Steve Diet Goedde: London gives top LA lensman a warm welcome.
Legendary LA fetish photographer Steve Diet Goedde made a flying visit to the UK in mid-June to promote his new book Extempore with three nights of book signings at different London venues. Tony Mitchell shadowed his longtime pal at all three events and has produced this photo-diary to celebrate the occasion. Banner image: Steve (centre) with partner Yee and FAB’s Max Deviant at Resistance Gallery
Mid-June provided Brits with three Steve Diet Goedde London dates at which the photographer promoted and signed his latest book Extempore.
During his one-week visit, the celebrated Los Angeles lensman appeared at meet ’n’ greet/book signings on three consecutive evenings — June 18, 19 and 20.
The mini promo tour opened at Max Deviant’s FAB London store (aka Fetish Alternative Boutique) in Camden Stables Market on Tuesday 18.
Co-hosted by Marnie Scarlet with additional help from Maz Spencer and Synth Icorn, this well-attended and lively event got things off to a good start on the book sales front, and provided Steve with a chance to meet some of London’s colourful fetish characters.
Among surprise visitors to the event were Mik Scarlet and his wife Diane — both looking not a day older than when we last saw each other many years ago.
Other scenesters dropping by included the irrepressible Kate London, photographers Farrukh Hyder and Zac Zenza, performer Daniela Fanetti, party life-and-soul Derrick Robinson and Figure of A designer Anna Kii.
Also helping proceedings along were Steve’s old chums Garry Vanderhorne and Katlyn Mercedes — hosts of Resistance Gallery’s upcoming party in honour of the photographer — and young latex designer Nina Doroushi, who’d be providing the party’s fashion show.
After FAB shut up shop on Tuesday, a group of about 15 of us, including Circa Press boss David Jenkins, reconvened at Rossopomodoro, a Neapolitan pizza restaurant in Camden.
Naples (rather than Chicago) has the best claim to be the home of pizza pie, and this place proudly honoured that tradition. It also made a fair attempt at the world record for the longest post-meal bill negotiation!
Whaddya gonna do? Thanks, Max, for sorting it all out, and almost missing your Uber in the process.
During the day on Wednesday 19, Steve was required to knuckle down and sign all the copies of Extempore waiting to be sent out to people who had supported the book’s Kickstarter campaign.
Tender is the night
Wednesday evening saw the promo tour moving to Tenderbooks in Cecil Court, WC2 for the book’s mainstream (ie non-fetish) launch event.
Having attended the launch of Jonny Trunk’s AtomAge retrospective Dressing For Pleasure at Tenderbooks some years ago, I was surprised to discover that the business had moved to a different location in this historicalal theatreland cut-through between Charing Cross Road and St Martins Lane.
Even more surprising, however, was finding that this passageway was now clad in scaffolding running the whole length and height of the buildings on both sides, virtually obliterating the Victorian facades of its antiquarian bookshops.
Fortunately, a gaggle of people sipping drinks beneath the scaffolding outside one store caused me to do a double-take and realise that this was in fact my intended destination.
As expected, this event attracted a completely different bunch of people who definitely had the demeanour of ‘bookish types’. I spent quite a lot of the evening chatting to Steve over artisanal gin-and-tonics that had been thoughtfully provided to lubricate the gathering.
Thursday 20 evening saw the ‘wrap party’ take place at Bethnal Green’s Resistance Gallery, complete with Nina Doroushi latex fashion show and fire performance by Talulah Blue, also wearing a costume by Nina.
This was my chance finally to meet the legendary Yee, Steve Diet Goedde model and partner, who had sadly not been able to get to London for the start of the promo tour owing to work commitments.
It was worth the wait: Yee is simply an amazing woman — and I’m not just saying this because of her taste in hosiery. She’s one of those people you chat with for a few minutes and feel like you’ve known for ages.
But this wasn’t the only rewarding connection I made on this particular night. In earlier days, I used to attend events regularly at Resistance, but this was my first visit since owner Garry had become involved with and subsequently married Kat, aka Katlyn Mercedes, aka Miss Meatface.
So here was my first chance of a proper chat with Kat, and once again there was that feeling that here was someone I would have enjoyed knowing in person for the several years I had observed her existence only from a distance.
News flash: Kat’s fetish photography is lined up to be the subject of a book from Circa Press (Goedde’s publisher) next year. Supplementary news flash: according to Circa boss David Jenkins, it will be the imprint’s last fetish project for a while.
So keep an eye out for it. Hopefully The Fetishistas will be providing a foretaste of it in due course.
Swedish Fetish revival
Among Thursday evening’s guests — themselves on a whistle-stop visit to London — were Stockholm-based photographer Andrea Belluso and his wife Amanda.
Some years ago, Andrea self-published an amazing limited-edition coffee-table book called Swedish Fetish featuring individuals and couples from the Swedish scene beautifully photographed in authentic situations.
Following rediscovery of the last 100 of these highly collectable tomes in a storage unit, we’ve been talking to Andrea about making them available on a special deal through The Fetishistas. It looks like that will now go ahead, so expect a major piece, complete with shopping opportunity, on Swedish Fetish soon!
Zac Zenza was among people who had turned up for Tuesday’s event at FAB and also made it to Resistance — this time in one of his exotic hood creations. It seemed entirely appropriate, therefore, to team him up with hood queen Monsterlune for some double-mystery pictures.
And speaking of mystery figures, what a wonderful surprise it was to bump into the London ex-designer and model who famously posed for Steve in her latex catsuit on the preserved steam loco in Griffith Park nearly a decade ago.
Can’t mention her by name here, but if you know who I mean, then you know!
With their promotional obligations finally out of the way, Steve and Yee set off on Friday for a couple of days in the Cotswolds, topped off by a night in a converted prison in Oxford.
Say what you like about that Mr Goedde, but he never misses the opportunity to check out places that could fit the bill for future fetish photo shoots! Take a look at his Facebook for more pictures of his UK travels.
Steve Diet Goedde’s book Extempore is available via the Circa Press website below or direct from Amazon and other selected retailers.
circapress.com/extempore
fetishalternativeboutique/facebook
resistancegallery.com
stevedietgoedde.com
stevedietgoedde/facebook
tenderbooks.co.uk
thefetishistas/extempore-review/interview
thefetishistas/goedde-london-dates
Published July 1, 2019
Tags: Book Releases, Parties, Personalities