Syd Barrett & Pete Doherty

[Skummy]

I've been caught up in this argument in a Myspace group for a while now, because I refuse to lose. Someone has stated that they believe Pete Doherty is trying to be like Syd Barrett, by replicating his style of music, and his image.

Pretty much his only justification is the apparent existence of a Doherty album "The Laptop Laughs", which I'm assuming is a bootleg, and these photographs:

Now, am I going mental in failing to see any similarity between these two people, or are they (as I suspected) complete 'tards? Is there even a discussion point here? Or shall we just point and laugh?

[Turbo Yannis]

The only similarity I really see between the two is that they're both a bit shadowy, if that's even a word.

[NobBe Nobbs]

They're just tards.

[tristy]

Doherty is cracked out and doesn't write half the songs Barrett did.

While, on the other hand, Barrett was just fried out near the end of his run with Floyd.

I don't see any connection, really. It's just the two completely different tales of troubled musicians who seek comfort in drugs. That's it, really.

[TOG]

To be fair, I know next to nothing about Doherty, but what I can say is it wouldn't be wrong of anyone to channel Syd Barrett. Marc Bolan spent his entire career trying to be like Syd. Barrett was a fucking brilliant psych-pop artist before he began to lose it. I suppose the problem would be with those who feel he was trying to bank on the "crazy" image of Barrett in his later years, but honestly, it wouldn't be the first time. Is there anything other than that image that they are linking between the two?

[Skummy]

They tried to suggest that Doherty is trying to emulate Syd's sound with his solo recordings, but that hasn't been brought up in a while. Personally, I see no similarities in their music other than it being a bloke with a guitar.

[fineintent]

Barrett had talent, Doherty leached off Karl Barat. Doherty is a fucking disgrace to humanity, get a tan you bastard.

[Dan]

Maybe he doesn't wanna be a nigga

[fineintent]

No one should be THAT pasty. Its horrific.

[Dan]

KKK members require of you to be that pasty