I must have been 10 years old when I first heard this. My best friend was a boy in my class called Jym (he spelled his name after Syd Barrett), who was outright weirder than I was. I always thought of my parents as being hippyish with their occasional attempts at veganism, but Jym’s folks let him do anything he wished, which even at the age of 10 I knew was a really bad idea. He spent most of his time stoned or tripping out on mushrooms, and had hardcore porn on his bedroom walls, which I found rather unsettling. Being friends with Jym was like rubbernecking at a car crash. We lost touch after he got expelled at the age of 12 for dumping a turd in the school bully’s gym bag. Last I heard, he was seen in a disheveled state, arguing with a lamppost in Brighton.
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Reinspired 