Interview With Rosemary Breen: Part 1

[Syd Barrett Fund]

Earlier this year we conducted an interview with Rosemary Breen, to find out about her hopes for what the Syd Barrett Fund can achieve. It was also an opportunity for us to put some questions to her on behalf of Syd’s fans.

The majority of answers to fan questions come in the second part of the interview, in this section we find out why she wanted to create the charity, what she hopes will happen with it and what Syd’s state of mind was really like in his latter years.

This interview will appear on the Fund’s website in article form, but we thought we’d put the full Q and A on this blog for those who’d prefer to read it this way.

Q. Your brother is best known for being Syd, but wanted to be called Roger once he’d returned to Cambridge post Pink Floyd, which would you rather we called him for this interview?
A. It's an interesting point isn't it; in a situation like this it's Syd. He was Roger to me
because that was his name and he was my brother, but he's Syd when we're talking about
his music and that time in his life. So, I feel more relaxed talking about him as Syd.

Q. Much has been written about Syd’s state of mind, especially in his latter years, what was he actually like?
A. He wasn't mentally ill in anyway, he was different, eccentric, his mind and ideas were simply different from the considered norm. Thank goodness we are not all the same, we need people like Syd to add colour to our lives.

Q. It's interesting how with the term "mental health" and the various definitions, you're essentially putting an umbrella over anyone who's brain works in a slightly different way.
A. I think it perhaps comes down to what you can and can't cure. With schizophrenia it can be helped or controlled with the use of drugs which benefits enormously. But with someone like Syd, and like a lot of people, their brains just work in a different way and it's perfectly acceptable, if only we would accept people who are different from ourselves. Illness isn't the word for it, different is the only word for it. I feel we should welcome the difference and celebrate it.

Q. Why did you decide to set up a charity in Syd's name?
A. The reason why I wanted to set up a charity was because, it seemed to me that so many people held his memory with such affection, I felt that they would, as I would, value the opportunity to put that affection to good use. There seemed to be such love for him free in the air, I thought let's do something useful with it.

Q. What do you hope to achieve?
A. I would love it to be a source of help for lots and lots of people who have a mental health problem and just to be a respectful memory, a memorial to him.

Q. Who are the people who will benefit from the Syd Barrett Fund?
A. Anybody that can gain help who have a mental health issue, I hope anyone can access the fund in the future. I hope nobody is excluded. The focus is on Cambridgeshire at the moment, but it would be wonderful if it could spread out as far as it can reasonably go.

Q. And what is the ultimate dream? There has been the idea of an arts centre in Syd’s memory one day.
A. I can imagine, something like an old church, I wouldn't want a modern building because it wouldn't suit, and it would be wonderful if we could have classrooms where art and various creative things could be taught and then we could have an art gallery where we could show it, a cafe where anyone could just drop in, somewhere that was totally inclusive. It seems in life we separate ourselves too much, and I would really like somewhere where everyone could feel included and everyone was welcome. It’s probably just a dream and couldn't happen because human beings aren't like that, but you can aim for it though. I think if you offer people the chance to be creative then you bring the best out of them. I’d like there to be somewhere that people could be creative, in a freeish way, where they could learn and benefit from that.

Q. And if you're talking about people who have a mental health issue, giving them the opportunity to create something tangible which they can feel good about doing then that's very important.
A. Yes that's right. If that improves your self-image then that's so important isn't it? We all need a boost sometimes.

Q. We've talked about long term, but in the short term what do you hope for?
A. My main motivation is, I'm very aware of how lonely Syd was because he was different, especially in the latter years in Cambridge after the Floyd. I would like to think that people can get companionship and accepted into society, even if it's only in a group of like-minded people. I think the loneliness he felt was just dreadful, and if we could stop that, or at least help some people from feeling that loneliness because they're different, then I would feel we've achieved something.

Q. Using the arts as a way in which to do that.
A. In a way that's a separate thing, we all have it in us to be creative and we all need it to a degree. Yes it's majorly important, but I think doing things with other people is an important aspect of it, like at Trinity (during the City Wakes), the musicians and the singers there, they were doing something together and you could see it in their faces, they got enormous benefit from it, as a group, of people, who are just different.

Q. So at this point, if someone were to donate money, or buy something through one of
the online auctions, what does that money do now?
A. Any money raised goes to support Escape Artists, but I have stressed that it’s to support mental health projects.

Q. What ways do you plan to fundraise?
A. We've already done a lot; we auctioned stuff from Syd's house and then the book which
was on eBay in March (‘a collection of drawings which sold for £12600). I think it would be nice if people who read this who have a connection with Syd could come up with ideas for fundraising, I'm sure they've got some original ideas.

Q. As we talked about at the start, the inspiration for this was the affection people
have for Syd.
A. Absolutely, I think it would be wonderful if people felt part of it.

To be continued, with questions about Syd’s life post Pink Floyd, especially once he’d moved back to Cambridge.

Interview Part 2

1 in 6 people will currently be experiencing problems with their mental health. That means that even if you haven't experienced a mental health problem yourself, you almost certainly know many people who have. The Escape Artists goal is to better wellbeing through the arts, creative expression is an invaluable way of improving the lives of vulnerable people.

Escape Artists is a socially inclusive arts organisation which emerged from a small drama group in Wayland prison, Norfolk during the late nineties. The charity works across sectors and art forms with homeless people, mental health service users, young people at risk, prisoners and other disadvantaged groups, empowering people at the margins of society, helping them to find a way into the mainstream, realise their potential, increase their self-esteem and develop new skills. We also aim to raise the level of public awareness of marginalized groups, enabling those in mainstream society to better understand the perspectives of others with very different life experiences.

Escape Artists work is as varied as the people we work with. We’ve run music workshops for those who are suffering from degenerative brain disorders, and drama workshops in homeless centres.

Find out more at:
www.escapeartists.co.uk

If having read this you want to make a donation in support of the Syd Barrett Fund, head to the About the Fund section on the main homepage at
www.syd-barrett-trust.org.uk
Then follow the ‘Support the Fund’ link.