Syd's Breakdown - An Essay - Part 2

    First off I want to say that it was not ONE THING that did him in...but a combination of things. Syd most likely had some preexisting condition, likely Asperger's Syndrome or a very mild form of Autism. This would account for his childlike, eccentric persona, odd bouncing walk, bouncing on his tiptoes a lot & being a tiptoe walker. Thus, it's certain that this somehow made him susceptible to some serious psyche damage.
   
    But one would be baffled by these things concerning Syd's breakdown:

1.) Many musicians have problems keeping up with fame & touring but most of them don't break down like Syd did.
2.) Many people are into Acid but not all LSD is bad if it's good batch and taken with care. Most users of LSD eventually go on to lead normal lives.
3.) Noone makes a complete 180 in personality & appearance without something really horrible happening to them.

    Syd could've just quit the band & became a solo avant garde musical artist if touring and mainstream fame was an issue. He enjoyed being a local underground cult hero with few pressures, artistic freedom, gaggles of cute girls & whatnot...but instead, he became a recluse who zest for songwriting & performing went kerflooie. This may explain his actions during his latter days with Pink Floyd & recording his solo albums...he's not catatonic, he's freezing-up on purpose! To prove my point, just read the account of Pink Floyd's "Pat Boone Show" appearance. Syd during rehearsal happily went through the lip sync like a trooper but once the filming began...*cue the 'blue screen' look*.

    Syd just didn't want to perform, anymore. He didn't want to be noticed anymore. Roger Keith Barrett was no longer "Syd". "SYD" HAD DIED.

On to Part 3....