"Self-invention, or rather, reinvention is at the heart of much gay culture. Being told that you should not be who you are encourages you to become someone else. But few gay men have self-invented with the panache and grandiloquence of James Lawrence Slatterly, who metamorphosed into the fabulous Andy Warhol superstar Candy Darling. Taking his/her cues from Lana Turner, Kim Novak, and Gloria Graham, Candy Darling became a walking testament to Hollywood womanhood.
Although she appeared in several Warhol films before her early death in 1974, Candy Darling didn't need theatrical vehicles: she lived her life as a star. My Face for the World to See is a collection of her diaries, drawings, and thoughts. While there is nothing profound, the book is a moving record of a life and imagination that illuminated the cultural landscape and burned brightly and too short."
She met Andy Warhol thanks to Jackie Curtis. Warhol cast Darling in a short comedic scene in Flesh (1968) with Jackie Curtis. After Flesh, Darling was cast in a central role in Women in Revolt (1971). Her name was immortalized by many famous musicians. Darling is mentioned in the chorus of the 1967 Rolling Stones song "Citadel" and is the subject of the song "Candy Says" by The Velvet Underground, written by Lou Reed and sung by Doug Yule. In addition, the second verse of Lou Reed's 1972 "Walk on the Wild Side" is devoted to her as well.
In 2010, we could watch "Beautiful Darling", a documentary that features Darling's archival film and video footage, photographs, her personal papers, archival audio interviews with Tennessee Williams, Valerie Solanas, Jackie Curtis, and Darling's mother, as well as contemporary interviews with Holly Woodlawn and other people that used to know her. The film was directed by James Rasin and produced by Jeremiah Newton and Elisabeth Bentley. Darling died of lymphoma on March 21, 1974, aged 29.
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