in Because... the Benj, Big People, In Other Words 99 Words

In other words:

ben and liberty
Liberty and Ben, July, 1999

“A man’s man, Ben smoked Marlboro cigarettes, drank alcohol, drove a four-wheel-drive SUV, and chopped wood at his house in the mountains of Vermont. But when he went on stage in his black leather pants, brightly colored shirt, long black trench coat, and black cowboy boots, he drove the ladies wild. I’d look out into the crowd when we played ‘Drive’ and watch all the women smile at Ben, hanging on to every word he was singing.” — Liberty DeVitto, 2020, Liberty: Life, Billy, and the Pursuit of Happiness

21 thoughts on “In other words:”

  1. Chopping wood is a new and wonderful image for me. Wouldn’t it be great to have a photo of that to add to your “Manly Pursuits”?

    One thing about Benjamin that we all must accept and agree to – sharing. 🙂
    Like the story in “Let’s Go” where at a house party in the 90’s all the guys were downstairs drinking and sharing stories and Ben was upstairs in the center of all the wives and girlfriends charming and enchanting them.

    Last week in my Twitter feed among streams of serious talk about everything going, I was shocked when I came across a tweet from a woman (I follow her for her excellent work as a published writer)….
    “Maybe I should make my Feed about Ben Orr then the world would be a better place”.
    Yup, she got that right. Certainly is true about my world! (and knowing you Donna and the Fan-o-rama.)

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    1. I love the chopping wood thing, too. Every fall we spend a few weeks getting firewood ready for the winter as we heat our house with a woodstove. It’s a lot of work! But one of my sons loves it. He somehow finds it very soothing to split and stack wood. I wonder if it was like that for Ben, too?

      I’d love to follow your Twitter friend — she’s got the right idea!! 😍

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      1. I am much more bothered by the hunting than the smoking, although the later probably contributed greatly to his early passing. I would have enjoyed being one who got to swoon over his animal magnetism, but when he was 30, I was 10, so by the time I even knew who he was it was when he released his album (which I have the cd somewhere). I didn’t even know he sang lead on The Cars songs I loved best until a few years ago, but better late than never (ben). Anytime Just What I Needed comes on the radio I just have to smile
        It is just so delicious and I wonder what it was like being at a live performance. I doubt some of us would have survived!

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      4. He was just smokin’ hot (no pun intented). The smoking ruined it for me because there are SO many other pictures of him that are inferno hot and no cigarette (the one I have on my profile, from Live Aid, and Too Hot to Stop). Dear God – THESE are him at his epic hotness! And because he was like no other, he pulled it off at different ages! We need more stories about him from people who knew him. Maybe we all need to persuade Donna to do some more of her chats with new and familiar friends.

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    2. Yeah,I hate cigarettes and the smell. But I think I could’ve overcame that if I were with Ben. I think that may have caused his pancreatic cancer,it’s said that excessive smoking is linked to that. Makes me very sad,although I don’t think that would’ve stopped him from doing it. You are who you are!!! I also believe that your time on earth is determined before you are born.

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    3. I adore Benjamin, his talent, looks and character, but am with you on those, my father was a smoker and it caused his death, but with Ben, probably the die was cast with starting to smoke at 14 or 15 – but what a monumental tragedy. And I probably have to condone hunting if only means to put food on the table, but really, as a ‘sport’ it is deplorable.
      But oh how adorable he was, and I suppose, will ever be, for all of us.xx

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  3. Well, smoking was a whole lot more “in” during his time as a teen, especially among musicians, so he was hooked early on. All of the rest of the Cars smoked (did David?), didn’t they? However, he seemed the most addicted to it. ☹️
    My aunt is over 90 years old and she only recently stopped chopping wood for her fireplace. I think it kept her young, although it was extremely hard for her to do.
    My husband and I stayed at an inn in West Dover, Vermont back in 2010 but at the time, I didn’t know how close it was to Ben’s former residence!! What a beautiful place Vermont is! And the fiddleheads were FANTASTIC!!! Wonder if he indulged in those when they were in season. I love to try the local foods when I travel. I tried huckleberry everything (pancakes, muffins, breads, pie, margaritas, etc.) when we went to Glacier National Park. So Donna, I know what you’re talking about when you mention huckleberry taffy! 🤗. We crossed your state of Idaho to get to Glacier from Spokane. SPECTACULAR area of the country!!!

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    1. Yay for huckleberries! If you crossed Idaho on I-90, you were about an hour from me! Isn’t it all so beautiful?

      Not sure if David ever smoked; I only recall one photo where he had like two or three cigarettes in his mouth but I always had the impression it was just for a joke.

      My husband and I took a belated honeymoon trip and stayed in Killington, Vermont, in the spring of 1994. Ben wasn’t playing out or living there yet, but we were only about a half hour away from where he would buy his home. Makes me achy to think of paths that didn’t cross, you know?

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  4. Wow, an hour away from your place! Awesome! Amazing & scenic & beautiful, yes! Except for the scary runaway lanes in the rain 😬. How wonderful to go out and pick your own huckleberries! Do you save some for the bears 🐻😁?

    Wow, yes you were oh so close to where Ben soon moved to! 10 years ago we drove from Boston to Acadia National Park in Maine and spent some time in Rockport. Wonder how close we were to David’s art shop? When did he open his shop there? Another time we spent time in Boston – oh how I wish I’d done the Cars tour! Now that makes me achy 😖! It may have driven my husband a bit crazy though 😉.

    The way Ben rearranged his bass guitar in concert was so manly, too. Drives me crazy😍.

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