Ep.15 – Rob Chapman on the early Pink Floyd and his Syd Barrett and Nick Drake dreamland

Drawing on his exceptional knowledge of both artists, Rob Chapman serves up a palatable Syd Barrett and Nick Drake broth, replete with historical and cultural references.

For followers of the Fingal’s Cave Podcast, Rob is perhaps best known for his two groundbreaking books about Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett, An Irregular Head, published in 2010 and The Lyrics of Syd Barrett, published in 2021.

Rob’s latest novel is Unsung: Unsaid, an exploration of the creativity of Syd Barrett and Nick Drake through the medium of speculative fiction.

Encouraged by hosts Ian Priston and Phil Salathé, Rob explains his inspirations, why he chose to trap Syd and Nick at the same Kensington Market café table, and his approach to characterisation and structure.

Rob reflects on his early memories of Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett in the 1960s and his two solo albums. Guiding us on various tangents, Rob also explains why his love of Pink Floyd extends to 1971 and describes working with David Gilmour.

If you haven’t encountered Spike Hawkins’ Instant Poetry Broth, you will undoubtedly wish to search for details after hearing Rob’s explanation.

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Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:15 Where did it all start?
00:10:55 Syd Barrett and Nick Drake in Cambridge
00:15:11 Unsung : Unsaid / Kensington Market
00:20:17 Feedback from the fans
00:23:09 Reversing characters
00:30:40 Psychedelia
00:35:13 Bernard the superfan and the (unknown) bootleggers
00:42:00 Remembered for a While (Nick Drake)
00:49:52 Andante from Brandenburg Concerto No. 4
00:53:30 Is there more?
00:56:11 Working with David Gilmour
00:59:02 Madcap laughs or madcat laughs
01:08:06 No Pink Floyd at all?
01:09:56 No movie please!
01:13:51 Where next...?