Eye Candy

Even among the Warhol Superstars, Candy Darling was a standout. Her spot-on embodiment of a ’40s-era Hollywood starlet — demure, mysterious, quiet — stood in contrast to the pretty-little-rich-girl routine of Edie Sedgwick, the drug-fueled silver-tongued cheek of Brigid Berlin and the Teutonic otherness of Nico. And the fact that she was a transgendered woman from Long Island only added to her mystique. Her fame spread via the Paul Morrissey films “Flesh” and “Women in Revolt,” and she was immortalized by Lou Reed in the songs “Candy Says” and “Walk on the Wild Side.” She died in 1974, from leukemia connected to unsafe hormone treatments, at the age of 29.

This Friday, James Rasin’s documentary, “Beautiful Darling: The Life and Times of Candy Darling, Andy Warhol Superstar,” opens at the IFC Center in New York. The film features interviews from Candy’s friends and admirers, including Gerard Malanga, Taylor Meade, Holly Woodlawn, John Waters, Fran Leibowitz and Candy’s best friend Jeremiah Newton, as well as narration by Chloë Sevigny. T spoke with Rasin about his glamorous subject and her lasting legacy.

What is it about Candy Darling that fascinates you?

I’ve always found the kind of stories where someone sets out to transform or reinvent him- or herself really fascinating, whether in literature, American success stories or tragedy. Candy achieved so much in such an interesting time period and against such a unique backdrop of the Factory and Max’s Kansas City, as well as New York in the late ’60s and early ’70s. When I came to New York, I got to know Jeremiah Newton, who was Candy’s best friend, and I just heard so much about her through him. The more I learned about her, the more I thought her story was just the classic American dream story but with a twist.

The film traces Candy’s progression from half drag to full-on glamour queen. Can you talk about that?
She was searching for an identity, and it’s an artistic process in a way. You start out groping and experimenting and trying this and trying that. When she went blond in 1966 she really nailed it on the head and started making off-off-Broadway plays, and then appeared in Andy Warhol’s “Flesh” in 1968, so it was a snowball thing. The more she found herself, the more of an audience she got, the more confident she became and the more confidence she gained in her style, her look and persona.

Do you think Candy is one of the great style icons of the 20th century?
Definitely. Even before there was the term “postmodern,” she was picking and choosing different elements from different movie stars, different time periods, kind of pulling it all together as a reflection of her own personality and her new persona. She created a whole new frontier that went on to influence glam rock, the New York Dolls, Debbie Harry — who Candy taught how to do her makeup when Debbie was a waitress at Max’s. She was on the front lines and doing it because she had to do it, and as so often happens when these people are more underground, then people start bringing it to the surface of the culture. Madonna was very into her, and then Lady Gaga, so she definitely has had a large wave emanating from her short life.

Candy never had a job in her life. How did she get her fabulous clothes?
Well, of course she was broke all the time. A lot of it was taking them from people like Holly Woodlawn. She was also a real thrift store hound, and had a great eye for looks which at that time weren’t very popular. She also had many helpers and admirers around who worked at department stores who were dying to do stuff for her and help her, and when she was attending a special function somewhere with Andy or Jane Fonda, they would take a gown or dress or outfit off the rack, and they would smuggle it out of the door, and then Candy would go out and kind of hide the tag and wear it out, and look absolutely smashing. And when she got home, she would give it back to her friend, who would sneak it back onto the rack the next day. She was really a survivor and a real operator.

What was a typical Candy Darling outfit?
Well, I would say it would be almost a flapper-type dress, not too short necessarily. Not too conservative, but always with a style and look that was sexy and refined, and always with a string of pearls. She was heavy on the makeup because she had to be, but she was also very good at her makeup. She really perfected it. Holly Woodlawn tells a story about how Candy would set the alarm clock to wake her up in the middle of the night so she could get up and do her makeup, so when she woke up in the morning, she would wake up as her beautiful, glamorous, womanly self.

One of the most poignant moments in the film is when someone describes her looks as both putting people off and drawing them to her at the same time. Do you think Candy is a role model for people who are transgendered or confused about their gender identity?
I definitely do. We’ve been screening this film at all these film festivals, and people have been contacting us on Facebook. And I’m absolutely amazed at how many people have found strength and inspiration in her. One of the most interesting things in the movie is when her childhood friend tells the story of running into Candy on the train and she didn’t even recognize Jimmy. [Candy was born Jimmy Slattery.] And if Candy had been ashamed, she would have said, “Oh, my God, I’m gonna get recognized!” and ran away and hid. But her friend didn’t recognize her, and she went up to that person anyway and said, “Hey, hi, it’s me, Jimmy!” That courage really inspired a lot of people.

What do you think Candy would think of Candy, the glossy trans fashion magazine named after her?
I think Candy would be totally amazed and flabbergasted. I don’t even think she would ever believe that it was happening. She wasn’t a political person; she wasn’t trying to do things to break down barriers. She just wanted to be herself, and to have the opportunity to define who she was and not let society or culture define who she was. So I think a lot of groundbreakers just do what they have to do because they don’t have a choice. And by living their life that way and doing those things, they do end up kind of being revolutionary.