Nick Mason, the drummer of Pink Floyd, has openly reflected on how the band treated founding member Syd Barrett during his mental health decline in the late 1960s. In a recent interview with Variety, Mason admitted that the band failed Barrett, largely because they did not understand mental health issues at the time.
Mason explained that when Barrett left the band in 1968, the group believed his condition might improve with rest. Looking back, he described this thinking as deeply naïve. He noted that people today are far more informed and better equipped to recognize and respond to mental health struggles, while the band back then simply did not know what to do or how to help.
“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 original creative leader of Pink Floyd and played a major role in shaping their early psychedelic sound. He wrote much of their 1967 debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. As his mental health worsened, his behavior became unpredictable, making it hard for the band to continue working with him. Eventually, they stopped picking him up for shows, quietly ending his time in the group.
Even after his departure, Barrett remained central to Pink Floyd’s identity. The band later expressed their feelings of guilt and loss through music, especially on Wish You Were Here, which is widely seen as a tribute to him.
