Lydia Ivy West was a referral from Blue Blood writer and accomplished gadfly Clint Catalyst. I adore Clint and we used to trade zines back in the day, but the first time we were scheduled to shoot Lydia both Forrest Black and I were deathly ill with laryngitus. I tried to phone her cell phone to whisper that we needed to cancel, but she was already on her way and shooting with us was her last stop in Los Angeles before heading back to San Francisco. Forrest and I were feverish and barely able to speak to give any direction. Turned out Lydia was such an amazing model that she didn’t need any direction. The only thing you have to know with shooting her is when to push the button on the camera. She moves that well.

We shot her on a number of occasions after that when we were actually capable of speech and that was a good thing because she always had some crazy adventure to tell the tale of. She would explain a bruise as the result of getting it on with a cop while he was still in uniform, complete with billy club. We profiled Lydia for Marquis and one of our shots of her graced the cover of an issue of Draculina in which editor Hugh Gallagher profiled yours truly. Plus she has appeared on Gothic Sluts, Barely Evil, Rubber Dollies, Hogtied, Water Bondage, Whipped Ass, and more.

Lydia Ivy West has gone through a variety of phases in terms of her interests in things gothic or fannish, but she always likes latex, books, guns, horses, bondage and being made to submit.

--Amelia G