RIP Rick Wright

Rick Wright, keyboard player for Pink Floyd, has died from a short battle to cancer. He was 65 years old, and lemme tell you a bit of something, coming from a fan who cried her fucking ass off.

When I started listening to Pink Floyd around the age of 11, 12, they amazed me like nothing I heard before. At the time, we only had, obviously, Dark Side of the Moon. And as I listened to that album constantly, my favorite songs were Us and Them, and The Great Gig in the Sky. Great Gig was like this misty enchanting melodic escape for me, and made my imagination jump off walls, and gives me great memories of playing Zelda while listening to Dark Side.

As I got more albums, I became a bigger fan. Atom Heart Mother was the greatest album ever recorded in my book when I was 13, and Summer 68, sung by Rick, was... I dunno. I can't even think up words, that song just means alot to me and reminds me of old times when I would stay up with all the lights off, listening to the album, thinking about forests and all that... Because of Zelda games. YES I LISTEN TO FLOYD WITH ZELDA, it's a wonderful combo, like beer and cigarettes to everyone else I know.

And lately, I've been listening to Relics, a CD with mostly B-sides and some songs off Piper. Paintbox is also sung by Rick, and I listened to it, sobbing, just a while ago. I screamed "Goddammit!" into a towel while snot got all over my face. Without his keyboards or vocals, the warm feeling that Floyd gives me would be lost. He was key to their sound and was the heart of it all. And dammit, may he rest in peace and see his friend Syd again.

Rick, you were a genius, and I miss you like you can't imagine.

Music, lemme say something

So here goes, I was talking to Mr. Lotsa Hair, and I told him about this dream I had one day that got me to listen to Hole again. Because in the dream, their song Pretty On the Inside was playing, and I could recognize it at that time, but didn't really remember which song it was. The next day I listened to the album and it was like... There it is. It has become my favorite Hole song, for a few reasons. I think having that dream made me have some sort of special connection to it. Liiiiike... Something TOLD me I should listen to it! Because why the hell else would it be playing? At that time, it'd been forever since I listened to that band. And now I wonder what the fuck was up with THAT, ya know. I LOVE COURTNEY TOO MUCH TO DO THAT TO HER. You know? Fan devotion. No, I don't care if she's a rail who has a bad weave, she is Courtney, she's not there for you to pick apart while you masturbate to Nicole Richie. USE YOUR HEADS. Not your penis ones, either. D:

And then around that time I mentioned Syd Barrett, because he wrote songs that were like damn fairy tales. And that's probably one way I attach myself to his music so damn hard, he had an imagination that makes me happy. Piper at the Gates of Dawn is basically a folklore book, but with sound. There's a song about a gnome, how is that not just fucking awesome? And this has been beaten to death by the rest of Pink Floyd, but Syd was like a kid. Tripping on LSD, yes, but still a kid. That may also be why his music is all simplistic and has so much happy in it. It all has happy feelings, in each song. Even if it's sad, because it was written by Syd. What I would do to just even look at that man in person.

I mean, even before I got Madcap... I cried over his death. And even months after it happened. The day I found out, I was too freaked out to feel anything. What do you feel when one of the members of your most beloved group dies? This surely isn't a Kurt situation either. Syd had just lived a quiet life for the rest of his years, and apparently his death was in his sleep, thank god. I hope he's with his father, I think that's what triggered him to become to far away from everyone. Not that directly, just something that grew, because I think he died when Syd was 15 or so. And now I'm going so off, I don't think anyone will read this.

JUST REMEMBER! Music is a lovely, lovely thing. And show some respect for people like Syd and Courtney who shoke the ground I stand on. :D

Syd Barrett, and why he fucking matters

Ok, other than John Frusciante, David Bowie, and those two hot skanks from the Mars Volta, no one really seems to give a hell about Syd Barrett (well, there's basically a cult of fans, including me). Everyone dismisses him because he was only on one Pink Floyd album and, of course, never listened to his solo stuff. You know why? Lazy hoes, they are. You know why I started listening to him? I found his album The Madcap Laughs at DISNEY. Yes, DISNEY. At the Virgin Megastore, albeit. But still. Yes, I somehow stumbled upon it, amazed that they still even printed copies of it. When I got home, I listened to it, and holy shit God was having an awesome, wonderful, delightful day when Syd was basically forced into Abbey Road to make that album. He may have gone fucking bonkers, but it doesn't mean he isn't relevent. While you're all listening to Soulja Boy and Simple Plan, this man is dead without recognition because "oh lol he went crazy n left da band LOL HE GOT FAT". You stupid, stupid fucking asses.

This generation could learn aloooot from him. Listen to his first album, most of it was just him singing and playing acoustic guitar. None of this digital bullshit (and when I mean digital, I don't mean awesome crazy shit being added like with the Volta, I mean having your voice edited to be in pitch. EW UGHUGUGHUGUHUJFHVBKDFBHV KJFDG). His lyrics, as they were weird, were brilliant. I don't even know what most of his songs meant, but they came from SOMETHING, and SOMEONE, and that someone was him, not a fucking payed songwritier. I HATE that shit so fucking MUCH. He actually had creativity, which is something terribly lost these days, if I'm not mistaken. Because, you know, all the shitty bands with nothing to say always get public attention while all the good bands get pushed under the record company's asses. Because you know whaaaat? Even all the bands I love, nearly all of them, had a look to go along with the era. That's why Nirvana, Hole, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and so on, got record deals. But even bands who wore their flannels and ripped pants didn't get deals because the companys sucked the hell out of the bands that were bringing in the money. And if you're getting millions from one band, why go and use the effort to find more bands when you're whoring a few out already?

Syd wasn't whored out, not that it has anything to do with it. I forgot where I was going with this... LYRICS! Yes, Syd was naturally good at writing. Not everyone is, but don't pay someone else to feel for you. That's silly. This is why idiots like Avril Lavigne are popular. Did you really want her to get popular? Don't think so. She was cute before she started claiming to be this generation's Sid Vicious. Because, you know, Sid never sang and played bass. DUH. Stupid poser.

Also, you know, Syd wrote Arnold Layne. It's about a man who loves cross dressing. That alone should make him relevent to this era. I mean, the drag queens would love that, even if it's not disco electronic super pop. Now I wanna go watch that Wesley Snipes movie.

ANY. WAY. I think the drag queens were uncalled for, but... They should be mentioned. <3 them. Ok so, Syd, yes, the gays would love that shit if it were remixed and I'd have a reason to learn how to dance.

BUT LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING! Gayed up or not, Syd was a genius, did music for himself, never payed song writers to help him out and was on his own. We need more people like him, minus the LSD addicition and crazy guitar de-tuning at live shows. Because... That never did him good. I miss him. And so should the rest of you.

Bye now!