David Cuthbert of The Times-Picayune has a nice memoir-obituary of Dakin Williams, the brother of Tennessee Williams, who died last week at the age of 89:
Every year, the Festival has held a panel called "I Remember Tennessee." Next year I hope they stage "I Remember Dakin" as well.
Dakin was a dependably colorful addition to the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, in his offbeat theatrics (once playing Blanche Du Bois in drag), being interviewed by Al Shea and wearing wildly hued Versace jackets and jewelry that veered toward ornate crucifixes....
Dakin called himself "a professional brother." Williams scholar Kenneth Holditch called him "dramatic and unpredictable." In Dakin's early appearances at the festival, one attendee remembers, "You just wanted to hide under a chair when he 'performed.'"When his health permitted, Dakin used to come to the Tennessee Williams Festival every year -- it seemed to be the highlight of his calendar, a time when he could enjoy a bit of celebrity and spend a weekend in a place where his eccentricities were both indulged and appreciated. I never got to see his interpretation of Blanche Dubois, but I did get to appreciate his psychedelic wardrobe and hear his theories about how the C.I.A. had assassinated his brother because he Knew Too Much.
Every year, the Festival has held a panel called "I Remember Tennessee." Next year I hope they stage "I Remember Dakin" as well.
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