Pink Floyd have inspired musicians from all walks of life, and one of their most well-known fans was the late David Bowie. While both camps are united in their experimental proclivities, and remarkable creative arcs, the glistening prog rock that Floyd are famous for – while deeply conceptual – is quite distinct from the various forms Bowie evolved into over his long career. In fact, apart from country and western, which he openly loathed, you could argue that prog is really the only other genre that Bowie did not delve headfirst into.
Despite these clear distinctions, Bowie was a huge fan of Pink Floyd. It wasn’t just because of their experimental spirit, that the wide-eyed teenager known then as David Jones, who had an ear for all things boundary-pushing, was captivated by their early forays into psychedelia. It was the magnetism of original frontman Syd Barrett that really appealed to him.
He explained in 2007 on the BBC’s Seven Ages of Rock: “I was passionately in love with the writing of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd. There was something slightly not quite with us about Syd that really appealed to me strongly. There was a Peter Pan quality about him.”
READ MORE: What happened to Syd Barrett? Inside the mercurial Pink Floyd man’s sad demise
That was not the first time Bowie had discussed his love for the psychedelic pioneer, and was on record as naming his 1970 solo album, The Madcap Laughs, as one of his favourite albums of all time. There was something disturbing and poignant about Barrett and his work, which resonated with him deeply. This is perhaps why cerebral but complex characters such as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and The Thin White Duke would later be produced by his psyche. They’re tinted with the spirit of Barrett and his legend.
Following Barrett’s tragic death in obscurity in 2006, Bowie was one of his many famous disciples who spoke to Uncut to pay tribute to him. Lamenting the passing of such an irrefutable great, Bowie described The Piper at the Gates of Dawn mastermind as a “major inspiration”, which all but confirmed how his famous characters, who were engulfed by fame, drugs and mental health were in some way related to the tragic Pink Floyd founder.
He explained: “I can’t tell you how sad I feel. Syd was a major inspiration for me. The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the ’60s will forever be etched in my mind.”
The Starman concluded: “He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter. Also, along with Anthony Newley, he was the first guy I’d heard to sing pop or rock with a British accent. His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed.”
