Benjamin Smoke

I was lucky enough to see Benjamin sing in concert once (playing Caiaphas in a production of "Jesus Christ Superstar"), and was struck by his craggy, Tom Waits-like vocal delivery, as well as his cadaverous but flamboyant stage persona. Now, thanks to the documentary "Benjamin Smoke," I've got a more fully rounded picture of this enigmatic performer. Virtually unknown outside his hometown (although his music did inspire Patti Smith to write a song about him), Benjamin deserved to be a bigger star. Hopefully, this film will introduce more people across the country (and even around the world) to both the man and his music.

The filmmakers spent several months (years?) just hanging out with Benjamin. They let him talk about whatever he wanted, and he held nothing back, freely discussing his numerous addictions, his HIV-positive status, his mother's reaction to his homosexuality...and he tells all these stories with an easy-going charm and wit.

While I hope people from all over the world will seek out and watch this movie, I do feel a twinge of pity for viewers outside Atlanta. They'll never experience the heady feeling of connectedness that I got from attending the premiere at the Lefont Plaza theater...located directly across the street from the apartment building where Benjamin lived out his last months, next door to the diner where the filmmakers recorded a conversation with the band, and just down the street from the club where Benjamin played his final concert. After leaving the theater, I made a point of visiting all of these sites and soaking up the atmosphere of Benjamin history.

Interesting portrait of an Atlanta musician/drag queen/poet/life live-er. If you have lived in Atlanta and are aware of the local music scene, several familiar names will arise. Several of the musicians are still performing, unfortunately the subject of this documentary is not. Great look at Cabbagetown pre-yuppiefied ambiance when it really was a true seedy white trash neighborhood filled with hard people on go-carts. It was the only sort of neighborhood that could have birthed this sort of artist. I am not sure how long the cameras followed Benjamin around, it looks like it may have been a couple of years as we see him at home in Cabbagetown, then on to assisted living in an apartment. Great concert footage, including one of the high points in Smoke's career, a chance to open for Patti Smith at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse. To see Benjamin backstage, you have to wonder how much of the experience he was truly aware of. It's the kind of documentary that gets you under the skin of an eccentric person, I would also recommend "The Cruise", a portrait of New York Tour bus director Timothy "Speed" Levitch, if you enjoy this sort of thing. Great ending to this film. Patti reads a poem she wrote for Benjamin, a man who discovered her LP "Horses" while he was living out in the country, it changed his life. That Patti was even aware of him or his music and could quote lines from his songs filled Benjamin with amazement. You don't have to be from Atlanta to enjoy this. It is worth seeking out and settling in with. Recommended!

As a recent transplant to Atlanta, I had very little hope in finding anything meaningful in this all too corporate wasteland. That was radically changed when I saw Benjamin Smoke, at a local art house theater. Filmed with a variety of film, including 8mm b/w, this is a sparce, and stark film. It neither tells the complete story of Richard "Benjamin" Dickerson, nor does it shed much light on the alternative music scene of Atlanta. What it does do, is give a clear picture of a man living life to his fullest, and giving his all to his music, while dying of AIDS. I highly recommend this film. 10/10.

I really enjoyed this film. I saw it at the Edinburgh Film Festival and met the producers/writers. I also saw them at the Spirit Awards. This film should definitely be in theaters. It's just so intriguing. And I would love to purchase the sound track.

Good luck. Robin

Whether or not you are interested in the ramblings of a Southern drag queen there is something special in this movie. It is the music. The songs performed by the group Smoke during this movie are great works of art. The songs are performed with a simple sincerity that rivals Hank Williams, The Velvet Underground, Johnny Cash and anybody else that ever sang about the human condition. This movie is worth seeking out.