Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has reflected candidly on the band’s handling of founding member Syd Barrett, admitting they failed him during his rapid decline in the late 1960s, in an interview with Variety.
Speaking in a recent interview, Mason acknowledged that while the group later found a sense of emotional closure by creating music inspired by Barrett, their understanding of mental health at the time was deeply limited.
When asked whether there was some gratitude, at least, that there was able to be some closure just by having material that was about him before you moved on any further, Nick Mason said, “Possibly. I think we dealt with or looked after Syd very poorly, but we really didn’t know any better.”
He continued, “I mean, when Sid left the band in ‘68, we were still thinking that if we took a day off, that maybe he’d recover. I mean, the naivete. Now, people are far, far wiser, but it’s extraordinary to look back and realize how little we knew or were able to do for him.”
Barrett was the band’s original creative force, shaping their early psychedelic sound and writing much of their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. As Barrett’s mental health deteriorated—often attributed to a combination of underlying illness and heavy LSD use—his behavior became increasingly unpredictable, making it difficult for the band to function. By early 1968, Pink Floyd quietly stopped picking him up for gigs, effectively ending his time in the band.
Despite the painful split, Barrett’s presence continued to loom large over Pink Floyd’s music and identity. The band later addressed their feelings of guilt, loss, and confusion through songs inspired by him, most notably on Wish You Were Here(1975), which is widely seen as a tribute to Barrett.
