March 27, 1999 GOLDMINE LOOKS VERY PINK The current issue of Goldmine, the collector's record and compact disk marketplace, features Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd on the cover. The famous Piccadilly photograph of the Pink Floyd in 1967 is splashed across the cover. The accompanying headline states "The Madness and Mayhem of Syd Barrett: Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn." The accompanying article nearly fills ten tabloid-sized pages. Told in the chatty and intriguing voice of a short story novelist cum deejay, the article tells the story of Syd Barrett's rise to fame and his immediate mental decline. The piece makes for an excellent read, but hold now new information for the hardcore Floyd/Barrett devotees, and in fact perpetuates several common misconceptions. (For example, the article gives credence to the entirely false legend that Barrett was somehow connected with the Lennon/Ono/Harrison song "What's the New Mary Jane.") Despite its errors, the magazine is well worth reading for its very adept way of arranging the myriad facts and anecdotes surrounding Barrett into an economical and interesting article. Barrett's story is brought into a sharp focus, and details are not omitted despite the relatively small size of the article. Floyd fans will also not want to miss some of the advertisements in this issue, including an entire page of rare original concert posters with prices ranging from a few dollars into the thousands of dollars. The issue of Goldmine featuring Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett is the April 9, 1999 issue, Vol. 25, No.8, Issue 488. It is priced $3.95 U.S. and $4.95 Canada.