 In September 1962 , Barrett had taken a place at the Cambridge Technical College art department , where he met David Gilmour . During the winter of 1962 and early 1963 , the Beatles made an impact on Barrett , and he began to play Beatles songs at parties and at picnics . In 1963 , Barrett became a Rolling Stones fan and Barrett and then @-@ girlfriend Libby Gausden saw them perform at a village hall in Cambridgeshire . It was at this point Barrett started writing songs ; one friend recalls hearing " Effervescing Elephant " ( later to be recorded on his solo album Barrett ) . Also around this time , Barrett and Gilmour occasionally played acoustic gigs together . Barrett had played bass guitar with Those Without during the summer of 1963 and both bass and guitar with The Hollerin ' Blues the next summer . In 1964 , Barrett and Gausden saw Bob Dylan perform . After this performance , Barrett was inspired to write " Bob Dylan Blues " . Barrett , now thinking about his future , decided to apply for Camberwell College of Arts in London . Barrett enrolled in the college in the summer of 1964 to study painting . 
