Syd Barrett:The Forgotten Hero Of Pink Floyd

Syd Barrett

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Roger Keith ("Syd") Barrett (born January 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England) is a British singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Probably best remembered as one of the founding members of the group Pink Floyd, Barrett was active as a rock musician for only a few years, but he has been quite influential.

History

Pink Floyd years (1965–1968)

Pink Floyd (originally called both "Tea Set" and "The Pink Floyd Sound", then later "The Pink Floyd") was formed in 1965; Barrett (who acquired the nickname "Syd" at the age of 15) named the band after two obscure bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

While the band began by playing cover versions of American R&B songs (much in the same vein as contemporaries The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and The Kinks), they carved out their own style of improvised rock and roll by 1966, which drew as much from improvised jazz as it did from British pop-rock, such as that championed by the Beatles. In that year, a new rock concert venue, the UFO, opened in London and quickly became a haven for British psychedelic music. Pink Floyd became their most popular attraction, and, after making appearances at the rival Roundhouse, became the first most popular musical group of the so-called "London Underground" psychedelic music scene.

By the end of 1966, Pink Floyd had gained a reliable management team in Andrew King and Peter Jenner. The duo soon befriended American expatriate Joe Boyd, who was actively making a name for himself as one of the most important entrepreneurs on the British music scene. Boyd arranged a recording session for the group, which resulted in the single "Arnold Layne". King and Jenner took the single to the recording behemoth EMI, who offered the band a contract, under which they would be allowed to record an album. The band accepted. By the time the album was released, "Arnold Layne" had reached #21 on the British singles charts. A follow-up single, "See Emily Play", sold even better, peaking at #6.

These first two singles, as well as a third ("Apples and Oranges"), were written by Syd Barrett. In fact, Barrett wrote most of the Floyd's early material, and was the principal visionary/author of their critically acclaimed 1967 debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Of the 11 songs on Piper, Barrett wrote eight and co-wrote another two.^[1] He was also an innovative guitarist, exploring the musical and sonic possibilities of dissonance, distortion, feedback, and the echo machine; his experimentation was partly inspired by free improvisation guitarist Keith Rowe [2]. One of Barrett's trademarks was playing his Fender Esquire guitar by sliding a Zippo lighter up and down the fret-board to create the mysterious, otherworldly sounds that became associated with the group.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was recorded intermittently between January and July 1967, much of that time in the studio right next door to recording sessions for the Beatles' landmark album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. When Piper was released in August of that year, it became a smash hit in the UK, hitting #6 on the British album charts (the album was not nearly so successful in the USA). However, as the band began to attract a large fanbase, the pressures placed on the already-sensitive Barrett proved to be too much.

There are many stories about Barrett's bizarre and intermittently psychotic behaviour - many of which are undoubtedly apocryphal, although some are known to be true. One such incident occurred at a practice session. Barrett came into the studio with a new song he had dubbed "Have You Got It, Yet?" The song seemed simple enough when he presented it to Roger and his bandmates, but it seemed very difficult to grasp. As they were practicing it, Barrett kept changing the rhythm guitar line, or the bass line, drumline, and keyboards, but in subtle ways. He would then play it again, with his arbitrary changes, and sing along "Have you got it yet?" while his bandmates would chime back "No, No we haven't!"

Barrett began to experiment with psychedelic drugs such as LSD. Barrett became increasingly unpredictable on stage. Examples of his stage antics included playing one chord continuously, or not playing at all. At a show in San Francisco, during Interstellar Overdrive, Barrett sat there and slowly untuned his guitar until the strings broke. The band just kept playing the intro. For some reason, people in the audience loved it, though. Another odd incident included a time where Barrett put a mask of makeup on, and when on stage, the lights on stage slowly "melted" his face (His makeup was just running.) He also plopped on an entire jar of hair gel and walked into the spotlight and let it melt.

Following a disastrous, abridged tour of the United States, his old school friend, David Gilmour, was asked to join the band as a second guitarist in order to cover for Barrett when his erratic behavior got the better of him. There was a short period of time where David would play Barrett's guitar parts, while Barrett would wander about stage or do nothing in particular. However, the other band members soon tired of Barrett's presence altogether and decided that they would continue playing shows without him, while also hoping that he would continue to write songs for the band. They kicked him out of the band by deciding not to pick Barrett up one day. Barrett then walked 40 miles home to Cambridge.

After this, Barrett would not contribute anything more that would be included to the second album, A Saucerful of Secrets (1968). Of the songs he wrote after Piper, only one (Jugband Blues) made it to the album, one was released as a single ("Apples and Oranges") and two others were never offically released ("Scream Thy Last Scream" and "Vegetable Man.") Barrett reputedly spent each day outside the recording studio, waiting to be invited in, and it's possible that his session contributions (limited to playing guitar on some of the tracks) were done as a concession to him.

Barrett became increasingly reclusive and was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Cambridge for a short while. It was soon officially announced that Barrett was no longer a member of Pink Floyd.

Solo years (1968–1972)

The Madcap Laughs (1970)

Barrett (1970)

After leaving Pink Floyd, Barrett distanced himself from the public eye. However, at the behest of EMI and Harvest Records, he did have a brief solo career, releasing two mercurial solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Much controversy has risen around the production work; which left Barrett's more vulnerable moments on tape to give the records a more "authentic" feel, but many feel it does Barrett few favours and instead takes advantage of his fragile condition. Much of the material on both albums dates from Barrett's most productive period of song-writing and it is believed that he wrote few new songs after he left Pink Floyd.

The first album, The Madcap Laughs, was recorded in two tries: a few tentative sessions took place between May and June 1968 (produced first by Peter Jenner and then by Malcolm Jones,) while the bulk of the album was recorded between April and July 1969 (produced by David Gilmour and Roger Waters.) This album is an insight into Barrett's state of mind at the time, with tracks like the unnerving "Dark Globe," a first-person narrative of schizophrenia, clearly showing that, while he still had some fine material to draw on, he was evidently barely able to perform on some sessions. A few tracks on the album feature overdubs by members of the band Soft Machine.

The second album, Barrett, was recorded more sporadically than the first, with sessions taking place between February and July 1970. This second effort sounds more polished than the first, but Barrett is arguably in a worse state, which, ironically, makes the songs sound even more incongruous. This one was produced by David Gilmour, and featured Gilmour on bass guitar, Rick Wright on keyboard and Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley.

Despite the numerous recording dates for his two solo albums, Barrett undertook very little musical activity between 1968 and 1972 outside the studio. On 24 February 1970, he appeared on the BBC radio programme Top Gear, playing five songs--only one of which had been previously released. Three would be re-recorded for the Barrett album, while one song (Two of a Kind) was a one-off performance. (The song appears on the 2001 greatest hits album The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me?.) Barrett was accompanied on this session by David Gilmour and Jerry Shirley, who played bass and percussion, respectively.

Gilmour and Shirley backed Barrett for a public performance during these album sessions, at his one and only live concert during this period. The gig took place on 6 June 1970 at the Olympia Exhibition Hall, London, and was part of a "Music and Fashion Festival". The trio performed four songs on this date, playing for less than half an hour, and due to poor mixing, the vocals were inaudible until part-way through the last number. At the end of the fourth song, Barrett politely, but unexpectedly, put his guitar down and walked off stage.

Syd Barrett made one last appearance on BBC Radio, recording three songs at their studios on 16 February 1971. All three came from the Barrett album, presumably to encourage people to buy the record. At this stage, though, Barrett seemed to have little interest in recording music, and even less interest in performing live. After this session, he abandoned his music career for more than a year.

Later years (1972—)

In 1972, Barrett formed a short-lived band called Stars with ex-Pink Fairies member Twink on drums and Jack Monck on bass. Though the band was initially well-received, one of their gigs at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge proved to be disastrous, and Barrett decided to leave shortly thereafter.

In 1974, Peter Jenner eventually convinced Barrett into returning to Abbey Road Studios in the hopes of recording another album. However, little became of the sessions, which lasted three days and consisted of blues rhythm tracks with tentative and disjointed guitar overdubs (the only titled track is the intriguing "If You Go, Don't Be Slow.") Once again, Barrett withdrew from the music industry. He sold the rights to his solo albums back to the record label, lived in a London hotel (while presumably over-eating and watching television,) and when the money ran out he walked back home to Cambridge to live in his mother's basement (Barrett apparently still receives royalties from his work with the Floyd - each compilation and some of the live albums and singles have featured his songs, while Gilmour has commented that he "makes sure the money gets to him alright.") Further attempts to bring him back (including one endeavour by the Sex Pistols, who wanted him to produce their debut album) have all been fruitless.

Syd Barrett had one infamous reunion with his former band, Pink Floyd. In 1975, during the recording sessions for Wish You Were Here, Barrett walked into Abbey Road Studios unannounced and observed his ex-band recording the track Shine On You Crazy Diamond—coincidentally, a song about him. Because he had gained weight and shaven off all of his hair, including his eyebrows, his ex-bandmates did not recognise him at first. Eventually, everyone in the studio realised who was sitting among them, and when queried about how he got that way, Syd reputedly replied "I have a large fridge at home and I've been eating a lot of pork chops." Roger Waters was so distressed by his former friend's condition that he was reduced to tears. Members of the band also reported on their featured VH1 episode of Behind The Music that Barrett was holding a toothbrush, and was attempting to brush his teeth by holding the brush still and jumping up and down. Before long, Barrett had slipped out of the studio. A reference to this reunion showed up in 1982's movie Pink Floyd The Wall, where the character "Pink" (played by Bob Geldof) shaved off his eyebrows after succumbing to the pressures of life and fame.

Opel (1988)

In 1988, EMI Records released Opel, an album of Barrett's studio outtakes and previously unreleased material recorded from 1968 to 1970 and then in 1993 released Crazy Diamond, a box set of all three albums each one loaded with further out-takes from his solo sessions, illustrating vividly Barrett's inability or refusal to play a song the same way twice. [3]

EMI also released The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? in the UK on April 16, 2001, and in the United States on September 11, 2001. This was the first time Barrett's "Bob Dylan Blues" was ever officially released. The song was taken from a demo tape that Dave Gilmour had taken home with him after an early 70s recording session and kept for 30 years. Also worthy of mention is the bootleg collection Have You Got It Yet?, a 19-disc audio/visual compilation composed of several live performances of Barrett both solo and with Pink Floyd, with some versions considered superior than those that were officially released. One of the main attractions of the collection are tracks for his never-released third album. There are also interviews with other Pink Floyd members, video footage and covers from other artists.

Barrett today

According to a 2005 profile by his biographer Tim Willis, Barrett — who has reverted to using his original name of Roger — continues to live in his late mother's semi-detached home in Cambridge, and has returned to his original art-form of painting, creating large abstract canvases. He is also said to be an avid gardener. His main point of contact with the outside world is his sister, Rosemary, who lives nearby. While reclusive, it is his physical health that now prompts most concern, being afflicted with stomach ulcers and B-type diabetes.

Although Barrett has not appeared or spoken in public since the mid-1970s, time has done little to diminish interest in his life and work; reporters and fans still travel to Cambridge to seek him out, despite his attempts to live a quiet life, and many photos from the 1980s to the present of Barrett being annoyed by paparazzi when walking or biking to the store have been published in various places. A planned screen biography entitled "Crazy Diamond," which was to have been produced by Ridley Scott and directed by former Pink Floyd collaborator Peter Medak, ran into legal and rights issues and has been shelved indefinitely.

Mental illness

There has been much speculation concerning the psychological well-being of Syd Barrett. Many believe he suffers from schizophrenia. Additionally, some have suggested that Barrett has traits associated with Asperger's Syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum.

Barrett's use of recreational drugs, especially LSD, during the 1960s is well-documented. Some believe that Barrett's drug use helped trigger his mental illness. In an article published in 2006, Gilmour was quoted as saying: "In my opinion, [his breakdown] would have happened anyway. It was a deep- rooted thing. But I'll say the psychedelic experience might well have acted as a catalyst. Still, I just don't think he could deal with the vision of success and all the things that went with it".

Influence

In music

The Peel Session

Many artists have acknowledged Barrett's influence on their work. Paul McCartney and Pete Townshend were early fans; Jimmy Page, David Bowie and Brian Eno all expressed interest in working with him at some point during the 1970s. In fact, Bowie recorded a cover of "See Emily Play" on his 1973 album Pin Ups.

Barrett's decline had a profound effect on Roger Waters' song-writing, and the theme of mental illness would permeate Pink Floyd's later albums, particularly 1973's Dark Side of the Moon and 1979's The Wall. One track from Dark Side of the Moon, entitled Brain Damage, contained a specific reference to Barrett's mental illness. A later line in the song references a band playing a different song, which is a situation Barrett often got into when suffering from the symptoms of his mental illness. Wish You Were Here (1975) was a conscious tribute to Barrett. Other artists that have written tributes to Barrett include his contemporary Kevin Ayers (of the Soft Machine), who wrote the song "Oh Wot a Dream" as a tribute (Barrett provided guitar to an early version of Ayers' "Singing a Song in the Morning"). Barrett fan Robyn Hitchcock is repeatedly compared to Barrett, has covered many of his songs live and on record and has paid homage to his forebearer with the songs "The Man Who Invented Himself" and "(Feels Like) 1974". The Television Personalities track "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives" is another well-known tribute, apparently based on fact.

R.E.M. has covered the haunting "Dark Globe", as has Soundgarden, Placebo and Lost and Profound. The Smashing Pumpkins have covered "Terrapin." The Industrial collective Ritalin (spelled "Rx"), composed of Kevin Ogilvie (Nivek Ogre) and Martin Atkins have recorded a version of "Scarecrow". At the Drive-In's frontmen (now the main members of The Mars Volta) have claimed that they tried to emulate The Piper at the Gates of Dawn's sound in their music. Slowdive covered "Golden Hair", which was a Syd Barrett version of the poem by James Joyce, on their EP "Holding Our Breath". Phish has performed several Barrett solo songs in concert, including "Love You," "Baby Lemonade," "It's No Good Trying," and the Piper at the Gates of Dawn track "Bike".

Other artists/bands that have claimed influence and/or covered Barrett's work include Marc Bolan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Robert Smith (of The Cure), Kevin Shields (of My Bloody Valentine), Julian Cope, East Bay Ray (of the Dead Kennedys), Captain Sensible (of The Damned), Gary Lucas, Camper Van Beethoven, Voivod, Pearl Jam, Love and Rockets, Elevator To Hell, The Melvins, Transatlantic, Phish, Dream Theater, Graham Coxon (formerly of Blur),John Frusciante (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Skobot Bzzzz.

Most bands in the Elephant 6 collective, such as Of Montreal, have a very distinct Barrett influence in their music, and Italian group Jennifer Gentle (named after a line from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn's "Lucifer Sam") emulates the sound of Piper and Barrett's solo work.

Discography

Albums with Pink Floyd

• The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (5 August 1967) #6 UK
• A Saucerful of Secrets (29 June 1968) #9 UK
• Relics (14 May 1971) #34 UK, #152 US
• Works
• Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (5 November 2001) #2 UK, #2 US

Solo albums

• The Madcap Laughs - (3 January 1970) #40 UK
• Barrett - (14 November 1970)
• Opel - (17 October 1988)

Solo compilations

• Syd Barrett (November 1974) US #163: The Madcap Laughs and Barrett packaged together
• Crazy Diamond (April 1993): Boxed set with all three studio albums with bonus tracks
• The Best of Syd Barrett: Wouldn't You Miss Me? (16 April 2001): Contains one previously unreleased track ("Bob Dylan Blues")

Solo singles

• "Octopus"/"Golden Hair" (15 November 1969)

Simla:A Breif History Of The Queen Of Hills

(Source:The Tribune)

WHEN Charles Pratt Kennedy was deputed in 1822 as Superintendent of the Hill States, could he have imagined that he was destined to initiate the founding process not only of a new town in India but of a way of life that would remain the focus of socialite attention throughout the 19th century? The British in India had called Shimla by various names — Viceroy’s Shooting Box, Abode of the Little Tin Gods and even Mount Olympus.

Shimla was formally acquired by the British in the tenure of Lord William Bentick. But it was during Lord Aucklands’ time that Shimla began to come of age. A report of 1839 states that most European products, ranging from fine fabrics to French sauces, Scot sardines, English sweets and even fine horses were all available in Shimla. There being no roads worth the name, the only mode of travel was the jampans for ladies and horses for men. The jampan was a kind of chair, usually covered and attached to two or four small poles and lifted on the shoulders by two or four men. Wheeled carriages were not allowed or were not feasible in Shimla till as late as 1840s.

Yet Shimla’s reputation as a place for pleasure-seekers developed almost with its foundation. "The presence of unattached ladies, bachelors, flirts, match makers gave to Simla its early reputation.... Early evenings on the Mall, was the customary place for building acquaintances.... Eligibles... socially desirables... all were on the Mall."

Lord Dalhousie (1848-56) spent two seasons in Shimla but did not quite like it. In a letter he wrote: "This place has been greatly overrated in climate and everything else." After the Mutiny of 1857 had been settled, Shimla was home to a large number of injured and sick British troops. Like Dalhousie, even Lady (his successor’s wife) Canning found Shimla’s beauty "rather questionable... every road has a khud."

Peterhoff (1880)Of Shimla’s social life in the middle of the 19th century, the famous Times (London) reporter Howard Russel wrote (June 14, 1858): "Social distinctions are rigid... each man’s status was entirely depended on his rank and office... women were totally dependent for their own position on their husbands and neither wealth, wit, nor desirable connections could break through the barrier." So ambition bitten were the bureaucracy that a common joke in the 1860s was: "You cannot sleep in the night in Simla because of the noise of the ‘grinding of axes’."

It was the foresightful Sir John Lawrence who recommended to his Home government the idea of making Shimla the summer capital of the Government of India. Surprisingly his relevant minutes make no mention of Shimla’s beauty: "Here you are with one foot in Punjab and another in the North West Frontier. Here you are among docile population and yet near enough to influence Oudh." Some years earlier, Dalhousie had already initiated a proposal to build a road to Simla. The concept of the Hindustan Tibet Road is in fact credited to Dalhousie. Of the proposed road, which became the Cart Road at Shimla, Dalhousie wrote: "It will not be surpassed by any mountain road in the world."

The tone of Shimla’s social life in the 19th century was normally set by the Viceroy and his lady. The early social circuits mainly included wives of officials who were posted in the field, officers from cantonments and, in due course, rich English businessman from Calcutta. A drama club came into being in 1840. Well before the end of the 19th century, Annandale had become famous across British India for its fetes and fairs and women’s archery competitions.

A grand railway bridge (1903)Peterhoff, the Government House, was occupied for the first time in 1876 by the fashionable Viceroy couple, the Lyttons. Peterhoff developed a reputation for hospitality, particularly for the quality and quantity of exotic drinks served there. Its lunch menus took much time of the society gossip. The Gaiety Theatre opened in 1838 but it was Lady Lytton who brought it of age almost 40 years later. In 1887, the new Gaiety Theatre opened in the Town Hall building.

The site for one of main landmarks of Shimla — the Viceregal Lodge — was chosen by Lord Lytton. There is a story of how Lady Lytton was so impressed by the beauty of the place and how she influenced Lord Lytton. The site had until then been known as the Observatory Hill (named after the observatory built by Col Bouileau in 1844). Records relating to the construction and other details of the building are mind-boggling.

Annandale (1895)Amazingly, just as today, extensive construction in Shimla had become a cause of worry as early as 1901. "The Public works and other buildings have made Simla monstrous", Curzon noted. "Too bustling... too public... pomp to irksome, it is like dining everyday in the house keepers room with the butler and the maid."

Curzon began escaping to the Retreat, and then to his new found love Naldehra. The other Viceroys treated Shimla as a holiday break, but Curzon, a workaholic to the core, did the opposite. He took along to Shimla his sensitive files. It was at Naldehra that Curzon penned some of his memorable minutes. Sitting and dining in the open. Walking the slopes, all the while thinking. All the time in touch. At Naldehra, he even installed a complex communication system of relaying messages to Shimla by heliograph during the day and flashing lamps at night. By the turn of the century, Shimla had lost most of its famed wildlife. The golden eagle was rarely sighted after 1900, and the leopard too had disappeared.

The Town Hall, Church and Jakhu Hill in the backdrop (1902/3)In November, 1903, Shimla was connected by the Railways. It was a monumental event that changed Shimla for ever. Within a year, Shimla added 1400 new cottages. Hotels like Cecil, Grand, Metropole followed in their modern form. Within five years of the coming of the Railways, the summer time population of Shimla had averaged to 38,000 — of whom 7000 were Europeans. Among the first non-official permanent residents were the members of the Dyer family who then owned the brewery at Solan.

The tradition that made Shimla stand apart as a town of clean orderliness, a tradition that continued up to the time of Dr Y.S. Parmar’s exit from power, was started by Curzon. The surest way to rouse Curzon’s temper it was said was to litter the road or the hill side. It was Curzon who initiated with rightful fanaticism the policy of upkeeping and special care of old buildings.

The Shimla railway line (1903)By the early years of the 20th century, Shimla had emerged as a ‘decent place’ to retire. Of how the retired spent their time, a letter reads:

"He rises early.... Six newspapers to read, forty Madras cheroots to smoke.... A kindly tiffin to linger.... A game of billiards... 12 pegs to drink... band on the Mall, dinner, chatter.... Scandals... jokes....."

Another reference states:

"No where possibly in the world are the passions of human nature laid so open for dissection as they are in this (Simla) remote hill station."

For those who have seen Shimla in its prime, say the sixties, its state today leaves one with a sad and hollow feeling. Shimla is a good example of what so-called development and progress can do to nature and its beauty.

JUDAS: Saint or Sinner?

Lost Gospel Revealed; Says Jesus Asked Judas to Betray Him.

(Source: National Geographic Channel Website.)

He Was One of The Most Reviled Men IN History.

But was Judas only obeying his master's wishes when he betrayed Jesus with a kiss?

That's what a newly revealed ancient Christian text says.

After being lost for nearly 1,700 years, the Gospel of Judas was recently restored, authenticated, and translated.The Coptic, or Egyptian Christian, manuscripts were unveiled today at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. (National Geographic News is part of the National Geographic Society.)

What Does It Mean?

Some biblical scholars are calling the Gospel of Judas the most significant archaeological discovery in 60 years.The only known surviving copy of the gospel was found in a codex, or ancient book, that dates back to the third or fourth century A.D.The newly revealed gospel document, written in Coptic script, is believed to be a translation of the original, a Greek text written by an early Christian sect sometime before A.D. 180.

The Bible's New Testament Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—depict Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, as a traitor. In biblical accounts Judas gives up Jesus Christ to his opponents, who later crucify the founder of Christianity.The Gospel of Judas, however, portrays him as acting at Jesus' request.

"This lost gospel, providing information on Judas Iscariot—considered for 20 centuries and by hundreds of millions of believers as an antichrist of the worst kind—bears witness to something completely different from what was said [about Judas] in the Bible," said Rodolphe Kasser, a clergyman and former professor in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

Kasser, who is regarded as one of the world's preeminent Coptic scholars, led the effort to piece together and translate the Gospel of Judas. The National Geographic Society and the Waitt Institute for Historical Discovery funded the project, and it will be profiled in the May 2006 issue of National Geographic magazine.

Scholars say the text not only offers an alternative view of the relationship between Jesus and Judas but also illustrates the diversity of opinion in the early Christian church.

"I expect this gospel to be important mainly for the deeper insight it will give scholars into the thoughts and beliefs of certain Christians in the second century of the Christian era, namely the Gnostics," said Stephen Emmel, a Coptic studies professor at the University of Münster in Germany.

In 1983 Emmel was among the first three known scholars to view the Gospel of Judas, which had been discovered hidden in Egypt in the late 1970s.

Gnostics belonged to pre-Christian and early Christian sects that believed that elusive spiritual knowledge could help them rise above what they saw as the corrupt physical world.

Rehabilitating Judas

Biblical accounts suggest that Jesus foresaw and allowed Judas's betrayal.

As told in the New Testament Gospels, Judas betrayed Jesus for "30 pieces of silver," identifying him with a kiss in front of Roman soldiers. Later the guilt-ridden Judas returns the bribe and commits suicide, according to the Bible.

The Gospel of Judas, however, gives a very different account.

The text begins by announcing that it is the "secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week, three days before he celebrated Passover."

It goes on to describe Judas as Jesus' closest friend, someone who understands Christ's true message and is singled out for special status among Jesus' disciples.

In the key passage Jesus tells Judas, "'you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.'"

Kasser, the translation-project leader, offers an interpretation: "Jesus says it is necessary for someone to free him finally from his human body, and he prefers that this liberation be done by a friend rather than by an enemy.

"So he asks Judas, who is his friend, to sell him out, to betray him. It's treason to the general public, but between Jesus and Judas it's not treachery."

The newfound account challenges one of the most firmly rooted beliefs in Christian tradition.

Bart Ehrman is chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"This gospel," he said, "has a completely different understanding of God, the world, Christ, salvation, human existence—not to mention of Judas himself—than came to be embodied in the Christian creeds and canon."

Early Turmoil

The author of the 26-page Gospel of Judas remains anonymous. But the text reflects themes that scholars regard as being consistent with Gnostic traditions.

Christian Gnostics believed that the way to salvation was through secret knowledge delivered by Jesus to his inner circle. This knowledge, they believed, revealed how people could escape the prisons of their material bodies and return to the spiritual realm from which they came.

Gnostic sects looked to their gospels—among them the Gospel of Mary, newly famous for its role in the best-seller The Da Vinci Code—to authenticate their distinctive beliefs and practices.

Contradicting the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, these texts were later denounced by orthodox Christian leaders and refused entry into the Bible. Scholars believe that followers of the texts hid copies of them for preservation.

Scholars knew of the existence of the Gospel of Judas because of references to it in other ancient texts as early as A.D. 180.

To today's biblical scholars, the Gospel of Judas illustrates the multitude of opinions and beliefs in the early Christian church.

"This ancient text helps the modern world rediscover something that the early Christians knew firsthand," said Reverend Donald Senior, president of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois.

"In the early centuries of the Christian era there were multiple sacred texts resulting from communities in various parts of the Mediterranean world trying to come to grips with the meaning of Jesus Christ for their lives."

A Terrorist Or A Hero

Che Guevara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna (June 14, 1928 - October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader. “Che” is an Argentine expression for calling someone's attention, and in some other parts of Latin America, a slang for someone from Argentina.

Guevara was a member of Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, which seized power in Cuba in 1959. After the revolution Guevara became second only to Fidel Castro in the new government of Cuba. After a brief stints as president of the National Bank and Minister of Industries, Guevara did not settle in as part of the new Cuban government, and tried without success to stage revolutions through guerilla warfare in various countries, notably the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bolivia, where he was captured by a unit of the Bolivian Ranger Battalion advised by United States Green Berets on October 8, 1967, and executed the following day.

Biography
In 1951, Ernesto set off from his home town of Córdoba on a motorcycle tour of Central and South America. The poverty he observed during this trip led him to intensify his study of Marxist ideologies. Following his graduation from the University of Buenos Aires medical school in 1953, he travelled to Guatemala where a populist leader, Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, had recently been elected president. Ernesto met several followers of Fidel Castro who were in exile there. When the CIA sponsored an overthrow of Arbenz's rule, Ernesto volunteered to fight. Arbenz told his supporters to leave the country, and Ernesto briefly took refuge in the Argentine consulate. After moving to Mexico City, he renewed his friendship with Castro's associates. Ernesto met Castro when the latter arrived in the Mexican capital after being amnestied from political prison in Cuba, and joined his 26th of July Movement dedicated to the overthrow of Cuban Dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Castro, Che and 80 other insurgents departed Tuxpan, Mexico aboard the cabin cruiser "Granma" in November 1956 to invade Cuba and start the revolution. The boat had been owned by an American, so the name most likely meant Grandma, as a tribute to the previous owner's grandmother. Shortly after disembarking in a swampy area near Niquero in South-East Cuba, the expeditionaries were attacked by Batista's forces. Only 12 rebels survived. Che, the group's physician, laid down his knapsack containing medical supplies in order to pick up a box of ammunition dropped by a fleeing comrade, a moment which he later recalled as marking his transition from doctor to combatant.. Within months he rose to the highest rank, Comandante (Major), in the revolutionary army. His march on Santa Clara in late 1958, where his column derailed an armored train filled with Batista's troops and took over the city, was the final straw that forced Batista to flee the country.

His execution of deserters and spies in the revolutionary army, have led some to consider Guevara a ruthless leader. However those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder. For example, Dwight D. Eisenhower signed orders for imprisoned troops that had deserted to be executed. In 1959, Che Guevara was appointed commander of the La Cabana Fortress prison. During his term as commander of the fortress from 1959-1963, he oversaw the execution of what some estimate to be approximately 500 political prisoners and regime opponents. Many individuals imprisoned at La Cabana, such as poet and human rights activist Armando Valladares, allege that Guevara took particular and personal interest in the interrogation, torture, and execution of some prisoners. In fact, when Che's column had captured enemy soldiers who had not committed crimes against the public, such as rape and torture, he would simply take their ammo and release them.

Unlike other leaders, he gave up all the trappings of privilege and power in Cuba in order to return to the revolutionary battlefield and, ultimately, to die. He persuaded Castro to back him in the first, covert Cuban involvement in Africa. Guevara desired to first work with the Simba (aka "Lumumbaist") movement in the former Belgian Congo (later Zaire and currently the Democratic Republic of the Congo), with the goal of overthrowing the government and installing a Communist regime. He rapidly discovered that having worked for a successful revolutionary leader does not make one a successful revolutionary leader.

U.S. Army Special Forces advisors working with the Congolese army were able to monitor Che's communications, arrange to ambush the rebels and the Cubans whenever they attempted to attack, and interdict Guevara's supply lines. Guevara proved unable to supplant the native Simba leadership, and in fact was forced to place his troops under Simba command. Every military operation planned by him failed miserably. Late that same year, ill, humiliated and with only a few survivors of the force he had brought into the country, Guevara left the Congo.

Following a lengthy recuperation in Cuba, traveling on a false passport Guevara entered Bolivia in November of 1966, again with the idea of organizing a revolt and hoping to topple Bolivia's pro-U.S. military government and installing a Communist government there. A parcel of jungle land in Nancahazu was purchased by native Communists and turned over to him for use as a training area. The evidence suggests that this training was more hazardous than combat to Guevara and the Cubans accompanying him. Little was accomplished in the way of building a guerrilla army. On learning of his presence in Bolivia, President Rene Barrientos is alleged to have expressed the desire to see Che's head displayed on a pike in downtown La Paz. He ordered the Bolivian Army to hunt Guevara and his followers down.

Che Guevara traveled to Bolivia in an attempt to aid a popular uprising there, but there are many factors which he simply did not predict. First of all, there was an American presence in Bolivia; after the U.S. government learned of his location, CIA operatives were sent into Bolivia to aid the anti-insurrection effort, and the anti-insurrectionists were being armed and trained by American officials. There was also the lack of help which Che had expected when he undertook the journey. For example, Fidel had told him that the communist party in Bolivia would aid him in the insurrection but they did not.

Che and his insurrectionists found themselves cornered in Bolivia, the American aid to the Bolivian government on one end, and the lack of assistance from his allies. In addition to this, the CIA also helped anti-Castro Cuban exiles to set up interrogation houses for those Bolivians who were thought to be assisting Che Guevara and/or his guerillas, which were often used for torture of these individuals.

The anti-insurrectionists were notified of the location of Guevara's guerilla encampment by a deserter; and on October 8th, 1967the encampment was encircled and Che was captured while leading a patrol in the vicinity of La Higuera, Bolivia. His surrender was offered after being wounded multiple times in the legs and having his rifle destroyed by a bullet. According to soldiers present at the capture, during the skirmish, as soldiers approached Guevara, he shouted, "Do not shoot! I am Che Guevara and worth more to you alive than dead." Barrientos ordered his execution immediately upon being informed of Guevara's capture. Guevara was summarily executed; he was taken to a rugged old schoolhouse and bound by his hands to a board. Supposedly, Ernesto Guevara did have some last words before his death; he allegedly said to his executioner, “Shoot, coward, you are only going to kill a man,” after which he was shot in the heart.

A CIA agent and Veteran of the US invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, Felix Rodriguez, heard of Guevara's chapter and relayed the information to the CIA. He has said on multiple occasions that he was the one that shot Guevara. This is generally thought to be untrue. After the execution, Rodriguez took Che's Rolex watch, often proudly showing it to reporters during the ensuing years. Guevara died on October 9th. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the vicinity of the execution site after the CIA had removed his hands to send to different parts of the world to ensure his identity.

Also removed was Guevara's diary, which outlines the guerrilla war being fought in Bolivia. It tells of the group being forced to begin operations due to discovery by the Bolivian Army, the eventual and accidental split of the group, and the general failure of the guerrilla. It shows the split between Guevara and the Bolivian Communist Party that led the guerrilla to have significantly less soldiers than originally anticipated. It shows that Guevara had a great deal of difficulty recruiting the local populace due mainly to the fact that the guerrilla group had learned quechua and not the local language. As the campaign drew to an unexpected close, Guevara was becoming increasingly sick. He suffered from asthma, and most of the guerrilla's last offensives were carried out to obtain medicine for the sick leader.

The Bolivian Diary was quickly and crudely translated by Ramparts Magazine and circulated around the world. Fidel Castro has denied involvement with this circulation. This is a considered a strange accusation, for the diary does not idealize guerrilla warfare.

From the group of 27 guerrillas that set out on Febuary 1, 1967, only 3 survived after October 9, 1967. They crossed the Andes Mountains into Chile. There, they were met by Salvador Allende, who gave them asylum and helped them reach Cuba.

In 1999, the skeletal remains of Guevara's body were exhumed, positively identified by DNA matching and returned to Cuba, where he is revered as a heroic revolutionary leader.

Che's book, Guerrilla Warfare, was seen for a time as the definitive philosophy for fighting irregular wars. However, with his death in Bolivia his "Cuban Style" of revolution outlined in the book was thought by some to be ineffective. Guevara believed that a small group (foco) of guerrillas, by violently targeting the government, could actively foment revolutionary feelings among the general populace, so that it was not necessary to build broad organizations and advance the revolutionary struggle in measured steps before launching armed insurrection.

In the late 1960s, he became a popular icon for revolution and youthful political ideals in Western culture. A dramatic photograph of Che taken by photographer Alberto Korda in 1961 soon became one of the century's most recognizable images, and the portrait was simplified and reproduced on a vast array of merchandise, such as T-shirts, posters, and baseball caps.

Che's reputation even extended into theatre where he is depicted as the narrator in the musical Evita, who becomes disillusioned with the increasingly corrupt and tyrannical Eva Peron and her dictator husband. This is taking some creative license, as Guevara's only interaction with Eva Peron was to write her a facetious letter in his youth, asking her for a Jeep.

Guevara has been represented in the movies by Francisco Rabal (1968), Omar Sharif (1969), Alfredo Vasco (1999), and Gael García Bernal (2002) and (2003).

Ideology

Donald Kagan wrote that Che "...appeared to have been a devoted Marxist...", John Gerassi was convinced that Che "was not a Communist in the most traditional sense of the word...". Fidel Castro suggest in an interview with Gianni Mina, that "Che Guevara's Communism was never more than formal, even at the end." and Richard Gott believes that "Guevara had never been a Communist."

His first wife Hilda Gadea wrote "because of his opinions Ernesto became known as a Communist."

An interesting insight into Guevara's thoughts on democracy can be see during a press conference at the United Nations. When journalist Nat Hentoff asked Guevara" "Can you conceive of any time in the future when there will be free elections in Cuba?"

Not waiting for the translator, Guevara laughed heartily at Hentoff. "In Cuba?" He said, and moved on.

Quotes

“We must carry the war into every corner the enemy happens to carry it, to his home, to his centers of entertainment: a total war. It is necessary to prevent him from having a moment of peace, a quiet moment outside his barracks or even inside; we must attack him wherever he may be, make him feel like a cornered beast wherever he may move. Then his moral fiber shall begin to decline, but we shall notice how the signs of decadence begin to disappear.”

—Che Guevara, Message to the Tricontinental

“In a revolution, one triumphs or dies.”

—Che Guevara (farewell letter to Fidel Castro; dated April 1, 1965)

“Hatred as an element of the struggle; a relentless hatred of the enemy, impelling us over and beyond the natural limitations that man is heir to and transforming him into an effective, violent, selective and cold killing machine. Our soldiers must be thus; a people without hatred cannot vanquish a brutal enemy.”

—Che Guevara (message to the Tricontinental; 1967)

“At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love.”

—Che Guevara

“Many will call me an adventurer - and that I am, only one of a different sort: one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes.”

—Che Guevara

Writings
The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey, Ocean Press, 175 pages, 2003