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Take A Walk On The Wild Side
Surely you’ve heard Lou Reed’s iconic 1972 song, “Walk on the Wild Side.” It received wide radio coverage, despite touching on taboo topics such as transsexuality, drugs, male prostitutes, oral sex and the term “colored” to refer to African Americans.
The song is actually a thinly-veiled biography of several of the regular “superstars” at Andy Warhol’s studio, The Factory. Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, and Jackie Curtis were three cross-gendered performers who worked in several Warhol films. Curtis and Darling would both die young.
Actors Joe Dallesandro and Joe Campbell are referred to in the song as “Little Joe” and “Sugar Plum Fairy.”
The song attempted to capture Warhol’s scene musically and is still played, decades later.
In recognition of the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, “The Rainbow Minute” is committed to bringing to light the often under-represented history of the transgender community by featuring 10 new episodes during the month of November. “The Rainbow Minute,” a radio show on WRIR, Richmond Independent Radio, is produced by Judd Proctor and Brian Burns and airs on 97.3 FM every Weekday at 9:03am, 12:30pm and 4:30pm. Listen to the WRIR’s audio stream here.
