Documentary of
Pink Floyd legend
Syd Barrett's first
mushroom trip. Filmed by
Barrett's friend, film student
Nigel Gordon, the "film" is approximately 15 minutes long and is broken into two sections.
The first is about 10 minutes long and documents Barrett's first trip in the
Gog Magog Hills in the summer of
1966. Gordon captured the footage on silent
8MM film. The cinematography is rambling and spends little of the time focusing on Syd. When we see him, he is walking through the
arcadian valley and putting wild mushrooms on his face. Music from the
Hypnotic Records band
Dilate is dubbed over the footage, and it gives the film a haunting aura. It is purely
instrumental and mimics the insanity that would soon destroy Barrett.
The second section takes place in an apartment building near Abbey Road Studios in April 1967, on the same day Pink Floyd signed a record contract with EMI Records. Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright are present. Gordon's discursive camera only briefly glimpses the other members, and we can see how different Barrett is after his drug abuse; he doesn't speak and appears distant and confused. It is obvious here that psychedelics had a deep affect on the schizophrenic Barrett.
Anyone I ask about the film expresses disappointment. Many expect a "tripped out" movie, but the film offers exactly what the title promises. This shouldn't be viewed as a "drug movie," but rather as a documentary of the turning point in the life of rock's most mythical figure.