Syd Barrett - 1960's Peacock Style Icon

Syd Barrett, September 1967

What can be said about Syd Barrett that hadn't been said already? His brief musical career as a lead singer/guitarist of Pink Floyd and solo artist, followed by acid-induced madness and withdrawal from the world still continues to fascinate and, over the years, he has been a subject of numerous books, articles and documentaries.

Syd in January 1967.

Syd with early girlfriend Lindsay Corner, 1967

As well as being an influential guitarist and songwriter, Barrett also deserves a credit as a style icon. In the spirit of the times, his look was very flamboyant - Paisley shirts, frilled shirts, satin or velvet trousers, double breasted jackets, cravats etc. Like many other London musicians at the time , Barrett was buying his psychedelic/peacock gear in King's Road boutiques.Some of his clothes were made to measure by designer Thea Porter. Julian Palacios wrote in his biography of Barrett: For Syd, the image tied in with his art, rather than simple vanity. The era demanded peacocks. Barrett stepped up and took on the role of a star (Julian Palacios, Dark Globe : Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, p 205).

Pink Floyd, 1967

Pink Floyd, 1967

Pink Floyd, 1967

 Syd in 1967

Barrett had a rare ability of pulling off nearly any outfit. It is visible in the photos of Pink Floyd circa 1967. Your eye is instantly drawn to Barrett, while his band mates look rather uncomfortable, or even ridiculous (just look at Roger Waters) in their psychedelic gear.

Pink Floyd, 1967:  Nick Mason, Rick Wright, Roger Waters and Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett, 1967

1967

Syd and Roger Waters, 1967

Nick Mason, Syd Barrett and Rick Wright in De Lane Lea studio, October 1967

Pink Floyd performing at Top Of The Pops, 1967

Syd In July 1967

Syd in July 1967

Pink Floyd on tour in Denmark, 11.09.1967. Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick 

Wright.

Syd with Roger Waters, 1967

Roger Waters and Syd Barrett, 1967

Syd Barrett, Rick Wright and Roger Waters, 1967

Where's Syd? - Pink Floyd on a package tour with Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Move and Amen Corner, November 1967.

Syd on tour, 1967

Syd's girlfriend, Lindsay Corner was his sartorial advisor. Julian Palacios wrote: As his star rose, Lindsay's sharp eye and expert combination of King's Road cool were crucial to his new look. Her keen eye made for inspired choices. With hair grown out his trendy Carnaby Street trousers and candy striped shirts sacrificed for velvet, satin, silk in red, lilac and green, and crimson. Syd and Lindsay took to the King's Road fashion scene with relish, migrating to Granny Takes a Trip, where Barrett was fitted for a satin outfit in green and red. Next was Gohil's leather Goods store in Camden, where the owner outlined Syd's feet for custom-made short ankle boots with elastic gussets.

With Lindsay, Barrett made the scene dressed in silk and velvet, in pied patches like medieval minstrels. Walking on King's Road on Saturdays, dressed in all their finery, the couple were splendid peacocks on parade. In a luminous dash, they prowled boutiques, piecing a unisex wardrobe mix of gypsy, aristocrat, harlequin and harlot (Julian Palacios, Dark Globe : Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd, p 205).

Following  Lindsay Corner's advice, Syd also started using kohl eyeliner, which, combined with his black, messy hair made him a precursor of Gothic look. There is indeed a very Gothic feel to certain photographs of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd.

Pink Floyd, 1967 (or is it The Cure in 1981?)

Pink Floyd , 1967

Pink Floyd , 1967

Pink Floyd , 1967

Syd Barrett with a friend Jenny Spires in July 1967.

 1967

Syd Barrett's uncontrollable LSD intake was a cause of his increasingly erratic behavior which was a reason for his departure from Pink Floyd in early 1968. Despite his problems, he managed to record two great solo albums: "The Madcap Laughs" (1969) and "Barrett"(1971) - both produced by Dave Gilmour - Barrett's friend and his replacement in Pink Floyd.

Syd in 1969, during recording of "The Madcup Laughs".

1969

Syd Barrett photographed by Mick Rock, London 1969.  

Syd Barrett posing for the photoshoot for a cover of "The Madcap Laughs". This photo was taken in Syd's flat in South Kensington by Mick Rock in 1969.

1969

Syd in 1971

After a last, unsuccessful visit to studio in 1974, Syd Barrett had vanished from public eye for good. He never came back to playing music, and from seventies onwards, he led a life of a recluse. He became one of the most enigmatic figures in popular music history. The interest in Barrett had increased after his death in July 2006. In 2010, two very extensive biographies of Barrett were published within two months of each other: Dark Globe : Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd by Julian Palacios and Very Irregular Head by Rob Chapman.

Although there are similarities between the two publications ( In both books, for example, chapters start with quotations from The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame - one of the biggest lyrical influences on Syd) they are surprisingly different. Rob Chapman makes rather unconvincing attempt to portray Barrett as a modern-day English Romantic. He spends a lot of time doing pseudo-academic analysis of Syd's lyrics, and devotes a lot of  too much space to his literary influences. There is surprisingly little about his musical influences  - his teenage love of blues and R'n'B hardly gets mentioned, neither does the fact that he abandoned blues in order to venture into more experimental fields. Chapman fails to remember that Barrett was, above all, a rocker. His innovative ways of playing guitar were more influential than his work as lyricist.As Julian Palancios notices in his, much better book, Barrett was one of the few iconic 60's musicians whose work was embraced  post-punk musicians of late 70's. For that generation of musicians who sought to play a guitar music that is not based on blues, Syd's work was a big influence. Public Image Ltd, Echo and The Bunnymen, Jesus and Mary Chain, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Cure (Robert Smith's look seemed to be also partly inspired by Barrett) - all of those acts spoke of their love of Syd Barret and early Pink Floyd (while the 1970's incarnation of Pink Floyd represented everything they stood against).

In Dark Globe : Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd Julian Palacios also makes a very interesting account of London underground psychedelic scene between 1966 and 1967 - a parallel story which is almost as fascinating as the story of Syd. I throughly recommend Julian Palacios's book as the best one ever written on the subject of Syd Barrett.

     

Bowie as Mod

David Bowie in 1965 photographed by Cyrus Andrews.

Before Thin White Duke, before Alladin Sane, before Ziggy Stardust , David Bowie was one of the 'faces' of the London Mod scene. At the time, between 1965 and 1966, he released few singles for Pye Records. And even though the singles "I Dig Everything" and "I Can't Help Thinking About Me" did not make it to the charts, they definitely put young Bowie on a map and gave him a fair amount of press attention as a rising young talent.

Article from 1966

The feature on Bowie in Fabulous magazine (30.09.1967) right next to an article about Twiggy. The two would pose together six years later for a cover of Bowie's album Pin-Ups.  

1965

Bowie's style from 1965-1967 was absolutely immaculate - one of the finest examples of 1960's Mod look. Three-button suits, white button-down shirts and inch-wide ties - it was minimal, simple, and yet sharp and cool as an ice cube.

David Bowie and model Jeanette De Souza photographed by Fiona Adams, London, 1965.

1966

1966

A recent CD anthology of Bowie's 1966 Pye singles.

Bowie always felt warmly about his Mod period. In 1973, he paid homage to his Mod roots by releasing Pin-Ups - an album on which he covered songs by bands such as The Who, The Kinks, The Pretty Things or Them (it has to be said - he completely butchered "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and Kinks' "Where Have All The Good Times Gone?". His version of Easybeats' "Friday On My Mind" was pretty good, though).

circa 1967

 1966

Bowie musical output from 1965-1966 period is relatively obscure, but it is still worth attention. It is probably better than his Syd Barrett-influenced, self-titled debut album ("Laughing Gnome", anyone?).

Finally, I bet you did not know this: In 1964, Bowie started a Society Of Prevention Of Cruelty To Men With Long Hair, and he appeared on BBC Tonight.

King's Road Today

Here are some photos my girlfriend and myself recently took on King's Road. Unfortunately, these days, it looks just like any other street in London - full of high street shops and soulless gastro pubs.As we were walking around, we were trying to imagine how amazing this place it once must have been....

,

Michael Chaplin and Nigel Weymouth outside Granny Takes a Trip (488 King's Road) in 1966.

Yours truly, same place, November 2011

Granny Takes a Trip, 1967

Granny takes a Trip, 1968

 Granny's former location, November 2011. If my girlfriend had been there in 1968, she would have blended into the yellow background.

At present, 488 King's Road is a home to a bespoke Italian chandelier shop.

Freddie Hornick and Alan Holston outside Dandie Fashions (161 King's Road) in 1967.

Me on 161 King's Road, November 2011. Now it is a location of lovely, small photo gallery. The subject of their current exhibition is Andy Warhol, Edie Sedgwick and The Factory in 1960's.

Still from the film "Blow-Up", 1966. David Hemmings goes to meet his agent a restaurant on Blacklands Terrace, off King's Road.

Same place today. The building had acquired few windows and extra floor, but it's still a restaurant.

Still from "Blow Up" (1966) - Dedicated Followers of Fashion on Culford Gardens, off King's Road.

Dedicated follower of 60's fashion in the same place, November 2011.

Ok, this has nothing to do with King's Road, but since I'm posting photos of myself I might as well include photos of  me and my girlfriend taken during NUTs Brighton Mod Weekender in August by photographer Kim Tonelli.

Christopher Gibbs - 1960's Peacock Style Icon

Christopher Gibbs in 1966 wearing a jacket from Hung On You.

Antique dealer Christopher Gibbs was one of the central figures of the Chelsea Set in 1960's London. Known for his immaculate style, he was a sartorial influence on many menswear designers such as Mr. Fish, Rupert Lycett-Green (Blades) or Michael Rainey (Hung On You) and other of his famous friends such as Mick Jagger or Brian Jones.Gibbs was described by fashion historian Nik Cohn as one of the most avant-garde dressers in Britain - reportedly, he was the first man in London to wear flared trousers as a fashion statement (as early as 1961). Interviewed by fashion writer Paul Gorman , he talks about his life in 1960's Swinging London: I know it's a cliche to say, 'If you remember the 60's, you weren't there', but I definitely suffer from the blown-mind syndrome. The only thing I'll say in my favour is that I was practically the only person I knew who actually went to work at nine o'clock in the morning, whether I'd been up to eight o'clock or not, because I had a job, my own business, and I realised that, if I didn't, I wouldn't have any of those things (Paul Gorman, The Look - Adventures in Pop and Rock Fashion, p 77).

Christopher Gibbs in 1966

Gibbs came from an upper-class family. He was educated in Eton (although he got expelled) and at the Sorbonne in Paris. From 1958 onwards he was making numerous trips to Morocco, during which he accumulated a large collection of garments and antiques. Around the same time, in the late fifties, he started his antiques shop on Sloane Avenue in Chelsea. Being a shopkeeper, I used to sell things sometimes. Then I used to parade around in them - he says, before modestly admitting: Yes, maybe I did have an effect on a few people (Gorman, p 77).

By mid - 1960's, Christopher Gibbs had become a style leader, a Swinging London's Beau Brummell. At the time his regular hangout of fellow dandies included interior designer David Mlinaric, owner of Dandie Fashions Tara Browne, owner of Hung On You Michael Rainey (and his brother-in-law Julian Ormsby-Gore), and upper-class socialites Neil Winterbotham, Mark Palmer and Nicholas Gormanston.

The Dandies of Swinging London: Julian Ormsby-Gore (left), Christopher Gibbs (centre) and Nicholas Gormanston (right), 1965

You had to be monumentally narcissistic and have time on your hands, and just about enough money to do it (Gorman, p 77) - said Gibbs about being a dandy in 1960's. In those days he would often call one of his stylish friends, and spend as much as forty minutes discussing which ties should they wear for a night out. Forty minutes spent on a tie - not even Brummell could call that sloppiness - wrote Nik Cohn in Today There Are No Gentlemen.

Gibbs was the original 'Peacock'. He was a big influence not only on King's Road designers, but also on Rupert Lycett-Green of Blades and Mr. Fish. His position as a style guru was assured when he became an editor of shopping guide in Men In Vogue - first ever male edition of this famous fashion magazine. Men In Vogue was published quarterly between 1965 and 1970, and it coincided with 'Peacock revolution' in English male fashion.

Actor Edward Fox (brother of James Fox) on a cover of first issue of Men In Vogue published in November 1965.

Christopher Gibbs in the same issue of Men In Vogue. The double breasted jacket is from Blades.

In his impressively furnished home in Cheyne Walk, Gibbs absorbed his Montesquieu, Beau Brummell and Beaudelaire and determined to adapt their aesthetic sensibilities to contemporary style (Gorman, p 77). his home became 'a place to be' for anybody who was anybody in Swinging London.

Party at the home of Christopher Gibbs with fashion designer Mr. Fish (far left) and interior designer David Mlinaric (far right), 1966.

In 1966, Gibbs's Cheyne Walk home was used by director Michelangelo Antonioni as a set for a marijuana-smoking party scene in Blow-Up, where completely stoned model Veruschka tells David Hemmings  probably the most memorable line of the film:" I AM in Paris!". Avant-garde film director Kenneth Anger also used Gibbs's home to shoot some of a scenes of his infamous masterpiece Lucifer Rising there in 1971.

Gibbs was also a close friend of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones and Anita Pallenberg. In 1967 he took them to Morocco. The trip was a tremendous influence on all of them, especially Jones, who recorded an album with Moroccan musicians Masters of Joujouka, and introduced african elements to his already very flamboyant look.

  Brian Jones in 1967

 Sartorial influence of Morocco on The Rolling Stones, 1967

Christopher Gibbs was an important part of a group that sparkled off a Peacock Revolution. The group consisted of  upper class socialites, fashion designers and flamboyant pop stars.In a rapidly changing world of 1960's London, these young men, through the peacock style, re-invented the idea of dandyism, echoing the words of writer and poet Charles Beaudelaire who wrote in 1836: Dandyism appears especially in the transitory period when democracy is not yet all-powerful, and when aristocracy is only partially unsettled and depreciated. In the confusion of such periods, some few men who are out of their sphere, disgusted and unoccupied, but are all rich in natural force, may conceive the project of founding a new aristocracy.