Simon, you crazy diamond: Armitage poem marks 50 years of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd approached the poet laureate, Simon Armitage, to write a piece about Wish You Were Here. Photograph: Storm Thorgerson/Sony Music Entertainment

It was derided by some critics as self-indulgent and “gimmicky” when it was released in 1975 but has since been marked a perfect 10 and inspired exhibitions and postage stamps.

Now to mark the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s album Wish You Were Here, the poet laureate, Simon Armitage, has written an epic poem about the record, the band and their “profound” impact on him titled Dear Pink Floyd.