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In Celebration of J. Stephen Hicks

Last week we brought you news of the unfortunate passing of a true original of erotica, J. Stephen Hicks, founder and chief photographer of Digital Desire. After outpourings of love from Hicks’ colleagues and competitors, details of a celebration of the man’s life and work have been released. At Sunset Restaurant near Hicks’ home in Malibu, friends and loved ones of the departed will gather to share in his memory.

In tribute to her late husband, Hicks’ wife Lani vows to keep Digital Desire in operation and trusts Mark Lit and Charles Lightfoot, two proteges of Hicks, to carry on his incomparable work. In praising Hicks’ work and character, his chief competitor and fellow erotic artist, Holly Randall, detailed their occasional clashes over model bookings, magazine spreads, and customers, and noted that she “secretly cursed his talent”. In a surprisingly warm tribute to her main professional rival, Randall calls Hicks “a master at harnessing natural light… and of his craft.”

Hicks’ family released an obituary (excerpted below) which can be read in full at AVN.

Stephen had a restless soul and an ever-growing curiosity about the world. From Bhutan to Africa, South America to Asia, Europe to Mexico, he sought new cultures, new experiences, new canvases for his unequaled nature photography. His passing has left an immeasurable void in those who loved him. But all our lives are richer and more complete for having been touched by his life and love.

Friends and loved ones will gather at Sunset Restaurant in Malibu, California at 4pm on Saturday February 23 to celebrate the life of J. Stephen Hicks. Donations can be made in Hicks’ honor, and in lieu of flowers, to The John Wayne Cancer Foundation, Heal the Bay, and the Surfrider Foundation.

Remembering J. Stephen Hicks

Reports began circulating yesterday of the passing of Digital Desire’s chief photographer, J. Stephen Hicks and were confirmed by Hicks’ business partner and fellow lensman, Jay Allan, who sent AVN a note in tribute to the man he called mentor and friend.

“[Hicks] was a true pioneer in the adult industry,” Allan wrote. “At a time when there were only about a doze photographers worldwide shooting for the adult magazine market, J. Stephen Hicks’ work stood out as exceptional. It still does today.”

Anyone familiar with Hicks’ work for Digital Desire, or his earlier print work for Penthouse, Hustler, Club, Gallery, and High Society magazines, surely recognizes the enormous talent he had. Not content with only seeing his later work online, in 2004 Hicks even published a hardcover Digital Desire book containing nearly 200 pages of his finest work. He followed this release with another hardcover collection, Superbeauty, in 2010. Both the printed and digital versions of Hicks’ photography offer prime examples of what Allan calls “the beautiful natural light and calculated composition that his images always contained.”

“Stephen taught his team to always put 100 percent of their creative energy into every image and video and to try to make everything as artistic and beautiful as possible,” Allan continued. “As a photographer he had no equal and took every step to artistically and creatively make every girl we shot look her absolute best. I am very lucky to have known and learned from the best and I am at least comforted by knowing that his legacy will live on and his amazing body of work will always be here for us to enjoy.”

Digital Desire, which most recently received a thoroughly impressive 91% approval rating from Mr. Pink’s back in July of ’12, will continue to showcase Hicks’ work and legacy, albeit with some new blood taking the photographic reigns, a group Allan calls “an amazing teanm of artists who will carry with his beautiful erotica the way he taught us since we were young.”

Allan’s final words on his departed friend and mentor could easily have come from any one of Hicks’ devoted fans and followers, “I will miss him dearly.”

The New Club Sophie Dee

If there’s one adult performer that truly embodies the hard-working spirit of immigrant America, it’s Sophie Dee. Born in Wales in 1984, Sophie spent her post-secondary school years in various jobs throughout the United Kingdom, but eventually found her calling as a stripper in Birmingham. This was only the beginning of her distinguished career in adult entertainment and now, after nearly eight years as an LA-based pornstar, Sophie is celebrating a revamped version of her official website, <>Club Sophie Dee.

With a revised navigation system allowing for more detailed, refined searching and browsing, high quality video streams, and a fresh new look Sophie and her team hope will breathe new life into her fan-favorite site. And, knowing that, more than ever, porn is being viewed on the go, Sophie & Co. have allowed for mobile browsing and video viewing, a move that’s sure to please tablet and smart phone users.

In a statement from her office, Ms. Dee spoke very fondly of her XBIZ nominated online home. “I’m excited to see how my fans will like the new revamped site. It’s the first big change since the site launched six years ago. I love what we’ve done and I’m sure you’ll love it as well,” she said.

Look for a full review of the new, revamped Club Sophie Dee right here on Mr. Pink’s in the near future. In the meantime, check out our reviews of Sophie’s other site, Sophie Dee & Friends, which, while a little slight on content, garnered high ratings all around.

No Nudes is Bad News

San Francisco has long been one of the most sexually liberal cities in the United States, from the ’60s Free Love and ’70s gay rights movements to the city’s (relative) welcoming of Kink.com, but that could be changing when a new law banning public nudity comes into effect on February 1st.

“Hold up, bro,” I hear you say, “public nudity was legal in San Francisco?” I take it your travels never took you to the Castro District’s unofficial “clothing optional space” on the corner of Castro and Market Streets. Mine did and, man, was it an entertaining intersection. Wandering down there during a stint living in the vicinity of the Castro, I’d see shirtless men enjoying a Friday afternoon beer with friends, homeless people spacing out on the (chained and locked) steel chairs as commuters walked by doing their best to ignore undesirables, and even a lonely 1970s Teisco electric guitar in want of an owner. I also saw plenty of freely swinging dicks, many pierced in the Prince Albert style. Nobody seemed to mind much – we are in the heart of SF’s most outlandish community, after all – and it wasn’t entirely uncommon to see folks strip off and soak up the sun in the small corner court. Sure, some visitors to the area seemed appalled at the gratuitous displays of genitalia, but city law protected public exhibitionism as long as it wasn’t explicitly sexual – naked guys having a chat, sure; a naked guy with an erection, no dice – and it was eventually accepted by most as one of the more unique cultural attractions of San Francisco.

Now, those nudists, both part-timers and, like activist Gypsy Taub, the vastly more dedicated, who once went without “proper” attire for pleasure are stripping off in protest of a law that will ban public displays of the naked human form. Author of the ban, Scott Weiner, a candidate for the County Board of Supervisors is facing tough opposition, but likely nothing he’ll take too seriously, as protestors challenge his controversial new law. While the County Board of Supervisors narrowly voted the bill into effect, the nudists have one final protest planned… and we’re all invited!

Want to keep SF nude-friendly? Get your naked ass to the San Francisco Federal Courthouse (450 Golden Gate Ave, 17th floor, Courtroom #5) at 1.30pm on Thursday, January 17, where the nudists will have their case against the City of San Francisco heard by Judge Edward M. Chen. Who knows, you could end up immortalized on YouTube in all your (censored) naked glory like the valiant crusader for liberty and freedom seen below.