JERRY SHIRLEY OF HUMBLE PIE :DRUMMING ON SYD BARRETT'S ALBUM "BARRETT”& SYD'S FINAL LONDON GIG 

This guy reminds me of Michael Palin, a delightful character.

Jerry’s drumming on that album was just exactly what the album needed. The combination of his drumming, Dave’s bass playing, and Ricks harmonium was just the thing to enliven Sid’s songs. Also the sound of the album and mix was perfect. One of the all time great albums. All the frustration of making it doesn’t show in the finished product. It still rings as a truly unique record.

a side of David Gilmour most people dont know, shows what a good guy he really is. to push forward and help Syd like that. Also, Jerry Shirley was a DJ for Cleveland Ohios classic rock station for years. clevelanders loved him!

Fabulous interview. Jerry Shirley and Greg Ridley in Humble Pie, were one of rock’s most brilliant rhythm sections.

Jerry is a rock solid person and Drummer. Humble Pie was lucky to have him

This might be the best, and most understanding interview about Syd that I've ever seen.

Real likeable bloke, and he's right: Dominoes is an amazing song, Syd's voice is beautiful on that track.

Jerry Shirley was the perfect drummer for solo Syd. The rolls and stops and changes are poetic

"In the sad town, cold iron hands clap the party of clowns outside…"

When I was 16 my cool cousin Anne took me to Gerry Shirleys home He had just come off a tour with Humble pie. Such a nice guy. I was surrounded by rock stars completely star struck he made me feel welcome

The best interview about Syd Barrett on the net. Jerry Shirley, what a great man!

What a lovely guy Jerry Shirley is! Intelligent, articulate and with a sense of humour that would have fitted in perfectly with Monty Python. He raises a good point about Syd, which has also been raised by other people. And I’ve become increasingly inclined to believe it to be the truth. Syd was a genius, with a way of looking at the world that was far away from the normal worldview. That’s in the nature of genius. You can call it madness if you like, and by normal social definitions, you would be correct. It was certainly exacerbated by LSD, but was certainly there before it. People who are not touched with that genius cannot possibly understand it. He liked being a musician and even, for a time, a rock star but that quickly waned. I don’t think he wanted to let anyone down, so he went along with people who wanted to get him back into the studio, or play a gig at Olympia, or form a band with Twink and Jack Monck. In the case of the latter band (Stars), a cruel review in The Melody Maker was enough for Syd to call it a day entirely and retreat to Cambridge. But I think he was well aware of what he was doing. He wrote songs that were almost impossible to follow, and I would say that was (at least partially) deliberate. The earliest example of that (that I know of) was the early Floyd number “Have you got it yet?” which, understandably was never recorded. He would also stand on stage with his guitar around his neck and refuse to play or sing, although he seemed to be enthusiastic about the gig beforehand. That sounds like deliberate subversion. Two fingers up to the music business. Syd believed in art, not commerce. Well done, Syd!

Jerry Shirley is a top bloke. 👍 He’s an artist and because of that he understands artists.

J'ai adoré l'intro de batterie dans "I'm ready" sur le 3è LP de Humble Pie. Subtile et groovy.

Jerry Shirley DJ’ed in Cleveland for a while. It was great having him share his rock and roll stories on 98.5 back in the day.

I looked him up, and he's so young. He was practically a teenager in Humble Pie and working with people like David, Syd and Richard... so awesome.

Dave Gilmour really does have a heart of gold.

My new fave interview. He seems to have a clearer memory of things and a bit of a character

I met JS when he was a Cleveland DJ. He gave me an autograph on a custom drum stick.

The story of Syd and "Have You Got I Yet?" is frickin hysterical....

Thank you for telling us your experiences with Syd Barrett, Jerry Shirley! Great that you were there at that time! I like your drumming for Syd, and also love your work with HUMBLE PIE. Syd Barrett was outstanding in the true meaning of the word. No limiting measures, no respect for the industry, no goals like "getting rich". An Originator Unlimited. Rest in Peace, Syd!

Grin & Barrett 🤩

I don’t know if Jerry will remember this, but he was playing in Humble Pie in about 1998 with Charlie Huhn. They were playing near my house in White Lake, Michigan. It was like a diner, sort of restaurant, and Charlie and Jerry were eating hamburgers in a booth. I had brought my Madcap Laughs CD and I wanted him to sign it. He said no problem as soon as they were finished eating. Charlie then started talking to me and I thought he was a roadie. 😆😂 I told him I played guitar and sang and he said “yeah, I play a little bit and sing a little bit.” When they left out the back door and then came back in fully dressed for the show, they blew my mind. It was only then then I realized that was Charlie Huhn I was talking to. 🤣 When they finished the show, they were running out the back door, and I whipped out my Madcap Laughs disc for Jerry, and he almost jumped in fear and said “ well, that’s a blast from the past isn’t it? “ . It was probably the last thing he expected to see at that point.

One thing I take away from all the interviews involving Syd Barret is that he was so naturally talented…..it makes you wonder what he would be coming up with today. RIP Syd🙏🏼

One of my favourite Syd songs is No Man's Land, that fuzzed up guitar on it is total psychedelia .

I love this guy! So real and humble.

When I listen to early blues musicians like Charlie Patton, I find their lyrics both intensely direct as well as otherworldly It’s exactly how I feel about Syd’s lyrics. My point is that I think Syd was way more educated and sophisticated than a lot of his contemporaries knew. I think mystical wordplay is endemic to English poetry. I also think that his level of fame and the fact that he had bit off way more than he could chew regarding both fame and drugs explain a lot regarding the breakdowns.

Jerry played on John Entwhistles first solo album. Really great

Jerry is such an underrated musician. His drum-work with Humble Pie and Fastway is very powerful.

Dave G always comes across as a really decent bloke

I agree that Dominoes off the second SB album will be remembered forever. It is haunting and beautiful.

This could have gone on for another 2 or 3 hours. Wonderful stories and strange tales.

Humble Pie still rules!!! 🤘

Saw Jerry with the Pie back in the day...monster rock drummer!

Great drummer never heard him interview.

This is the best explanation and description of what it was like to work with Syd and his illness. Finally. No one else has even come close to describing him or summing Syd up like Jerry. How this ended up on the cutting floor is incredulous.

I love the fact he didn't have a clue who Graham Coxon was ,haha, brilliant.

Jerry is a fine guy & funny beside being one great drummer & a joy to listen to his accounts of his time with Syd. I have Syd's album with Jerry & David which is very unusual but that was Syd. So cool to see Jerry looking good & man he was such a killer drummer with Humble Pie whom i was lucky to see twice when Frampton was still in the band & Pink Floyd several times in the early 70s but that way after Syd was gone . Jerry is right on in that Syd had much to offer but like Peter Green bad things got in the way & ruined both of their lives . We miss them .

Jerry’s the best! Cool to see him talking about something outside of The Pie.

I love these uncut interviews, I always wish we had more incite from Jerry’s time with Syd so this delivered!

What a lovely guy this is. He's only been a name on the album cover to me up until tonight. And that backwards guitar story is just mindblowing.

Jerry deserves sainthood for this.

N.E. Ohio loves you, Jerry.

I hadn’t realised just how much of a labour of love. For David Gilmour, that second album was!

Mr Shirley is quite a character himself.Again,excellent idea to put up the xl versions of these very interesting interviews.Have an exquisite weekend Mr Edginton!

This was great. Such an engaging and enthusiastic speaker reminiscing about the unique and unfathomable genius of wonderful Syd. And at 19:52 that beautiful Marlboro packaging, a now historical artefact, so iconic and completely vanished!

Syd was amazing. Like these interviews if you ask me . Spot on .

What a great interview….this guy made me laugh

I'm a fan of Syd of course, but Humble Pie is the stuff, man. Incredible drums man!!!

Great insight into studio work during that era, Syd, Dave, and the solo albums.

In The Beatles tune, "I am the Walrus", theres a line about "sitting in an English garden, waiting for the sun".....this interview IS that garden.

Like I’m sure millions of people, I felt completely taken by Barrett It’s the album I use to convince the uninitiated. They way I did Syd was completely wrong, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Opel Madcap Laughs Then Barrett. Then the early Floyd Singles. Completely the wrong order. Would’ve been a much easier journey if I’d done that backwards. I fucking love Barrett and Madcap Laughs. Just the best pair of records.

Brilliant, I could listen to him for hours!

Delight to listen to this guy talking about one of history's most fascinating musical icons and on an up close and personal level.

Beautiful to see the affection Jerry has for Syd, and how patient he was when the recordings were going on. It's funny, John, one of your other interviewees (was it David Gilmour) was saddened by how Syd's two solo albums turned out: likening the quality to 'demos'. By contrast, Jerry thinks their rawness was essential to their magic and longevity. I guess we'll never really know. Wouldn't it be amazing if, say, David Gilmour re-worked and re-imagined them. Look at what the Beatles/Peter Jackson (and A.I). did with that recent Beatles song (Now and Then).With that technology, they could perfectly capture and isolate Syd's vocals, and really go to town with the new production. That may be sacrilege, but I think it'd be far more valid and fascinating than Roger Waters' pretty abysmal Dark Side of the Moon re-do.

Nice one John... You keep knocking it out the park mate 😉

So grateful for Dave and Jerry's persistence and patience. To extract the diamonds that made up Syds unique talent when it could so easily have not happened. Great stories Jerry! I laughed a few times on my own in my house.

I wondered how those 2 Barrett albums got made. I always knew that Gilmore was the principal producer, but this interview paints a vivid picture. My favorite of these songs would be Terrapin, which has the lyric :"But oh baby, my hairs on end about you."

Syds drummer. Humble Pie drummer and Fastway drummer. This is a real HOF guy right here folks.

What a great drummer. I saw him back in the day. Rock solid man, rock solid.

Glad to see Shirley is as deaf as me. I've always blamed him for it, clattering away for The Pie while I stood as close as possible to the stage.

Thank you...a beautiful view on Barrett

Would love to see the full interview! Jerry seems like such a great guy.

This was hilarious, you've got to love drummers, I think all management should by default put drummers in charge of the band. It would likely be a disaster but a good natured disaster. That was fascinating but now I'd live to hear about BB King.

Very generous of you to post this unedited clip. Could honestly have listened to much more of this. Thanks!

Jerry = Legitimate legend. Wonderful work (as always) thank you John!

*MAISY*. Yes the song features Syd, but the deep deep DEEP groove laid down by Jerry is what grabs my core and doesn't let go...until Syd's final whistled note finally releases it.

Fantastic interview. Interesting guy. And I agree that the "off-the-wall" quality of Syd's playing is a strength rather than a weakness. It's an art rock record.

Great interview, thanks for posting.

I absolutely love and relate to this man's outlook on his work on and the merits of the 'Barrett' LP. Nice one Jerry ✌

Very enjoyable listening to this gentleman.

The man interviewing him sounds a bit like David Gilmour !

Great interview. Great perspective. Thank you for sharing. RIP Syd.

Great interview. I'm a huge fan of Syd'd and been always wondering how the drummer and bass player struggled through the tempo changes and the jumps in structure. And kind figured something of the sorts that we hear Jerry tell usn in this interview. Had to put the album on. Baby lemonade is one of my favorites of all time.

Thank you Jerry, what a fascinating and touchning insight into the making of this album.

Excellent! Jerry Shirley is a great funny guy

Syd, in my mind, was an incredible creative force, a unique vessel of the creative who had talent in spades, he could paint with sound and write with melody, harmony. The catalogue he produced is phenomenal not for its quantity but for its content, its potency. Syd was very much like Acid, in how potent such a small amount is-Micrograms…

Brilliant! Such an enjoyable interview.🙂😎

Cambridge urban myth is towards the end of his life he’d busk at the fountain at Market Square. Never been able to verify that but it’s a good story. Thanks Jerry and respect.

Thank You. I really enjoyed the eloquence of Mr. Shirley. Inspired me to put my “Barret” on the player this morning.

Thank you John Edginton for capturing these great artifacts. The story of Roger/Syd Barrett is a fascinating mystery and all of this is very interesting material for those of us who have been drawn to his story.

fabulous insights, thanks so much for this. a quite precious glimpse into the process we've only heard anecdotes about.

Syd really is a great wordsmith and a flawed genius. This adds so much new material. Well done!

Great interview.

This is fantastic! I'm ashamed to admit I only know Jerry Shirley as the Pie's drummer. It's always great to learn something new! 😃

Great drummer! Great insights too

PINK FLOYD THE EPITOME OF MUSIC ~~~SHINE ON 💎 ~~~ 🎼☮️🇨🇦👊

In This is Spinal Tap, when they reflect and list their long since departed drummers and name Denny Upham; Jerry Shirley of Humble Pie is what I imagine.

Thanks for the interview. Mr Shirley is all a character too. The quote "far away of his time" is a strict act of justice 👍

This is super interesting. Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m subscribing. Pink Floyd has been part of my life since I first heard them in Elementary school.

Those sessions for the record 'Barrett' sound like they were still sheer madness, but from a production stand point the finished album sounds much more together than 'The Madcap Laughs'; I was just checking out 'Rats', that track sounds mad.

With each interview another couple of jigsaw puzzle pieces fall into place to give us a clearer portrait. Thank you.

Michael Palin was the drummer for Syd?!

Around 8:30 they mention how Syd’s music was very childlike. I play his albums and Piper at the Gates of Dawn for my kids, 8 and 4, and they love it. Songs like “Bike”, “Effervescing Elephant”, and “Octopus” are some of their favorites. They really like “Astronomy Domine” too. I honestly think they understand some of Syd’s music better than I do.

Listening to those tracks I have long wondered how everyone coped with the random changes in tempo that Syd would make. Now I know. It was really hard! :)

Madness and Genius are often confused.

Right, Dominoes is a unique song and David Gilmore play this in every Concert.

John Peels session is brilliant. Think ive watched this interview a thousand times right from the start!

Thank you for this! Jerry is so cool. I’ve never heard of him before, and it was amazing to hear his recollections!

Thanks so much. Barrett has been on of my favorite records since I discovered it in the early 80s.