To tie in with the launch of his new book "Taken By Storm", along with the 4th edition/40th anniversary edition of "Mind Over Matter: The Images Of Pink Floyd" which is available in store soon, Storm Thorgerson undertook a fascinating discussion session and book signing, at the Borders in Westwood, Los Angeles, on Monday, October 15.

Naturally, we knew you'd want to hear about the event, so BD reporter Elizabeth San Agustin made the long journey to what turned out to be a memorable evening.

A little bit after 7pm, Storm Thorgerson and Rupert Truman began an hour long slideshow presentation where Storm described some of his iconic images from his stunning career. A uniquely personal touch to the presentation was when Storm began the discussion by asking every person in the audience to say their names. Afterwards, Storm was able to repeat everyone's names perfectly. This remarkable ability came in handy when he called on individuals to see if they recognized the album covers or to give their interpretations of the images.

Throughout the talk, it was extremely fascinating to hear Storm describe the inspiration behind his art (the idea behind the Mars Volta 'Frances The Mute' art was particularly interesting) and to hear the details behind the location shoots.

Fortunately, it was a small crowd of about 40 people, so it enabled everyone to have an extended moment with him during the signing. Storm was extremely kind and generous with his time as he answered people's questions. It was certainly a pleasant and relaxed environment (and well worth the 5 hour train ride I had to take to get to Los Angeles :)

There are a few more discussion/signing sessions planned in the US for the American release of "Taken By Storm,", including a Chelsea (New York City) date for Barnes & Noble on October 25 (details are on the B&N site). More details as we get them.

In the meantime, here are a selection of pictures from the evening, to give a flavour of proceedings... simply click the thumbnails for a larger, better quality picture.