David Bowie Was Not a Fan of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd and David Bowie were two of the biggest names in classic rock, but they had different approaches. Floyd evolved into studio wizards who became concept album virtuosos. The Thin White Duke reinvented himself several times but built his reputation as a glam rock star. Pink Floyd’s hit songs, as well as their underrated tunes, became staples, but Bowie wasn’t a fan and his negative opinion of the band meant he probably wasn’t paying attention to their success.
David Bowie wasn’t a Pink Floyd fan and had a harsh take on their 2nd iteration
Pink Floyd established themselves as psychedelic rock pioneers at the perfect time. Their inventive light show and creative live jamming emerged in time for swinging London’s wild summer of 1967. The band recorded their first album next door to The Beatles as they made Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd’s creative force, was a rock ‘n’ roll idol to young, hip music fans.
It didn’t last.
Barrett consumed copious amounts of psychedelic drugs (sometimes without knowing he’d been dosed), which some believe contributed to a mental breakdown that left him unwilling to or incapable of playing music.
Barrett’s bandmates kicked him out and soldiered on with David Gilmour as their lead guitarist starting in 1968. Bowie’s harsh opinion of Pink Floyd showed he stopped being a fan from that moment on (via band biography Saucerful of Secrets):
“When Syd Barrett left, there was no Pink Floyd for me anymore.”
David Bowie
The musician who became Ziggy Stardust turned his back on Pink Floyd when they moved on without Barrett. As Nicholas Schaffner wrote in Saucerful of Secrets, he wasn’t alone.
Like Bowie, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page recognized Barrett’s unique creative genius. Several Barrett fanzines dedicated to preserving his legacy emerged in the wake of him being fired. His departure left a creative void. Pink Floyd’s songs became a little less melodic without Barrett writing them. They attempted writing more out-there music, but it was less playfully psychedelic and more ominous.
In short, the band needed several years to find a path forward. When they did, they were off and running.
Pink Floyd’s members thrived without Bowie’s approval
Bowie said Pink Floyd ceased to exist for him when they kicked out Barrett. The band eventually proved they didn’t need his support.
Floyd’s four members in the post-Barrett era — Gilmour and early members Roger Waters (bass), Rick Wright (keyboards), and Nick Mason (drums) — eventually found their niche and won over fans around the world.
They scored a No. 1 album in England with 1970’s Atom Heart Mother, churned out a soundtrack album that contained the song that predicted their The Dark Side of the Moon breakthrough in 1972, then dropped that acclaimed album a year later.
Dark Side was the first of five straight Pink Floyd albums that achieved Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) platinum status. They had nine studio albums reach that threshold; Bowie did it three times in his entire career. Pink Floyd sent five albums to No. 1 on the Billboard charts; Bowie achieved it once with 2016’s posthumous release Blackstar. The Thin White Duke outpaced Pink Floyd in terms of Grammy wins, though. He won five golden gramophones (19 nominations) to Floyd’s one win in four noms.
David Bowie said he was no Pink Floyd fan after they kicked out Syd Barrett. He said the group ceased to exist in his mind. Still, the band found plenty of willing listeners during their peak years in the 1970s and outperformed Bowie in several metrics during their career.
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