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Syd's bike goes under the hammer
Evening Standard 31.08.06
Auction: Among Syd Barrett's possessions to go under the hammer will be two of his bikes
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It looks like an ordinary bicycle. It's got a basket, a bell that rings and things to make it look good.
But to Pink Floyd fans - the sort who know the previous sentence comes from a song on their first album - it will be the highlight of an auction that will shed light on the psychedelic songwriting genius who became a recluse.
The paltry few possessions that Syd Barrett had to his name when he died last month aged 60 will go under the hammer in his home town of Cambridge in November.
They include the handpainted red bicycle that he used to ride to the shops - and its blue predecessor. One of the most memorable songs from the group's 1967 debut album, The Piper At The Gates of Dawn, is the final track, Bike - described recently as "Barrett Central for the obsessive fans".
"I've got a bike," sang Barrett, "you can ride it if you like." Come November, one lucky - and doubtlessly rather wealthy - fan will be able to do just that.
Other lots include a teasing reference to the song that Pink Floyd wrote about their former bandmate after he left them to live a life of eccentricity and solitude - Shine On You Crazy Diamond. There, in Barrett's scrapbook, is a magazine cutting about a diamond with a crazy value: the 203.04 carat De Beers Millennium Star.
The small number of musical lots includes a classical guitar and two sets of speakers which Barrett made. There are also some small items of furniture which he built at his three-bedroom semi, described as like a "tidy DIY workshop" by auctioneer Martin Millard and for sale itself for £300,000. "You would never guess it was the home of a former rock star," said Mr Millard. "He led a very simple life."
A limited number of his art works will be on sale, including a still life of a vase of flowers from his days at Camberwell School of Art.
The Syd Barrett collection will be sold by Cheffins of Cambridge on 29 November.
