Our Remarkable Friend, Benjamin Busch

[image error]Our multi-talented friend Benjamin Busch dropped in on us toting bags of groceries last night and proceeded to spend two hours whipping up a fantastic meal while singing along to Van Halen, Ratt, Guns N’ Roses, and Night Ranger at the top of his lungs.

How multi-talented? He’s a published poet, memoirist, and short story writer, an actor (playing Anthony Colicchio in HBO’s “The Wire” and Major Todd Eckloff in the HBO’s “Generation Kill,) a screen writer, a film director, an illustrator, a photographer, a painter, and a teacher in an MFA program — and excels at all of it. And last night we learned that he once fronted a heavy metal band and that he can COOK!

It was both a pleasure and an honor to be in his company on Memorial Day weekend, because he was also a soldier, serving his country with courage and distinction in several tours of duty with the U.S. Marines in Iraq. My wife Patrica and I are truly blessed to have such a remarkable and generous friend.