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I met Benny inside the Old Dark Clubhouse at the 2000 Monster Bash. A lot of the other guys in the room knew Benny very well, going back many years. Benny was on his way up to the room and the guys were betting what would be the first word out of his mouth. (I'd learn soon enough that Benny's language was pretty colorful.) I think Bob Burns, Dan Roebuck, Johnny Gilbert, my bro Sorko and some others were in the room at the time. Someone insisted the first word would be "S---." "No, no -- it'll definitely be "F---." "No way," someone countered. "It'll be P---." I really didn't care because I was excited that Benny was on his way. Suddenly there's a vibrant knock on the door, I open it and in bounds Benny. He looks at me and says, "S---, f---. man! I gotta take a p---! Where's the can?" Everybody was cracking up. That's our Benny. Me, I was delighted that the Creature From The Black Lagoon was in my bathroom.

I used to brew, bottle and label my own special beers that I'd bring to the Bash for the Old Dark Clubhouse. When Benny showed up at another Bash I remade a dark ale that I first made in '98 that I labeled Black Lagoon Brew.



I gave him a couple bottles ("Hey, where'd you get THAT!"), one to drink and one to keep. He thanked me by carefully signing my own bottle and then carefully tearing off a strip of clear packing tape to seal his autograph so it wouldn't smudge on me. That's our Benny. He was full of those little kindnesses that made him a pleasure to know.

Years ago I called Benny to interview him for an article and we talked for a long time when he opened up about a part of his life that not too many fans know about. I knew Benny was a Marine but when he told me he was with the 7th in Korea my jaw dropped to the floor. Benny was at the Yalu River when the Chinese poured across the border. And long before he terrorized the black lagoon Benny experienced terror at another famous body of water -- Chosin Reservoir. "Gary, you don't know what cold is," he told me. There were aspects of his Korean adventure about which he told me he would never go into specifics, but that day he painted a harrowing picture of what he experienced. He was full of surprises. But that's our Benny.

Rest in Peace.