The Story Of Syd Barrett Being A Whistleblower In His Early Days

Syd Barrett, the enigmatic co-founder of Pink Floyd, played an unexpected role in the early days of another band, Gentle Giant. In a recent appearance on Classic Album Review, Derek Shulman, one of the founding members of Gentle Giant, shared a surprising anecdote about how Barrett unintentionally blew the whistle on them during their initial stages.

The Creation of ‘We Are the Moles’ and Syd Barrett’s Involvement

Derek Shulman recalled the genesis of the song ‘We Are the Moles,’ which played a pivotal role in Gentle Giant’s early days. Shulman explained:

 “He [his brother-in-law] said, ‘I’ll get you three hours in the studio for EMI just to write a song if you think is cool.’ So we wrote ‘We Are the Moles,’ and he had his marketing ideas. I think we wrote the song in about five minutes, and it was just me and my brothers. It was just me, Ray, and Phil.”

Syd Barrett’s Unintended Revelation

However, Gentle Giant’s journey took an unexpected turn when they discovered that Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd were recording at the same studio. As the buzz around ‘We Are the Moles’ began to build, people speculated that it was a Beatles song in disguise, with a potential name change to The Moles. This speculation could have potentially catapulted Gentle Giant into the limelight. However, Syd Barrett unknowingly interfered with their plans by making a statement in an interview. Shulman revealed:

“Syd Barrett did a big interview, saying, ‘No, it’s not. It’s not the Beatles. It’s the sh*tty band, Simon Dupree.’ So he blew the whistle on us.”

The Impact and Subsequent Journey of Gentle Giant

Syd Barrett’s inadvertent revelation significantly affected Gentle Giant’s early prospects. Shulman expressed their disappointment:

“So yes, he was the whistleblower, which we were disappointed at because we could have started Gentle Giant a couple of years before. That was our intro to getting putting new music out there to get to have an audience; a different kind of audience if you like.”

Despite the setback, Gentle Giant persevered and continued to make music together, incorporating additional members into the band. Their journey as Gentle Giant spanned 11 albums before concluding in 1980. After the band’s disbandment, Derek Shulman ventured into the music industry as a record executive.