Remembering Ben Eberbaugh (1980-2002) five years later...
BABY LIPS: Ben Eberbaugh (from left), Joe Bradley, Jared Swilley and Cole Alexander
As December 2007 draws to a close, it has been brought to my attention that this month marks the five-year anniversary of Ben Eberbaugh’s death. Hard to believe that it has been so long. Ben was one of the earliest and most substantial guitar players and vocalists for the Black Lips; he played a key role in getting the ball rolling for the group. His death came as a shock to everyone.
I knew him well. We worked together at an “alternative boutique”/clothing store in Little Five Points, called Junkman’s Daughter. Indeed, those were dark days for both of us.
At some point, I quit. Ben was later fired for missing too many shifts, or something like that, and went on to get a job at the Majestic diner on Ponce. We stayed in touch. He was the first person to tell me that the Black Lips were in talks with Greg Show from Bomp!, which later culminated in the release of the group’s first self-titled record.
Ben was also the one who always sought me out to coax me into writing something about their next show.
I found out about his death in a pretty harsh way. I had gone home to visit my friends and family in Iowa and Nebraska. It was a pre-holiday trip to avoid the chaos of traveling closer to Christmas. When I came home, there was a message on my voicemail from a Fox 5 reporter. It said to call him back, so I did. I assumed it was about some writing job I had applied for somewhere down the line. I don’t remember his name.
I called the guy back and he says, “Radford... Radford... Oh yeah! I was calling you about the Black Lips and Ben Eberbaugh.” So I say, “Yes, I know them well. What do you need to know?” Without missing a beat the guy says “Oh, you must not know yet. Ben died in a car accident. Hate to break the news to you. Gotta go!” Click...
That was pretty hardcore. I remember thinking that he must have been drunk, or that it was the result of some sort of negligence on his part. But it wasn’t. He was hit by some woman who was driving the wrong way down Ga. 400.
There is no way to know for sure, but at the time people were speculating that she was going the wrong way down the highway to avoid paying the 75-cents toll. But who knows.
Here is a story that I wrote about the accident just a few days later for Creative Loafing.