Syd Barrett will fall under the filmmaker’s lens in the new documentary Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd. It was recently completed by Mercury Studios after it was left unfinished by the late Storm Thorgerson. The movie examines the mysterious artist’s life through the eyes of his friends and lovers. It was being made from the intimate perspective of a man who continually worked closely with Pink Floyd and the burgeoning rock scene of the '70s and '80s. Though Thorgerson succumbed to cancer in 2013, his documentary was completed by director Roddy Bogawa.

The award-winning director had featured Thorgerson as a subject of one of his earlier documentaries, Taken by Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis. Thorgerson began looking at Syd Barrett’s life, having known him personally, and designed the art for some of the most famous of their album covers, including Dark Side of the Moon. Being involved in the rock ‘n’ roll scene connected Thorgerson to all kinds of incredible musicians that would later become household names. Several of those who knew Syd Barrett appear in the documentary as it looks at the intimate and personal relationships that the rock icon had in the '60s.

Have You Got It Yet?: The Focus

pink floyd syd barrett have you got it yet
Mercury Studios

The Syd Barrett documentary centers on the moment Barrett was ultimately kicked out of Pink Floyd. It tells the narrative of Barrett’s life, which progressed from innovative musician to iconic rock ‘n’ roller to unstable, manic star.

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Deadline quotes Director Roddy Bogawa comparing it to similar stories from other rock stars:

“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.”

The film itself is its own story, how Storm Thorgerson believed that Syd Barrett’s story should be told from the point of view of the people that loved him. Having been close to Pink Floyd all his life, Thorgerson was in a unique position to tell the story and make it into a truly moving piece of cinema. Unfortunately, his untimely death prevented him from completing the film. The responsibility was taken up by Bogawa, who knew Thorgerson from documenting his art earlier in his own career as a documentarian.

The name of the film, Have You Got It Yet?, comes from the story behind one of Barrett’s songs. Other members of Pink Floyd recalled how Barrett came to them one day with an idea for the song “Have You Got It Yet?” but it turned out to reflect an aspect of Barrett as an artist. The song seemed fairly easy to learn at first, with a few chords and the single lyric, “Have you got it yet?” But as they continued to practice it, Barrett kept insisting that they were getting it wrong. It took the rest of the band a while to notice that Barrett was actually changing parts of the song as they practiced it. He was playing a trick on them with his idiosyncratic sense of humor.

Have You Got It Yet?: The Cast and Crew

syd barrett pink floyd have you got it yet
Mercury Studios

Have You Got It Yet? has assembled an impressive team and group of interviewees. The documentary was, of course, created by Storm Thorgerson of Hipgnosis and StormStudios, and finished by director Roddy Bogawa. The photographer for the project was StormStudios Rupert Truman, and actor Jason Isaacs narrates the film.

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The documentary includes new interviews with Syd Barrett’s bandmates, including David Gilmour. He had known Barrett since he was a child and would eventually take over his role in Pink Floyd after he left. Roger Waters and Nick Mason will appear, along with Barrett’s sister Rosemary Breen. Pink Floyd managers Peter Jenner and Andrew King will be interviewed as well.

It also features interviews from The Who’s Pete Townsend, Blur’s Graham Coxon, and MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden. The profound British playwright Tom Stoppard also has a part in the film because his play Rock ‘n’ Roll often uses Syd Barrett as a symbol of loss. The movie will draw heavily from Pink Floyd’s oeuvre as well as Barrett’s individual tracks.

Release Date

pink floyd syd barrett
Mercury Studio

As yet, there is no release date for Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd.