Tom Stoppard on Pink Floyd...sort of

Yoggoth recently called my attention to an article in Vanity Fair by playwright Tom Stoppard about how Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett apparently inspired his latest theatrical effort. I've read the article twice now and I still don't understand what the hell Syd Barrett had to do with his play, but that's neither here nor there. What's interesting (and what Yoggoth knew I would appreciate) is that Tom Stoppard agrees with me that Barrett-era Pink Floyd isn't all that great and he doesn't understand why his friend would call Waters/Gilmour-era Pink Floyd "lugubrious, pretentious." Also, Stoppard's comments about having "no understanding of music, none at all" remind me ever-so-slightly of similarly enthusiastic statements that have come from the mouth of my fellow blogger. Although I've occasionally poked fun at him for his musical naivete, ultimately I agree. Who needs to "understand" music anyway? I say the less understanding the better. Well, maybe it depends. Maybe the best musicians need to find a good balance of understanding and naivete. Actually, that's sort of what Pink Floyd did, come to think of it. Oh yeah!