Dali by Darling

In the early ‘70s, Candy Darling was fastened to the downtown scene as both Warhol’s eccentric muse and an inspiration for the Velvet Underground’s protopunk music. It’s no wonder Warhol took an immediate liking to her—Darling embodied the self-invention, an idea that Warhol championed. With its mint green eye shadow and fuchsia nail polish, NARS Andy Warhol Collection captures the blonde bombshell’s penchant for an eccentric palette as sugary sweet as the name she chose for herself, Candy. 

Here, we ‘ve discovered a conversation between Candy Darling and Salvador Dali, in which Dali speaks his own language, quite literally, and Candy exhibits…patience. 

Photographs & additional dialogue by Francesco Scavullo

CANDY DARLING: How did you get your start in the art world?

SALVADOR DALI: Before one month, before new life, before born, you know?

DARLING: While you were in your mother’s womb . . . .

DALI: Because my first concrete memories is intra uterine memories . . . .

DARLING: intra . . .

DALI: uterine, intero uterine, you know what it is?

DARLING: Oh yes, uh huh.

DALI: and uh remember very well these memories consist in Freit X.

DARLING: Friet X.

DALI: X yes.

DARLING: X

DALI: X yes, with no la plat only the X, expanding moving and changing of the shape.

DARLING: mmmmmmm!

DALI: And uh, Dr. Freud tells me that this probably is because of my position inside of my mother, because my hands press my eyeballs and get this Angelic Phosphorous Circles. Phosphorous Circles, you know?

DARLING: Yes.

DALI: Yes. And this is scientific language, the name is Ipanagogic Images.

DARLING: Ip-ana

DALI: No. Ip-anagogic Ipnagogic, Ipnagogic images you look up in the dictionary, is when you press your eyeballs very strong and appear circles of different colors. Veeolet, yellows, and la part Veeolet is the white part of the egg, and uh the yellow part is the  . . . the yellow part of the egg. And probably the position inside of my mother compresses my eyes and creates this angelic, PHOSPHORESCENT fright-X.

DARLING: Fright X? Fried eggs.

DALI: Brava, bravo, your English Improve.

DARLING: Does this have anything to do with ectoplasm?

DALI: Uh . . . is a little ectoloid, ecto the people believe ectoplasm exist, ectoplasm no exist un the fright X, not only exxist but is possible to eat one fright X. Is never possible to eat ectoplasm.

DARLING: Oh you eat this?

DALI: Dali like eat everything.

DARLING: On toast?

DALI: On toast, but mostly with honey this week uh make a little photograph of Mao Tse Tung on the top of beans and, is possible put every bean with the effigy, image of Mao Tse Tung, Mao and Marilyn in one leetle minute bean and you swallow and at this moment is possible communion with Mao and Marilyn together in your stomach.

DARLING: How does it feel?

DALI: Uh feel very peace-a-full. You in any ways look much better when you eat many Mao’s and Marilyn’s than before. Only you take no whiskey.

DARLING: But where does the substance come from?

DALI: Is a emulsion, vegetable emulsion in the top of the beans . . .

DARLING: In the top of the beans?

DALI: Ex-actly! And after photograph the minute faces of Mao and Marilyn and you receive many sacks of many packages of beans and is possible you make swallow these beans and not only this is possible you make one fantastic movie because every bean is possible germination and you look very big on the screen one mean with the face of Mao and Marilyn and then it start moving and flourishing, flor-eesh-ing.

FRANCESCO SCAVULLO: Mr. Dali. Is Mr. Dali ready? Candy can we just have you step out baby?

DALI: You like me to sign up then?

SCAVULLO: No, we’re gonna have you sign just on a piece of paper and it will appear on the back later.

DARLING: He wants to sign up there on the big thing you don’t have a big brush to sign up there?

SCAVULLO: Yes, we have some things we want to have him sign. No because then it will be in back of him which I don’t want. Now Hank we’re ready to go to black and white.

DARLING: How do you like it so far?

DALI: Suffar? Dali never suffer. I am all time enjoy.

DARLING: Good.

DALI: No suf-fer-ing, no suf-fer-ing.

DARLING: Good.

DALI: No suf-fer-ing.

DARLING: I’m glad to hear that.

DALI: You like to suffar?

DARLING: I’m a sagitarian; we suffer terribly.

DALI: Ah theese, thees, a, masochist a little bit no?

DARLING: NO!

DALI: No?

DARLING: Not any more.

DALI: No, no. No, no, enjoy every leetle bit of vichy water or a leetle bit of everything.

DARLING: Do you drink vichy water instead of regular water?

DALI: Instead of marijuana, dopes and LSD, vichy water is deevine.

DARLING: You and Mae West. You agree with Mae West a lot?

DALI: Yes, because like it a sa-leeva-a sofa.

DARLING: Oh yes?

DALI: Sa-lee-va sofa means one sofa with plenty of saliva. And for sit down is much better when something is humidity and not too much dry. And Mae West is very humid. And for this the best sofa is my best sa-lee-va sofa.

DARLING: Sa-lee-va sofa. You mean it’s moist your sofa?

DALI: Yes.

DARLING: It’s moist and when you sit down you become wet?

DALI: You become wet.

DARLING: Marvelous.

DALI: But it is only for la summer time is not for winter.

DARLING: Is it only used outdoors?

DALI: Uh, no no no, inside the house but all the time filled with liquid. All time your sex is a leetle wet. When you sit down on the saleeva sofa. But is not real saleeva. Is art-ee-fee-cial saleeva.

DARLING: Then it must be covered with a porous material.

DALI: EX-actly. And sharp realism because every leetle defect of the skin is reproduced in la sofa. You know is like you sit down on lips. The lips completely real.

DARLING: Where is it?

DALI: This is ready, for now is already in Paris in the market Saleeva sofa, my best saleeva sofa!

DARLING: Will it be sold over here too?

DALI: Yes but more important is the holograms just shown last night to Andy Warhol, the cylindrical hologram of Alice Cooper. But is only one best but you look the 3 of nexxt month you coming? I expect you . . . You see THE PORTRAIT OF THE BRAIN OF ALICE COOPER.

DARLING: The brain? I didn’t know Alice Cooper had a brain.

DALI: Is la ferst chronological cylindrical hologram . . . BITS BITS BITS BITS BITS of information OK?

SCAVULLO: Candy do you want to step out again sweetheart? Let me just do a few of Mr. Dali alone. Tell you what I’m gonna do Hank leave the light where it is. [Dali is whistling and humming songs to himself.] POMM-Fabulous like that – POPmmm-Great like that POPmm-Fabulous like that that’s great like that Beautiful–POPmm-Beautiful like that—that’s fabulous—like that-POPmmm-Looking right into the camera—and if you move the hand up—move his hand up—POPmm-Great like that—POPmm—This hand still up yeah that that that I love—POPmm Fabulouse like that—POPmm I think I need a normal lens for that-POPmm-fabulous-like that-great like that Move your body a little bit this way yeah that’s great like that—POPmm fabulouse like that Mr. Dali great-POPMmm—Very good you’re fabulous—POPmm great like that and then right in the camera here POP-beautiful—Pop—great etc. etc. etc. Candy you come back in now, no the other side baby. Hank fix the light a little higher for her. Look at Mr. Dali baby, beautiful baby, beautiful like that.

DALI: BUTCHICUPBOTIKEETCOMITOYTPOLYKEEPSEESCOMITOYTAT COMA BEETCH BOYCHECKSBYADICKS BOYADEECKS BOYABITch oiastoiaskeesa stoya Good Morning.

 

More CANDY DARLING here!