Chicago roots for director, subject of 'Beautiful Darling'

By Richard Knight Jr., Special to the Tribune
10:55 a.m. CDT, October 15, 2010

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-1015-ciff-darling-director-20101015,0,3492802.story

Candy Darling — the pioneering female impersonator made infamous as one of Andy Warhol's "superstars" in several of the Factory films of the late '60s and '70s and as the muse of rock legends Lou Reed (most notably in his classic "Walk on the Wild Side"), Reed's Velvet Underground, and David Bowie — is the subject of a new documentary "Beautiful Darling."

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Q

With drag queens so commonplace in pop culture today it's easy to overlook what a trailblazer Candy Darling was during her heyday, isn't it?

A

I think that she was a piece of art unto herself. It was a 24/7 project. Holly Woodlawn (another Warhol superstar) told me that when they were rooming together Candy would get up at 4 in the morning so she could put on her makeup and get herself all ready so that when she "really" woke up at 10 in the morning she looked beautiful and incredible.