Ken E.'s Obituary, by Dick Bagwell
Ken E. Millikan – 1941-2008

Ken E. Millikan, who was a standout performer at the now-defunct Renaissance Pleasure Faires in Marin, has died. Kenny, as everyone called him, was an un-trained natural who stumbled almost by accident into the faires in the late 60s, and found his niche in life.

He was part of the golden years of the faires, an enchanted land where amazing and wonderful experiences greeted the visitor around every bend in the fairway. He developed a series of characters and shtick unrivaled in their creative looniness. Dead Pope in the Danse Macabre processional, Papa Pigfarker, Wickedest Man in the World—he was a legion of wackos by himself. He died Sunday, June 15th, at the Fairmont Campus of the Alameda Medical Center. The immediate cause of death was pneumonia. He was 67.

“His genius was inspiring. A true zanni indeed,” said Kevin Patterson, scion of the Patterson family who created the Pleasure Faires and the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, which still continues vigorously at the Cow Palace. (“Zannis” were the clowns of the commedia dell’arte, the Italian Renaissance theatre.) “He's part of my ‘happy childhood at Blackpoint’ memories,” said Autumn Adamme of Dark Garden Corsetry.

In later years his main role was Dr. Tubertalis Goodroote, often to be encountered chanting madcap stories and rhymes to the chug of his rommelpot. The rommelpot, technically a friction drum, is a Renaissance folk instrument which scares away evil spirits, disturbs most people, and interests musicologists. Milt Holland, one of the top L.A. area studio percussionists, admired his skill. “Rats got the Babby (Oh No!)” is probably his “hit,” at least the one faire visitors might find jangling in their ears afterward. Rats were often a prominent feature in his oeuvre “If you didn’t know him, from his performances you might get an entirely wrong idea of the man. A sweeter and gentler guy never walked those dusty ways with us,” said Dick Bagwell, longtime faire comrade. His middle initial “E” was for “Elven,” which he took to signify special birth circumstances, and all who knew him agreed.

Kenny was also an artisan, as inspired and unique in the props, statues, furniture and Wondrous Oddities he created, among them The Trojan Pigge, The Dead Babby Cradle, and of course The Dragon,” an automotive creation predating the now-ubiquitous art cars. His prose style was as unique as the rest of his art. Possibly James Joyce would have been his only rival:

“I'll bring what I can fiord to fly low & sly, willfully to loose, to lose to tickle herself, and itchy to thatch me beak, fore nose-body knows, haws-her our "Great Dawning Momma's happy Horde, their Ecstatic's will to reap and mill the Hal-A lou "Ribba", we with "Mighty’ goodness, grandly with gracious giggle farts all the way to next years shiver- rocketing river a gargantuan loveer play!!!! Love youse to the Quick O'me Quacker?!!! Zee you zoom; hopefully! eagerly, slowly, slam-planning it, the flow, the "Shrek,"drek, the gas guzzling trek!!!OyOyOy!!!Wish us Bon- voyage, no Pray for us to the Holy High-Road HeavenlyHamster for us, With your socks on, no off, no you decide as to the footwear and we'll probably wear a something blue, old and smelly; sorry no time for...laundry... Love youse and see you sooner or later, Blessed Be!!! Ken E. WoolleyMillikan,” personal communication to Sadie Damascus, who adds, ”He was a generous and thoughtful friend, who shared everything he had, and might be as wise as Socrates at noon and as simple as a sheep the next time you saw him. In his last years he became more absent- minded, letting the changes he experienced become part of his act as well as his life, and after he had to quit doing carpentry, he managed his real poverty as gracefully and humorously as he had the mock-poverty of his stone-age Pigfarker Papa for so many years.”

Over recent years the absentmindedness became dementia, the result of several small strokes. He lived in his battered van on the streets of Berkeley for some time, and was eventually committed to the care of Alameda County’s Medical Center.

He is survived by his handfasted partner Celia Underwood, brother Rick of British Columbia and half-sister Adele Yeargan of San Juan Capistrano Beach. His many faire friends and comrades are planning an Ugma, a gathering celebrating Kenny’s life and art, including his Wailing of Village Idiots' Ritual, an Ugma Altar, and the Museum of Oddities.