Mid-Century Ben
Benjamin Lassiter Niles. In May of 1965, he bounded into this world head- first and has never looked back. Here, let’s all look back at fifty years of Ben, as told by his friends and family.
Happy Birthday, Ben. With affection and joy from those who love you. I love you. — kari
By the time one reaches 50, patterns you create become your passions. For Ben, music and friends have emerged as the consistent pattern, the persistent passion.
Soccer is a close 3rd to friends and music, apparently a transferrable gene he’s passed down to Jack.
Dearest Benjamin:
I’m not only celebrating your fabulous 50th; I’m also celebrating 30 years of friendship that means the world to me. Let the good times roll, baby!
Love,
Tonna
Submitted by Bobby…
Ben and several friends (8–10 kids) playing in the street which we always did. Not sure how old he was but guessing 5–6. Our next door neighbor, Mardell Shambach, was kind of the “wicked witch” of the neighborhood, always exceeded the 25 mph speed limited, and was not necessarily expected to stop for children. Whenever Mardel’s big blue sedan came rushing down the street, most kids knew to get to safety ASAP. If memory serves, Ben was laying on the ground a feared he did not have time to react, so he laid perfectly still while Mardel’s big, blue sedan ran over him without touching or harming him. To quote Ben, “I watch the car from front to rear bumper go over me as I remained still and looked up”. After the car had passed, Ben got up and resumed playing with his friends who were probably in more shock than he. Ben used quite a few of his 9 lives by the time he was 6.
Submitted by Tracey Taylor:
A few precious memories: Indigo girls at Atlanta botanical gardens, early Ahmet’s comets soccer games, sleeping on the futon on 10th street, sleeping on the floor of the upper west side apartment, late night bike riding and skating across the Brooklyn bridge, Sunday brunches at Jules, birthday horse races, birthday baseball games, new year’s trip to big sky, getting stuck on a gondola (Y2k!), pancakes and pranks, Vietnamese in Chinatown, road trip to Salt Lake City, rooftop drinks, dolly llama w/john and bets, croquet on Jekyll island, and babysitting baby jack on our crazy orange couch.
Happy 50th Birthday!
Ben, you old, awesome dude, I’ve got three words for you: Übrigens, Bleib Locker!
Love, Moritz
Fatherhood.
Ben is a great father to Jack and Hatcher. He is both a role model and friend, a coach and a teammate.
The boys are sweet friends. They seem to have learned that from their father.
As we all know, Ben is not the father of just Jack and Hatcher, but connects with babies and kids of all ages, everywhere. Each time he does work abroad, we are afraid (and excited?) he’ll come home with another member of the family. In Liberia with Molly Raskin in particular, the opportunity to share a family of love as glaringly apparent.
No story of Ben is complete without Gran. Gran lives in Ben’s heart and soul, forever teaching and shaping and laughing along with him. Her exuberance for life was surpassed only by her love for her family. Long live Gran!
And Gran always took the grandkids on a trip to New York to visit Uncle Ben when they were 12. The perfect age to remember the trip while not getting in too much trouble.
Gran’s “favorite” grandchild was Jack. She connected with him on an important, lasting level.
Wherever Ben goes, there always seems to be a camera on hand…
Who knew that he would graduate from a Super 8 camera to become a professional, award-winning filmmaker.
Italy. If ever there were an Italian hidden in an Anglo Saxon body, it would be Ben Niles. This photo, taken by Pat Williams, captures how truly “at home” Ben is in the Italian countryside. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he’s cupping a glass of red wine in his right hand.
A close 5th (after friends, music, soccer and Italy) is dogs. Ben loves a dog. He actually loves cows more, but they’re more problematic in a suburban setting. The dog of all dogs, however, in Ben’s memory was Wrinkles.
Mucca came to us in March 2014. Ben named him Mucca because it’s Italian for “Baby Cow.” Which he clearly resembles. Mucca is Ben’s first dog in his adult life, and surely not the last. However he is here to stay for quite some time.
Vermont.
Not his favorite place. Not his least favorite place. Vermont was a quagmire for Ben and Kari to figure out. What didn’t need to be figured out, however, was ice fishing. Pure and simple ice fishing.
Few families can compete with the effervescent, tight-knit, supportive, hilarious family than the Niles of Atlanta. We think of Gran and Janet every day, we hold close to our passions and beliefs and even closer to each other.
Elizabeth.
Nothing against Ben’s amazing brothers Jack and Bobby, but Elizabeth is an enormous influence on Ben, both emotionally and artistically. As the author of this blog post, I am able to say that she is the best sister-in-law on the planet, the most inspirational artist in our lives, and a beacon for our sons as they grow into young artists themselves, but also as little men. Elizabeth, thank you for raising Ben to be the man and artist he is.
For a fair-skinned man who requires a hat in the hot blazing sun, Ben sure has enjoyed a lot of beach time in his short 50 years.
Panorama at Cape Charles, VA on the way to the Outer Banks.
New York City.
Ben arrived in New York in 1993, ready to take on the Big Apple. First at a design firm, then at Atlantic Records, Ben found his posse.
In his 50th year, Ben is just a year shy of living as long in New York as he did in Georgia. For a boy who lives for pulled pork, ham rolls, a wide soft beach and the Allman Brothers (a.k.a. The Almond Brothers), that’s not so bad.
New York was a playground. A hard-knock asphalt sort of playground with hidden treasures, boobie traps and unwritten rules, but a playground nonetheless.
Kari. Ben and Kari met via Rob Cavenagh at Atlantic Records. Ken and Bari were born.
Ben, you are my tennis partner, my life partner, my everything. You continue to amaze me with your creativity, generosity, vision and endless ability to love and give. We make a good team. Thank you for being my other half.
September 23, 2000. Best. Wedding. Ever.
Married in 2000 in Carlisle, PA, the wedding was a blast, but perhaps overshadowed by the party the night before at the Carlisle Tavern.
Submitted by Tracy Taylor…
Ben and Kari have been my personal coaches, handlers, ambassadors, partners-in-crime, roommates, travel buddies, hosts, confidants, matchmakers, and headhunters- he (and she) helped me get to New York, directed me to JDK, introduced me to this amazing person who became my husband, got Andrew to Razorfish, and were our first visitors and friends to visit and cradle our newborn children. We are eternally, and with the most profound affection, deeply, deeply grateful for their love and friendship.
Happy Birthday, rockstar.
Elvis. For some reason, Elvis kept popping up in Ben’s world at a certain time. Perhaps Pat Williams has something to do with this.
Ben was Steve Jobs before Steve Jobs was Steve Jobs.
Ben! Who knew we’d ever see each other again — much less tear up Manhattan — when we first met at your “I’m-moving-to-New-York” yard sale back in Atlanta. I just thought I was buying a crappy old sauté pan from a nice guy who needed to unload a few items on his way to the big city — never to be seen again. So glad that wasn’t the end of the Betsy/Ben capers! If so we would never have discovered the Lower East Side’s secret Polynesian Country Club (complete with super high-end plastic folding chairs and a cooler of top flight Heineken). And we certainly never would have run across the doppelganger for Gutch.
I wish I had photos to share of all those moments (or maybe it’s better I don’t). Can’t say I had a better guide to Manhattan when I arrived! And your hilarious sense of humor, candor, thoughtfulness, energy, ambition, kindness and endearing personality have continued to be cherished by and inspiring to me all these years! I am forever grateful that Norborne suggested I “look up that guy who had the yard sale” when I moved to New York!!
Hard to believe it’s been almost 20 years since we first ran around the city. And harder still to believe you’re turning 50! Wish I could be there with you to raise a glass. Have an amazing, fantastic, unbelievable birthday! Lots and lots of love, Bets
Matchmaker. Ben has been setting up awesome couples for decades now.
Tracy Taylor:
A few precious memories:
Indigo girls at Atlanta botanical gardens, early Ahmet’s comets soccer games, sleeping on the futon on 10th street, sleeping on the floor of the upper west side apartment, late night bike riding and skating across the Brooklyn bridge, Sunday brunches at Jules, birthday horse races, birthday baseball games, new year’s trip to big sky, getting stuck on a gondola (Y2k!), pancakes and pranks, Vietnamese in Chinatown, road trip to Salt Lake City, rooftop drinks, dolly llama w/john and bets, croquet on Jekyll island, and babysitting baby jack on our crazy orange couch.
Andrew Babaian…
There’s no quick words to sum up Ben Niles amazing contribution to my life. I mean, the guy barely knew me and he was trying to set me up with 3 hot women (not all at once, but in hindsight that might have been interesting…just kidding Tracey…..or not?). Little did I realize what I was getting into that evening, that I’d be spending the rest of my life one of those women. I owe so much to him — this was one of those serendipitous situations where any one change in events could have changed the course of our lives. KISMET! Much love Benny and happy 50!
Weddings are always a chance to stand out and make a name for yourself. At Sharon Slaughter’s wedding in Bristol, Tennesee, I believe the bear won.
Did someone say wedding?
Our friends are talented, giving, stand-outs. Every one of you. Thank you for taking us into your worlds, thank you for expanding ours.
Luck might not have anything to do with it, but we feel lucky every day to have such amazing friends who understand, appreciate and tolerate us. As a family. Missy and Andy, looking at you.
South Orange Maplewood.
There are towns and there are towns. Ours houses the most interesting people on the planet. Double Dog Dare you to find another with an equal part artists, entrepreneurs, dare-devils, intelletuals, creatives and risk-takers as South Orange and Maplewood. I’d call it SOMA but that would be waaaaay too Brooklyn.
Tuxedo Park, South Orange.
There are only a few pockets in the world where comfort, mayhem, support, diversity and a love of wine exists harmoniously. Tuxedo Park is just that place. Little did the Niles know when they moved there in 2003 just how important that neighborhood would become for us — for our kids, for our creative lives, for ourselves as growing individuals. The word “neighborhood” is not sufficient to describe the bonds that grow and flourish here.
Katie and Eliot.
Whole tomes have been written about less interesting, engaging and entertaining people than Katie and Eliot (and Tara since she’s in the picture;). We love you both, hope to celebrate 115 more significant holidays with you (in addition to the 28 we’ve already shared). Ben couldn’t find better friends to bounce ideas off of. If only we could curb the Wine Library habit a bit.
Art. Ben inherited the Niles creativity gene, and has been using it ever since. From Atlanta to Italy to New York to Vermont to Plow Productions studio in South Orange NJ, Ben has brought his love of fine art and artists wherever he goes.
No big surprise, but Ben comes from a family of artists. His father, Jack Niles, was an accomplished illustrator, art director, brand builder and artist in the Atlanta area for many years. His work lives in on our homes in the world.
We are a ragtag family of doers, makers, artist and athletes. Ben has shaped our clan and led us to be who we are today. Hopefully respectful, giving visionaries of sorts. If not, you can blame Kari.
Ben, we love you in all of your Mid-Century madness. You bring us joy and love and passion and art and story. Here’s to another half-century together, all of us together in your rich, rich life!
I love you Ben, always, Kari.
