Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd

Premiering in UK cinemas this week, Have You Got It Yet takes a closer look at the life and times of Syd Barrett, best known as one of the original members of Pink Floyd. As the story goes, Barrett was ousted from the band in 1968, as he was suspected to be experiencing mental illness and abusing psychedelic drugs.

The first song in this brief teaser trailer is Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive” from their first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967). Clocking in at over nine minutes, it’s an apt choice, as Barrett is said to be the lead composer on this track. Its melody was inspired by Barrett attempting to imitate a tune sung by the band’s manager at the time, Peter Jenner. Moreover, it’s said to be one of the first psychedelic rock improvisations committed to record.

The tune is altogether appropriate then as a choice for a documentary that investigates if not celebrates Barrett’s tenuous relationship with the band in its early life; we see black and white footage of presumably Barrett playing guitar in a way that at least mimics the guitar part of “Interstellar Overdrive” at 0:24, lending a sense of energy and vitality to the proceedings.

Things quickly move from promising to devastating, however—as we all know what would happen after those first two early Pink Floyd records. Famously, the band wrote several songs in tribute to Barrett, such as the multipart song “Shine on You Crazy Diamond”. This song is what leads us through the second half of the teaser, as the voiceovers from the first part continue. This latter half focuses on the troubles that beset Barrett and ultimately led him to leaving not only the band, but music altogether.

The spare, morose guitar part, drenched in reverb, serves as a sober, clear-eyed juxtaposition to the rollicking, chromatic part from the previous track. The track settles into a groove, and leads out the brief teaser. Throughout, various archival footage and photos of Barrett and the band promise a fairly comprehensive look into the life and times of the reclusive icon.

As a short teaser, using a couple of key cuts from the band’s catalogue, served more or less un-spliced and untouched, was probably the right more. This is especially so for a musical biopic that seems to take a fairly conventional approach in terms of focusing mainly on talking heads while displaying various archives. While maybe not particularly innovative, it serves it purpose well and the choices of tracks are thoughtful, providing a couple of key angles from which to think about Barrett’s place in the band and his legacy.

Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd is out now in UK theatres.

— Curtis Perry