Uncharacteristic to my generation, Animals was my first PF album (OK, really it was an 8-track tape). I don't think I'd requested it - I think it was sort of 'bonus goods' from a family friend who worked in the record business and paid me in records and tapes for mowing his lawn. I had a crush on one of his daughters, but it didn't really pan out.
'Animals' got a few plays on my 8-track player, but was well down on the rotation list, behind Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Ronstadt, JT, Chicago, Waylon & Willie, Steve Miller, Boston, and Déjà Vu. It would actually be a few years before I acquired 'Dark Side...', 'Wish...', and 'The Wall'. I have none of the Barrett-era recordings.
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ya know Don, in those days PF was intended for alienated, disaffected hipsters. I'm going out on a limb here & saying you are not one of those guys. I think you probaby had a fam who loved u & passed on good values. PF is nihilistic space blues. Dark Side... is an incredible musical experience, but the mood is sad & barren. Same with The Wall -- a bit of an intellectual experience, I think. Animals wasn't as polished but there is a glimmer of hope in that album, unlike the others. Lots of Sid's stuff is hard to listen to but some is quite interesting. Put it in perspective: I was a homeless college student struggling to eat & pissed off about it. PF sang along inside my head & comforted me by saying my misery amounted to nothing. I also like That's Life by Frank Sinatra. Great song, great message.
Yeah, I had an almost LITB childhood, sans Wally. Mostly unremarkable, I was not particularly alienated (just not fully engaged), and definitely no hipster, nor nihilistic.
I suppose some of that is still true. To a large degree, I engage more or less on my own terms. Although I enjoy playing the role of jester, I fall somewhat short of bon vivant (maybe a lesser raconteur). The last year or so, I've been making minor adjustments to widen or restore my social circle.
After a job interview many years ago, which included some form of personality assessment (possibly Myers-Briggs), I asked the oracle reader what the questions revealed about me. "You're comfortable in your own skin" was the answer.
I suppose that's correct.
Your comment about 'Dark Side' reminds me I should make a pilgrimage to UTA's planetarium to see the PF Imax show again. I should also check to see if they still feature one at FW Museum of Science.
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