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

[@caryheuchert]

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

[@soarornor]

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.

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

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

[@dsk333]

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!

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks for the info. I certainly didn’t know that !

[@Bonzo_B]

Grew up in Cleveland listening 98.5 WNCX, loved his show! He would always sign off with hearty Ta Da!

[@franklinbrown8710]

Yes, I did! I think he should continue his storytelling on another KZbin video or a series! I will definitely watch.

[@circusgrenade]

David also in interviews says he wished he had not and just left him be..

[@JimmyT995]

David made sure syd got his royalties till the day syd died too

[@michelebergamini5175]

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

[@dennisscalici4182]

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

[@fischergreen4134]

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

[@thehotyounggrandpas8207]

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

[@richardsiciliano7117]

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

[@BryanP10]

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.

[@laurentwirz2806]

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

[@davidfrazerwray7525]

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!

[@realtimecartravel]

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

[@BloomingdaleTN]

Lunacy

[@VanishedPNW]

"Pleeeaaase, pleeease, baby lemonaaaade."

[@alexvernon7456]

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

[@dixgun]

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

[@bobtaylor8699]

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.

[@outernothingness1177]

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.

[@chicklets4ever51]

Actually, he gets the backwards guitar story slightly wrong. According to David Gilmour, it was Syd who asked him to play the tape backwards, which to David sounded like incoherent squawks and screeches. And yet Syd, at the right moments, knew when to come in with the guitar so that it sounds perfect, though backwards, when reversed. The genius of madness. Look for the Gilmour interview in which he tells the story. It may even be one of these Edgington interviews.

[@KASUN_M]

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

[@wolframharms3495]

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!

[@lucianovargas6677]

The 801 live drummer was Simon Philips.

[@wolframharms3495]

@@lucianovargas6677 Oh yeah, damn, you are correct! Thank you, I got that wrong and will correct it now.

[@williamhenderson8371]

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

[@mysteryjesus]

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.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks for appreciating this. It ended up on the cutting room floor because it was for a 50 min doc on Syd with all the Floyd and everyone else plus archive film etc. that’s the frustration in making docs for tv. Fortunately I’ve dug it out of the obscurity of my storage boxes and bought it back to life !

[@AB.BABY.]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@mysteryjesus]

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES Thanks for your work. Its too bad it was cut because he says and describes Syd's disposition in those years better than any of the Floyd members ever have in any interview. It's so illuminating.

[@clintspoon3765]

Lovely guy, and a great interview again! Thanks once more👍

[@josephwirtz7120]

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

[@marthaworc7873]

Dave Gilmour really does have a heart of gold.

[@highdb1]

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.

[@spyder2383]

I love this guy! So real and humble.

[@silverdragon710]

Just what I came to say too!

[@jeffkaufman9875]

@Spyder And word is, he loves pie…

[@AngelA-qj4jx]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks. So good to hear that !

[@BeesWaxMinder]

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

[@J-Loe]

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.

[@patgalvez4563]

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

[@kenfrederick6223]

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

[@cosmicdrifter287]

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!

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@cosmicdrifter287]

@@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES 😀

[@cosmicdrifter287]

✨️😀

[@davidgoodenough2747]

incredibly illuminating interview.Thanks Jerry !

[@jackiegiannino6835]

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🙏🏼

[@robbiepeterh]

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!

[@JagBetty]

What a great interview….this guy made me laugh

[@czarevich]

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

[@ronbo11]

I saw him with Fastway. Very enjoyable show!

[@cindyfalstrom7231]

It's always a treat to hear Jerry speak, always enjoy his interviews. Lovely guy.

[@silaslangsyd]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Cheers!

[@jeffdawson2786]

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

[@neilmccormick2064]

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

[@farrellmcnulty909]

I would love to know what he rambles on about at the end, "tell me, tell me, tell me..." and the rest is unintelligible. Peter Jackson's De-Mix, anyone?

[@upyours574]

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

[@ronnelson7828]

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

[@weeooh1]

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

[@andymcquade]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Alligator6002]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks 👍

[@markjones5417]

I've seen a lot of Pink interviews about Syd, but this is without doubt my favourite of the lot.

[@ianreynolds9733]

Brilliant, I could listen to him for hours!

[@brianorakpohit]

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.

[@tinpanally51_36]

Great drummer never heard him interview.

[@sluwisch]

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

[@TheChadTI]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Wow, thank you!

[@tondewit2000]

Thank you...a beautiful view on Barrett

[@mikearchibald744]

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.

[@ge2623]

You know how you can tell when the stage is level? The drummer is drooling out of both sides of his mouth. (And I'm a drummer)

[@willswalkingwest7267]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

My pleasure!

[@selfempower3960]

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

[@captainbeastazoid7084]

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.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks. I agree with you.

[@Bazzeboy]

Very enjoyable listening to this gentleman.

[@travelingtimes1993]

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.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Delighted you're enjoying this !

[@upyours574]

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

[@rogerbranton1752]

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! 😃

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@paullevine1813]

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 .

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

I bought the brace as a double-record in the early seventies. It used to scare me a bit that I liked it so much. I bought Piper back then too. I always liked that as well, but I could only listen to it every ten years because it took me a week to recover each time-it’s just so strange. Possibly my two favorite post-Syd Pink Floyd songs were both written by Richard Wright: “Paintbox” and “Summer ‘68”.

[@jeffryphillipsburns]

Maybe I bought Piper in ‘73 and the solo set in ‘75.

[@paullevine1813]

@@jeffryphillipsburns Summer of 68 was great sort of bluesy number & they could play great blues when they wanted to. Saw Floyd a few times in the 70s but once at Lisner Auditorium in Washington DC & at the end of the show they came out and played a 30 minutes Blues set that off the charts good. That was back in 1971. Richard had one great voice besides his playing abilities. I have to many favorites from after Syd was gone one of the was Childhood's End off Obscured By Clouds. I miss those days of Blacklight posters & smoke-filled rooms & they were not cigarettes !!!

[@MrSnappy67]

​​@@paullevine1813 I've heard that bootleg, great One of These Days that show. Very jealous (but happy for you) you got to see them in that era.

[@paulwhiteside1805]

Brilliant! Such an enjoyable interview.🙂😎

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Cheers!

[@martinlawrence8427]

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

[@tomandaj1]

Jerry played on John Entwhistles first solo album. Really great

[@nigelsanford7136]

The mid 60's-early 70s' was the greatest era of rock ever. In addition to bands, there are SO MANY RANDOM collaborations. Lol.

[@SocialJusticeDestroyer]

Great interview, thanks for posting.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@VirginiaWolf88]

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.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Welcome aboard! I have a whole group of my interviews about Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd that you might enjoy kzbin.info/aero/PL4-tKyR13ib5a2cbHE2ivFz3AZRijA9tr

[@reggievangleason9511]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Wonderful! If you're interested , Jerry Shirley is one of a whole group of my interviews about Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd that you might enjoy kzbin.info/aero/PL4-tKyR13ib5a2cbHE2ivFz3AZRijA9tr

[@neilmccormick2064]

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

[@carlosnavarro1091]

Graham who? 😆

[@benwright6330]

Grin & Barrett 🤩

[@xdef1ne]

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

[@jussiniemi9560]

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.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kjetilkjellevold8054]

I used to sing The Gnome, The SCarcrow and Bike as bedtime songs for my kids when they where younger. First in english, then norwegian and they loved those songs . I had to do it every night.

[@soarornor]

@@kjetilkjellevold8054 Wow, that must have been so sweet. Those are perfect bedtime songs for children. I’d love to hear those songs sung in Norwegian.

[@RevMikeBlack]

Jerry deserves sainthood for this.

[@CommuneRecords]

Excellent! Jerry Shirley is a great funny guy

[@davidrobinson293]

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

[@lucianovargas6677]

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

[@wallacelovecraft8942]

Great interview.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks !

[@scottlucas9551]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

My pleasure! Glad you value it

[@chazblitz]

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

[@Frip36]

He was a DJ in Cleveland Ohio

[@chazblitz]

@@Frip36 How awful for the poor fella!

[@chicklets4ever51]

@@chazblitz Well, it could've been worse. Like Cleveland, UK, or California.

[@AndySalinger33]

Humble Pie still rules!!! 🤘

[@patrickmccarthy7068]

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

[@duncan-rmi]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

My pleasure!f

[@bonzoboots]

What an absolutely lovely bloke

[@neilbowmanspage4868]

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

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@J-Loe]

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.

[@ge2623]

I seriously want Effervescing Elephant played at my wake.

[@SluffAdlin]

Great interview

[@troygaspard6732]

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."

[@jpr3665]

Dave G always comes across as a really decent bloke

[@silverboots2934]

That was brilliant too see that in full! Thanks, anything Syd is always ❤️ Thank you.

[@OlafProt]

This is a really brilliant, real, kind, honest interview. I really struggle with the weight of the genius tag afforded to Syd. He was unquestionably talented, and doing certain things, before a lot of others had cottoned on. But I think history (or the music press) has, like so many others, elevated him to a place that he (definitely didn't want) or really occupy. He was an immensely sad casualty of the times, which informed the music he made, but like so many others we don't even know about. Jerry says it beautifully here, much more matter of fact and true to life. I love that he has no clue about Blur. What a wonderful guy. And he really hit the nail on the head about writing from the abstract, it makes me think of someone like Mark Hollis, and how he used and framed words.

[@marthaworc7873]

Fantastic interview. I knew very little about Syd after he left Floyd. This interview kind of puts the bits and pieces I knew about Syd into the correct places of the Syd puzzle.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Good to have your appreciation. Thanks !

[@sporty05]

Another priceless interview, thank you!

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Thanks so much ! ----------------------------------------- As you clearly value my work, please consider helping me to do more. Take out a Loyal Supporter subscription. For $7.99/£6.99 monthly , you get exclusive early access to new uploads plus a priority reply to comments. MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL HELP ME TO CONTINUE WITH THIS WORK. kzbin.info/door/20cO3GrtUs8goHuPDLItBQjoin I know it's a big ask. Whether you choose this new subscription route or subscribe for free. Thank you !! John

[@sayeager5559]

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

[@TTM9691]

FANTASTIC INTERVIEW! THANK YOU!!!!!

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

My pleasure!

[@11UncleBooker22]

N.E. Ohio loves you, Jerry.

[@NDKY67]

Fascinating stuff , kid love to sit down and have a beer with Jerry, such an interesting dude. 😊

[@ChrisRileyMusicUK]

Lovely interview, John. I've been listening to some Humble Pie recently and enjoying Jerry's drumming which fits in beautifully with Syd's style on Barrett.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@AlexRadeffandDonkey]

Great interview, thanks for posting and greetings from Toronto !

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

My pleasure!

[@norwegianblue2764]

Fantastic interview.

[@JOHNEDGINTONDOCUMENTARIES]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wboyle9721]

Great insight into Syd Barrett

[@rossdunning7018]

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.

[@nurknanker6105]

Rock On Jerry!!