This was originally planned as a sleek introduction for a review of the Syd Barrett documentary Have You Got It Yet? But as it grew into something of a monster, the review will be published in a separate post.

2012: Rumours

On Saturday, May 12, 2012, I sent a message to the Late Night Forum that went like this:

I just heard today of a DVD project with Storm [Thorgerson, FA]; is that the same thing you are referring to, Mark (sorry to be that vague)?

It was the first time I heard of the documentary that we now know as ‘Have You Got It Yet?’. I was informed that Storm Thorgerson was gathering the ladies of Syd’s life, including those who had been silent since the sixties. In another forum post, I blabbered some more:

The rumours that have been more or less agreed on (privately) by LG [Libby Gausden, FA] and JS [Jenny Spires, FA] say that Lindsay Korner and Gayla Pinion were interviewed. This is 'officially' a secret, but it does the rounds.

It is so true what a well-known Facebook group administrator recently said of me: "Er kann doch sein Maul nicht halten." ��

Initially, it was Storm’s idea to make a documentary about the Syd-o-sphere, including the wacky anoraks that group on fora and social media. Mark, from the quote above, was known to fans as Mlucifersam. He archived all known Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd photos on a DVD, aptly titled 'Syd Barrett - Have You Got It Yet? v2.0 Vol 11 - Photo/Info DVD-Rom - Version 11, 14th March 2010'. That's the kind of stuff that makes you famous in the anoraky world of Barrett idolatry.

2013: A Passing Storm

Mlucifersam was very discreet, although he did post a picture later of his encounter with Storm:

This is the documentary I was interviewed for when I met up with Jenny Spires in London in March last year [2012, FA]. She was also interviewed on the same day. It was amazing. Even better was that I had a wander around London afterwards, and while sitting in Soho Square, Joe Boyd walked past!

Unfortunately, Storm passed away in April 2013, and that was that, so we feared.

Matt Johns from Brain Damage, however, who had been one of Storm’s interviewees as well, confirmed in June 2013 that the project was still going on. He quoted StormStudios:

Since the end of 2011 Storm had been very busy filming a documentary with Rupert [Truman, StormStudios director, FA] about Pink Floyd's founder member, Syd Barrett. They filmed many interviews including old school friends, flat mates, girlfriends, fellow musicians and all the surviving members of Pink Floyd. So far it's proved a very enlightening experience. The film itself is at the editing stage right now, and it's a thrill to see it all coming together.

This was June 2013, over a decade ago. Then it all went speculatively silent. I inquired for several years if the film was going to be finished, and every year I got the same message: “It’s going to be released soon."

2015: Bad Mojo

From time to time, we were informed there was still something in the pipeline. Mojo in June 2015: New Film Promises ‘Unique And Intimate’ Syd Barrett Portrait (link no longer active). NME (2015): Syd Barrett documentary film 'Have You Got It?' to be released this summer (link no longer active). Ultimate Classic Rock (2015): New Syd Barrett Documentary Scheduled for 2015 Release.

2016: Slipping and Sliding

Floydian Slip, however, had a slightly more realistic view of the situation. 

The film’s full working title is “Barrett: Have You Got It Yet?” (…/…) and will likely be released in mid-2016. In fact, director Roddy Bogawa recently completed four days of shooting in London, interviewing drummer Jerry Shirley of Humble Pie, who recorded with Barrett after he left Floyd. (…/…)

Our source tells us the filmmakers have also interviewed “former Pink Floyd managers, lighting director, childhood friends, girlfriends, etc.” (…/…) Others interviewed so far include photographer Mick Rock and Julian Palacios, author of “Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd: Dark Globe” (2010).

Syd Barrett - a Celebration

Roddy Bogawa confirmed to me that:

We are hoping the film will be released this year [2016, FA] – it is in the editing stage – and yes, Lindsay and Gayla are interviewed in it as well as Jenny Spires and Libby Gausden… (…/…)

Also Roger, David and Nick appear in new interviews which I think are quite different than most of the ones they've done before, because Storm was present, and he grew up with Syd, David, and Roger.

Elusive Iggy

How about Iggy, I hear you say. She was asked to figure in the documentary as well, as she told us on the 5th June of 2016.

He [Storm Thorgerson, FA] wanted to do it and was setting it up in London. Anyway my lovely Libby [Gausden, FA] offered her beautiful. home for me to be filmed and interviewed... I think Rupert [Truman, FA] was going to to do the interview. with a script.

But the ever so shy Iggy backed up at the last minute and so we will never know what secrets she had to say.

2016: 12 minutes teaser

In 2016, at the Cambridge Film Festival, a twelve minutes teaser of the documentary was shown, although it is not clear if this was the same trailer that was already doing the rounds in… 2013.

2013: Would You Believe?

An early copy of that 2013 teaser was salvaged by Antonio Jesús Reyes from the Spanish Barrett blog ‘Solo En Las Nubes’.

In 2013, the film was still called ‘Wouldn’t You Miss Me?’ and the trailer has some snippets that aren’t in the published documentary from 2023. For instance, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) singing Dark Globe in London in 1991.

We present it here and once again we have to thank Antonio for preserving it for all those years.

Link for recalcitrant browsers: https://youtu.be/5zUXIwuOAvk?si=2oXBhdII0_vwWhzm

Believe Media published the above trailer in 2013, but copies have disappeared from the web. The accompanying text, however, can still be found on the Wayback Machine.

Believe has partnered with Pink Floyd to tell the world what really happened to Syd Barrett. The Believe funded and produced documentary feature calls on the EP’s long history with Pink Floyd through their late, dear friend and longtime collaborator, Storm Thorgerson. Storm was directing the project as he passed away this year, so Believe, Pink Floyd and creative director Aubrey Powell, (Storm’s partner in the art design group, Hygnosis [sic]) are committed to completing the film, posthumously. Currently in production, the film will include interview footage with many of Barrett’s colleagues, friends and family, including the band speaking publicly about Barrett for the first time. Director Michael Apted (up series) completed a cut of the film that expects to be ready for release in 2015.

Michael Apted was an acclaimed British television and film director and producer. Apparently, he was in on this project in 2013 before Roddy Bogawa took over.

For years, the project stayed in development hell, although Roddy kept on claiming it was to be released soon. Roddy Bogawa in February 2017:

The plan is that we finish the film this year. Perhaps already a full cut to screen in a few months.

Roddy Bogawa, January 2020:

Scrolling through photos on my phone and found (…/…) a screenshot I had taken a few weeks back as a note to track down for our Syd Barrett film. Yes, it is almost done.

2022: Signs of Life 

In October 2022, a couple of websites finally came out with some good news. Consequence: “Syd Barrett Documentary Have You Got It Yet? to Explore Pink Floyd’s Troubled Genius.” Roddy Bogawa:

It’s the tragic story of Brian Wilson and Kurt Cobain and many others in music and art whose explosive creative drives often rest on fragile exuberant energy that gets pressure cooked from their success. The film is not only a portrait of one of the most iconic cult figures in music through the lens and memories of his bandmates, lovers, friends, and musicians but also a look back at a group of friends growing up in the mid-sixties and their idealism, ambitions, hopes and dreams during such an amazing cultural moment.

Matthew Carey (deadline.com) in ‘Have You Got It Yet?’ Brilliant, Troubled Pink Floyd Co-Founder Syd Barrett Focus Of New Documentary From Mercury Studios:

The documentary, produced by Believe Media and A Cat Called Rover, features fresh interviews with Pink Floyd band members David Gilmour (Barrett’s childhood friend who joined Pink Floyd in 1967 and essentially filled the void left by Barrett), Nick Mason and Roger Waters, as well as Barrett’s sister Rosemary Breen, Pink Floyd managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King, The Who’s Pete Townshend, Blur’s Graham Coxon, and Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT, playwright Tom Stoppard, and others. (…/…) The film’s soundtrack includes over 50 Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett music tracks.

2023: Learning to Fly 

Syd Barrett and early Pink Floyd fans still had to wait a few months, and in April 2023, a new trailer was finally launched.

Link for recalcitrant browsers: https://youtu.be/ALajTTcXwZE?si=Nc_-_HzyCBSiwzl4

After that, it conquered the early Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett worlds as a tsunami on dope. But if you want to know what we think of the documentary, you’ll have to come back another time.

Many thanks to: Alexander, Alien Brain, Antonio Jesús Reyes, Benji, Chapter 24, Ebronte, Eternal Isolation, Göran Nyström, Iggy Rose, Jenny Spires, Libby Gausden, Mark Cobley-Jones, MLuciferSam, Roddy Bogawa, Peudent, Psych62, Sean Beaver, Stanislav, Suzie, SwanLee, Syd Wonder, Wolfpack, Younglight, Zeebo… and those I may have forgotten.
♥ Iggy ♥ Libby ♥