For as long as I can remember I have loved to watch a guitar player work their magic on the fretboard. One of my all time favorite players is David Gilmore from Pink Floyd. I could sit and watch him play his guitar for hours without any regard to the passage of time. I think if I had to say that I was inspired to play by any one guitarist he would be the one. When I was a teenager I had a friend that had a clubhouse type of building by his house. The walls were lined with blacklight posters with Pink Floyd blaring from an old turntable more often than not. We never did drugs but I always got high from listening to the music.
When I first started playing guitar Shine On You Crazy Diamond was my top priority. I had to learn it note for note and I wasn’t happy till I had it right. Back then I had a very big problem with alcohol. David Gilmore, Shine On You Crazy Diamond and a guitar brought me away from a self destructive path. I wanted to drink but I wanted to play guitar even more. The thing about it though is if I was drinking I couldn’t hit two consecutive notes if my life depended on it. So I had a decision to make, keep drinking or give it up for the guitar. I gave up drinking and have never regretted that decision. For about the first 3 or 4 years I practiced relentlessly. Literally hours every single day. I had been used to drinking every day so I had to practice guitar to fill up the time I would have been partying. In the years since I got pretty good at it, or so my friends tell me.
This song was written in 1974 as a tribute to one of Pink Floyd’s founding members, Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett.
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July 27th, 2007 at 4:13 am
SHINE ON YOU CCRRAAZZY DIAMOND….
LOVE Pink Floyd…But I got High and listened to their music till I was Comforatbly Numb…..that got me real far in life huh
Oh yeah P.S I can’t help but add this in because i’m an instigator (Just don’t tell no-one) Alchol is a drug.
July 27th, 2007 at 4:44 am
I agree, alcohol is a drug. I made my post a little unclear. I started playing guitar about ten years after high school. I grew up in a very religious family so drinking and partying as a teenager was out of the question.
On another note the Comfortably Numb metaphor came out quicker than I expected
July 28th, 2007 at 10:36 am
The song and video are mesmerising (sp?) Thanks for posting it.
July 28th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Thanks for commenting Matt.. this song is without a doubt one of my favorites and makes me think a lot about the past.
July 30th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
I always find it interesting to hear what leads someone away from destructive behavior. In your case, it sounds like the guitar might well have saved your life.
July 30th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
I firmly believe the guitar saved my life. Up to that point I had already been in a couple of single vehicle accidents both of which were life threatening. The guitar gave me the will power that I needed. The only reason it worked was because learning to play was something I wanted in my heart. I wanted that more than I wanted to drink and thankfully was unable to do both at the same time.
That’s the entire reason it bothers me so much to not be able to play…