Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd

This film is spectacularly well done, taking the time to tell the story of Roger Barrett as a child, his transformation into Syd Barrett through childhood, and the formation of Pink Floyd before exploring the tragic turn of events which lead to his sudden and mysterious exile.

With insightful interviews of friends and bandmates (which is amazing unto itself given the state of Pink Floyd in the post Waters era), beautiful visual and sound design, and story arc - Bogawa and Thorgerson take the audience of an emotional journey of an amazing person who was caught in the crossfire of childhood and stardom.

Careful to avoid any tabloids or cheap shortcuts pointing to easy answers. Barrett's story is told in a compassionate and caring narrative. We learn about the duality of Roger and Syd - how they seemed to be two different people trapped in one mind, and how his psychological breakdown leaves no easy explanations and continues to remain a tragic mystery - and while there is a Brian Jones, Peter Green, or Pete Best - no one shaped a band like Barrett did and then departed in such a tragic way before that band reached such highs.

As a lifelong Floyd fan, I was gutted by this doc, which seems to be less about Syd the musician, Syd the creative genius, Syd the artist of my heart, and more about the people left behind in the wake of Syd's social decline. I loved Syd and mourn his loss each time I hear Shine On...but he gave what he gave, and I respect that his mental health declined. It's a tragedy, but it's a tragedy that's not about me. The film is rife with the bitterness and unresolved anguish of not only the interviewees but the filmmaker himself. It shows in the editing; unlike the recently issued Led Zeppelin doc, which gifts viewers with live footage of full length songs to celebrate the music, this doc has people TALKING DIRECTLY OVER SYD'S MUSIC. WT actual F? And the pretentious re-enactment scenes left me cold and wondering why - with scads of actual film footage of the band's journey in existence - that it was considered necessary or even preferable to create a contrived visual narrative that did not remotely support or enhance Syd's own story. I can't unsee this. The precious moments of gold - the complimentary things bandmates said about him, the footage of Syd at work - were completely overshadowed by the persistent British stiff-upper- lippedness that is baffled by one who runs counter to the establishment. Let Syd's genius be revered and honored, not shoved into a box of regrets that he snubbed your invitation to tea. Syd, you deserved better.

Many classic bands took some time to find the line ups that ultimately made them famous. And while no-one is very interested in Pete best (the Beatles' first, and apparently not that talented, drummer), some of these stories are potentially more interesting, such as bands lost their founding members amid their mental disintegration: Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones, Peter Green from Fleetwood Mac, and Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd are the obvious examples. This documentary tells Barrett's story. It's arguably more than just his personal tale, giving us a portrait of life in the Bohemian avant garde of the late 1960s. Unfortunately, while we get a picture of the scene, the personality of Barrett himself remains elusive; and as someone unfamilliar with Pink Floyd's early work, the excerpts we get here suggests it wasn't actually very good; or at least, that the band's later fame isn't really Barrett's legacy. As such, it's a sad story, but ultimately a small one.

I've watched this 5 times since it was released a week ago. I wish they'd interviewed Twink. Maybe the only drawback. I'm one of these people who became aware of Pink Floyd in the late 70's through The Wall, DSOTM, Wish you were here, and Animals. Without their success without him, I don't know how much he would've stood out to me. I just remember telling a friend in high school (mid 80's) how much I loved their music. He asked if I'd heard Piper, and I said " Yes, but it's really strange". After that, I gave it another listen. From then, on I've placed it as my favorite work by Pink Floyd.

This film is for any musician or music fan who feels like an outsider.

There are many documentaries about Pink Floyd's early days with Syd, but they really gloss over it quickly. This documentary is very in depth, and they interview people that actually knew him. It tells his story in great detail, and has a lot to offer Pink Floyd fans.

You get to see them talking about some of the gear Syd used, and how big of a deal Syd Barrett was in their early days. It's good to remember that without Syd there would not have been a Pink Floyd. He was the inspiration for a lot of their songs, and he had things the other members did not. I would argue with other negative reviewers and say this is the best Syd documentary I've seen yet. Give it a watch! :)