Syd Barrett was an art school student when he founded Pink Floyd. Famous before his twentieth birthday, Barrett led the charge of psychedelia onstage at London's famed UFO club, and his acid-inspired lyrics became a hallmark of London's 1967 Summer of Love. By turns improvisatory and whimsical, Zen-like and hard-living, Barrett pushed the boundaries of music into new realms of artistic expression while fighting the demons of drug abuse and mental illness.

This probing story, twenty years in the writing, features a wealth of first-hand interviews with Syd's family, friends and members of the band, giving us an unvarnished look at Barrett's life and work. Author Julian Palacios traces Barrett's swift evolution from precocious youth to internationally acclaimed psychedelic rock star, examining both his wide-ranging inspirations and his influence on generations of musicians. A never-to-be-forgotten casualty of the excesses, innovations, and idealism of the 1960s, Syd Barrett is one of the most heavily mythologised men in rock, and this book offers a rare portrayal of a unique spirit in freewill.