Benjamin Smoke

Odds are VH1 won't be profiling Georgia musician "Benjamin" anytime soon, so make sure you catch this spooky and moving portrait of this highly unusual artist while you can. Born Robert Dickerson, Benjamin was a gay, HIV+ speed freak who lived out his final days a veritable shut-in in his ramshackle house in the impoverished Atlanta suburb of Cabbagetown. In his day, however, Benjamin was bold enough to don a tutu and front a few bands, including the punky Freedom Puff, the 10-piece-and-counting Opal Foxx Quartet and, ultimately, Smoke. That band's music — a stark, eerily beautiful combination of old-time Americana and growling, strung-out poetry — caught...