Press Release

Symon Vegro’s debut novel All That You Touch is an extraordinary and eccentric blend of middle aged musings on life’s grand passions set to the exquisite beat of Pink Floyd, with a cover designed by the band’s artist of choice, Storm Thorgerson.

When Symon Vegro decided to put pen to paper and review the highs and lows of his life so far, he knew that the only way to do justice to the ‘lunatic’ inside his head, was to focus on the soundtrack that had accompanied the best and worst parts of his journey into adulthood. The result is All That You Touch, a uniquely charming account of Vegro’s most poignant moments and memories, and a testament to his great infatuation with progressive rock super-group, Pink Floyd.

In something of a delicious coup, Symon secured Storm Thorgerson, the man who crafted most of the Pink Floyd’s magnificently original album covers, to design his book cover. With each chapter taking the name of a particular Pink Floyd album that best represents each of Vegro’s personal stories, we are treated to a flamboyant ride through the obsessions and, as his favourite poet John Keats would describe, Vegro’s grand passions. We whirl through a cavalcade of juvenilia, of Symon’s fascination for Pink Floyd’s first singer, Syd Barrett, his love of verse, of his home county Essex, his flirtations with the world of politics and his mobilization during the Miners’ Strikes, the books that have made him cry, his science fiction fetish and his number theory craze, his relationship with his sister and how he narrowly missed out on becoming an astronaut. Vegro paints a vivid picture of a life lived in Technicolour with an experimental soundtrack, brave enough to tackle even the most difficult tragedy amongst his collage of experiences, the tragedy of losing contact with his three children.

Moving and uplifting in equal measure, All That You Touch echoes the delightful obsesiveness of Nick Hornby’s salutation to Arsenal Football Club, Fever Pitch. Its appeal is wide exactly because it is so exclusive and particular in its fancies and focus; it even includes a substantial appendix of facts, anecdotes and listening guides dedicated to each Pink Floyd album, even recommending the consumption of certain cheeses in order to bring out the full musical flavour! Not only does it softly trace Vegro’s personality through his funniest, most profound or unusual events, All That You Touch captures the changing times, the social upheaval and the evolving trends of British life since Vegro was seven and Pink Floyd’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was released. A great introduction to novice Pink Floyd fans, an earnest and enlightening tribute for true fanatics, All That You Touch is a rare gem sure to appeal to any reader who shares Symon Vegro’s cultural reference points, his sense of boundless positivism in the face of adversity and his lovely sense of humour.

About the author: Symon Vegro was born in Southend-on-Sea Essex and studied Chemistry and Biochemistry at Nottingham University. Along with working in the telecommunications industry he is an active patron of The Syd Barrett Fund, a charity which helps to provide music therapy to those suffering from mental illness. Equally passionate about the poetry of John Keats, number theory and the Leicester Tigers, Symon lives with his wife in the village of Redbourn, Hertfordshire.