Phil & Ben News
The latest concerning the Men In Glasses...
(Last updated 05/07/01)
June 2001
On the 28th, Ben made a guest appearance on Phil's Thursday Triangle (Rugby Hospital Radio) for the first time in many months.
Phil is trying to learn to play the electric guitar and reports "limited progress". Ben seems to be spending most of his time in London at the moment...
May 2001
Well, what can we say? Phil and Ben have been apart more than together these last few months. However, fear not, for they remain the best of mateys. On the gossip front, Ben is a free agent once again and Phil would like to point out to any young ladies reading this that he has been one for quite some time! With all the publicity building up about the new radio licence for Rugby, it's an exciting time, but as yet there are no press releases from the Men In Glasses camp. Keep checking the MIG website though, for as soon as there's any P & B news, it'll be here.
February 2001
Music One, the station that brought you The Phil & Ben Show in Jan-Feb 2000, is now part of a consortium bidding for a full-time licence to provide Rugby with its own permanent radio station. Check out the RUGBY 1 site and make your views known.
Phil finally goes round to see Ben's new house, two months after Ben moved in. "Why would I want to rush round there?" asks Phil. Recently, Phil has declared himself an Eminem fan and has been driving around with a tape of The Marshall Mathers LP on in his car. But, when it comes to motoring, there's an even more worrying development...
Ben has been seen driving a sporty Proton hatchback. Or, to be precise, a BRIGHT YELLOW sporty Proton hatchback (it even has leather seats with yellow bits in the middle!). One of Phil's mates recently saw Ben in it and said "It's ridiculous!", to which Phil replied, "Well, it matches his personality then, doesn't it?"
January 2001
Phil and Ben are rumoured to be cooking up some sort of plan for this year...but it may be just to go down the pub. Who knows?
December 2000
He has a joint homepage with Phil, now Ben has a real bricks and mortar home with fiance Sarah. The couple moved in just before Christmas and Ben is reported not only to have done some decorating, but housework too (however, photographic evidence does not exist and so Phil is yet to be convinced).
November 2000
Ben hardly appears on Phil's show, as he is too busy buying a house with his fiance Sarah. Phil turns 28 on the 6th. Apart from that, not a lot happens.
October 2000
Phil is invited to attend the first board meeting of Rugby 1 FM, the group bidding for the 8-year local radio licence for Rugby, which the Radio Authority will award in 2001.
September 2000
Ben goes to a wedding fair at the Benn Hall in Rugby with fiance Sarah.
Yes, that's right, Ben went to a WEDDING FAIR. "We shouldn't make fun," says Phil, "if Ben wanted to go to a wedding fair instead of doing something more macho like flower-arranging or pony-riding, then that's his decision and we should respect it". (At this point, Phil's tongue got dislodged from his cheek). There's more: Ben was photographed at the event and his picture appeared in the Rugby Advertiser (28.09.2000). See below...
Phil finally gets to see his musical and creative idol. He is feet from Bob Dylan at the Birmingham NEC on 20.09.2000. "Two hours flashed by all too quickly", said Phil, "Dylan is so enigmatic that part of you doesn't quite believe it is possible to actually see him. I was taken aback by just how old he looks, but I'm relieved to have seen him in case he dies or something. I've been in close proximity to the greatest cultural figure of our time. In two hundred years, most of the music we listen to now will have been forgotten, but people will still be discussing Dylan and trying to fathom the inpenetrable depth and beauty of his songs. It's like Shakespeare or Mozart". (We get the impression that Phil quite likes Bob Dylan, don't you?)
Ben sends Phil one of those e-mails that all seem to originate in America, on which you have to fill in the blanks. On this one, the receiver had to answer questions to show how well they knew the sender. For Phil's answers, click here.
This website is now on the Yahoo! UK Broadcasting Webring. Check it out at the bottom of the Home page.
August 2000
Ben has a new pet dog called Buster Frampton. The second name is a tribute to Mr Frampton, a local newsagent whom Ben was very fond of and who had died a few weeks before. The dog shares the house with Ben, his brother and their Dad. Some cynical parties (i.e. Phil) have suggested that Ben only wanted a dog because it means there will now be something in the house that smells and scratches itself more than him.
Phil, who doesn't normally watch much television, has become hooked on Channel 4's fly-on-the-wall documentary (or is it a gameshow?) Big Brother. "That show does my head in", comments Ben.
July 2000
A Guestbook is added to this website.
Ben finally gets to see Oasis live, getting very near the front at their Wembley Stadium show on Friday 21st. He even manages to catch Liam Gallagher's eye and has a staring contest with the man Bono described as "the greatest rock & roll singer of our time".
Meanwhile, Phil is on holiday in Fuengirola, Spain with some of his sane friends. On the last night, he decides to have a solo boogie on the dancefloor of Bogart's Cafe. Despite him being sober - and having never in his life taken a substance stronger than Paracetamol - someone comes up to him afterwards trying to buy Ecstacy off him, convinced that his gyrations must have been chemically-assisted!
June 2000
Ben and his long-term girlfriend Sarah throw a party at Barby Sporting to celebrate their engagement. Ben uses the event to debut a new pair of glasses (oh, and Phil was there too). Ben's quip of the evening came when he and Sarah went on the mic to make acknowledgements: "Thanks to everyone who brought us a present," said Ben, "those of you who didn't - the door's over there!"
Ben coins a new catchphrase and proceeds to drive his friends and family to despair with constant repetition (but the kids love it!). To hear it in all its, er...glory, click here
May 2000
An uneventful month for the duo, although Ben started a new job (so nothing new there then).
April 2000
Phil & Ben appeared on the judging panel of the Karaoke competition held at The Bear in Bilton, Rugby. They were introduced as "Ben Taylor and Phil Smith from Rugby Hospital Radio".
January & February 2000
The Phil & Ben Show on Music One
Click here for details of the duo's first FM radio show
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