the money men to write the hits.. Being told by all around that your vision is messing up everything.. the careers of musicians, executives, managers, etc. are all depending on you writing hits... when those very songs came from having an attitude of improvisation and free thinking.
Yes, Syd could not cope ... I can empathise with his desire for escape by understanding more his surroundings. I wish to blame no one for his 'demise'... I'm sorry for even mentioning the word. The individuals and the business itself was young and nieve, The market forces dealing with the sensitive artist is always a troublesome area. Syd's mental processes led to the creation of wonderful inspiring music and words... his friends in the band embraced his vision and allowed it to grow ... His mental processes led to the fracturing of all that too.. the beauty left behind we are still in awe of... the unravelling of it we are still debating... In my writing here I only wanted to shine a light on some of the practical pressures that would have been around at the time.. we will never know the whole tale.

I think it is a good cause a thoughtfully planned event and a superb Trashcans song.
Congrats to all.
While we are at it can't wait for the forthcoming Trashcans album, hopefully this time it will garner the sales to go along with the kudos.

But perhaps it would be more worthy if it wasn't part of the launch of a New Album!

Well I do not doubt the sincerity of Trashcans and whether Syd was a victim or a self abuser with no control is neither here nor there. When I think of Syd Barrett, I dont think of those two fairly mediocre solo albums, but rather the brilliant pop writing that is "Pipers" and those few magnificent singles. By the way anyone who makes an album as beautiful as the Trashcan's last one "Weighlifting" and gets as universally ignored by critics and therefore record buyers alike deserves some sort of leg up.

I've never listened to The Trashcan Sinatras. Until today. Nice tune. Hope the festival and the album work out and I'm not trying to be a smart arse!

This one is kicking right off chaps. Maybe its because the music industry is like the banking industry. Never trust the F****rs myself. But that's just my view. I've seen Bands do a lot worse to plug an album so I can see where some of the punters on this thread are coming from.

Still bring on the love. Hope the album sells and your festival is a success.

Really pleased that "Oranges and Apples" is being appreciated... Thank you all

john xx

...typical subtle stuff from the trashcans. No need for cynicism
here - just like Syd's, this is music that should be heard, doesn't matter how it's promoted...just listen!

I just stumbled onto this quote from Robert Wyatt, he seems to be touching on some of the points I was making earlier re. music biz pressure and Syd.

Q: Did you find him difficult to work with?

Wyatt: Absolutely not, no. Very easy. Almost too easy. He was very, very easygoing. So easygoing that you didn't necessarily know what he wanted, or whether he was pleased with it or not, because he seemed quite pleased with what you did. I think possibly he may have suffered as well from moving into the world of commercial culture, as they did. I think it might have been very confusing for him. Being an artist, working in an attic, to us - this may be a silly illusion, it's just a silly romantic dream, just like being a pop star. But I don't his romantic dreams were anything to do with the responsibilities of commercial pop stardom.

It's not a snobbishness, this thing about commercial stuff. It's just the fact that it seems to have a momentum all its own, and there seems to be demands made on it. You know how it is with, for example, Hollywood films--they're really accountant-led. Being big and famous doesn't get you more freedom, it gets you less, you know what I mean? It happens in the music itself as well. All the machinery that starts to come into gear, from management and touring and the whole way it's done, the musician becomes a fairly small cog in a machine where all these sort of semi-comatose people in the industry certainly come alive, and they certainly know how to act. And suddenly, your whole life is being run by lawyers and accountants. And you're meant to be very pleased, because you've made it and so on. But in fact, you're just getting carried along in a flow where your own personal thing can get completely lost.

As I say, it's not a question of snobbery. Some wonderful stuff comes out of that. But if you did have your own little thing, maybe it can't survive being put through that kind of process. I have no idea, but I imagine that could easily have been what happened to Syd. That the actual success of the band just completely threw him off-balance, I can imagine.

I thought the TcSn's track was dull and plodding, in fact it didn't disappoint. Just what I expected.

thanks all the same

I'm the first to praise and promote anything good I stumble on, by the same token should I not be allowed to express my opinion when it goes against the grain? I don't think I was particularly nasty, it just didn't work for me and I'm not a fan of music of that ilk. We're a very broad church and I'd like to think we appreciate what others have to say, be it good or bad. It wasn't some knee jerk reaction, I did give the song three plays before posting. Wine had been taken, so I apologise if I've bent anyone out of shape. I still don't think it's much cop.

How could you bear to listen to it three (count 'em!) times?

Fair enough James - you didn't like it. But the scent of preconceptions being confirmed lies heavy in the air...

a chance and then two more, I am always prepared to be proved wrong. On this occasion I wasn't. Have you never listened to a track by a band you have negative preconceptions about and been pleasantly surprised?

hi to all concerned...

To James.. Thank you for listening thrice..it is a much appreciated gesture, to be given the time of day is all we can ask.

To Pagey.. Paul and The Drake.. thank you for springing to our songs defence.. again, it is much appreciated

To Nik.. you are right... we put our music out there.. it is big enough to stand on it's own feet and can take all on it's stubbled chin.

allow me first to put aside my pipe and cherished flute,before I start my defence of The Trashcans.
Firstly let me say,that in this Bear's humble opinion,"Oranges and Apples" is indeed a fine piece of work,and deserves to be heard by a wider audience,there can never be enough references to all things Orange in this day and age.
Secondly,the implication by certain people on here,that The Trashcans are somehow trying to hitch a ride on the back of some Syd charabang,is indeed quite sad and offensive and is actually ridiculous.
I have fingers,and I am pointing!!!

WATP
B&Q
D.I.Y.
H&M......
GSTQ..

Hello, i have read all the comments and am disheartened by a few, people these days need to help out in causes, if these kind of events were not put on, how would anyone ever know the dilemas of the world,it's great that TCS are willing to get involved in this worthy cause, to devote their time and music, i plan on downloading the single Oranges and Apples on October 13,2008, to help out, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN ???!!!...

I am going to be more nice to people, smile at strangers, not get cross when I can be conciliatory and definitely NO MORE SHOUTING!!!

Please excuse that rant. Thank you.

...going to vote for Big Barry Obama!