The Phonebox Podcast With Emma Conway - Lew Edwards-Middleton: Spice Up Your Life!

Episode Date: July 10, 2023

Who was OBSESSED with the Spice Girls and was actually in a 00's pop band? Content creator, author and Dad Lew Edwards-Middleton that's who! Lew chats on The Phonebox Podcast about his biggest regret involving Baby Spice, his crush on Peter Andre and his brush with fame.Check out Lew and Rich on their wonderful instagram account Two Dads In London here and grab their gorgeous children's book 'My Family And Other Families: Finding the Power in Our Differences'.For more of me follow @brummymummyof2 on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok and follow the all new @phoneboxpodcast account on InstagramIf you have any guest suggestions or topics you would like me to cover email [e-mail] and be sure to tag so I can see where you are listening!Editing by Soundtruism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Phone Box Podcast with me, Emma. How the devil are you? How your week's been? Let me know what you're up to and don't forget to tag me where you are listening. I might start running a competition for the person listening to me in the most unusual place. You will win nothing except the honour, the absolute flipping honour. This week we have a great guest. It is Lou from the brilliant Instagram account and TikTok, Two Dads in London. He runs the account with his husband, Rich, and he's got two beautiful adopted children and they are just a joy he does lots of dancing and you know what this man he knew his 90s he came prepared he had the stories and I absolutely loved chatting to him never have I met a person who apart from

my sister actually to be fair she loves himself loves the Spice Girls so if you are a lover of Spice Girls oh also he was in a noughties band wait till you get to that bit he's in a band I will put it on my Instagram so you can see he's in a band and the song is Girls on Top and it is on Spotify I've listened to it you've got to go check it out so enjoy this bump along episode with the lovely Lou and I'll see you at the end for a chat hello Lou and welcome to the podcast thanks for coming thank you for having me just just me I might ask just you I did ask you of a half to come on but you said no why because Richard and I say this in the nicest possible way like what we're going to be talking about he will have absolutely no clue he will sit there with a strange look on his face as if to say what

are you two going on about so i just thought leave him out of it no yeah um and i call him the worst gay ever why because he is the worst gay ever like just because not stereotypically like you have to like these glamorous things from the 90s that we always remember but he literally just probably kicked a ball around every day and that was it pointless in being here he's here in spirit yes we've acknowledged him but we're we've been in him off now i've gone jerry halliwell on him i've gone so low i've got the ginger hair oh i saw on tiktok the other day um a live performance of jerry doing look at me that was a great song wasn't it? I remember the day. I was getting ready for school, and my mum said,

I've just seen Geri Halliwell's new song. I was like, what is it? She's like, it's all right. It is an absolute look at me. I had the single that came with the postcards. Of course you did. Stephen saw it when we were on, and he was like, oh, she was ever so small.

She was like a little boy, wasn't she? When she was, when she was spent so tiny because in the Spice Girls, like, oh, she's the fat one. She was never fat, ever. But the 90s,

they said everybody was fat. It was terrible. And plus she wore like humongous trainers, platform trainers. Yeah, she was, I love Geri Halliwell. Okay, so when were you 14 then?

I had to Google it because I wasn't quite sure myself because I look in the mirror nowadays. Oh, my God, you just look 21. It could have been like last week. It can't be true. So I was 14 in 1997. Do you know what?

You do look... How... Can you say you're eight? I'm 14 in September, you see. You do look great, you know. 1983. You do look great. Do you know what it is? It is like my mom and my brother all look

yeah like like we have some like gene yeah lucky i will be selling some dna samples okay so you were 14 then and it was the what was the kind of what was your bedroom like that's the the tell all of what people are like so um 1997 um in the height of spice mania so like spice world had just come out like the the album the second album yeah um was just the campus time wasn't it like spice girls absolutely obsessed my bedroom i tried to find a picture because there is evidence of this covered yeah covered and i know that you did the podcast the other day you were saying that you had posters stuck to you well i had this massive one of the Spice Girls like literally my room was like a Spice Girls museum honestly oh it's not did you have the dolls I didn't have the does no I think

like I still kept something I still kept some things to try at the time I wasn't out but I think you're like the doll is just a step too far although I did hide a little mermaid doll my mum bought me a little mermaid doll that I hid underneath the bathroom cabinet flip it around Spice Girls posters on the ceiling did it fall on you it did blue tax not the thing on our text you see um but now I think about it anyone who entered my room I would say over the age of 18 probably went, yeah. Because I think I even had a little section of Peter Andre. And I remember trying to justify to my mum, I love his music.

Yeah, I really like his music. And I think he's got a great exercise regime. And I really like his hair. It's not my fault he posts his topless all the time there were no other there are no other posters for me to have on my wall yeah so and it was purple and yellow my room not not not like it no and my mum had to like make me these curtain ties because they probably did exist in those colors I know so she knew I said did you always know that I might have been gay growing up but she was like well yeah it was it was quite obvious like um but yeah I know I yeah that's what my bedroom and I shared because my I had a one of those um double beds with a

bunk bed on top because um oh no I would have loved one of them when I was young it was a futon that folded up into a futon chair so I just thought I was basically living like a New York apartment life back then you were basically carried from Sex and the City surrounded by Peter Andre posters yeah who's your favorite member Jerry I think I think I went through phases when it first came out i was like i am jerry halliwell basically i've got the ginger hair not that i'm not as talented as my other friends um who could like sing and dance um but you know and then i sort of had this dilemma when the spice world movie came to vhs i walked down to blockbuster on the day it come out

and i i lost myself because remember you could get a tin an individual tin yeah i got a britney spears lunchbox once with things in and i've still got that things like that were like brilliant weren't they you could only get one and you had to get to the front of the queue then say which spice girl you wanted and i I said Baby Spice. Why did I say Baby Spice? Oh, you panicked. I should have said Jerry because it would have been worth more, I think. Or Victoria.

You know what? You could have probably lived on that for the rest of your life. It would have been millions. And the VHS was like bright lime green, living art, honestly. Oh, lovely. But I actually think nowadays, queuing up outside blockbusters to spend 13.99 on a vhs i'm do you know what i miss those days i queued up to get a take that babe seven inch and it was

like a photo frame with mark you could swap who you wanted in the front and i've still got that upstairs apps have you still got your spice girls vhHS I think I've got they released like this our photo album that they you could buy like a set of photos and then you had to like fill up the album and obviously you kept getting doubles it was frustrating back there it was hard for me it was hard for me to buy the merch because you've got to think I was only 14 although I wanted that Spice Girl watch like I just couldn't ask yeah like my parents can I have that Spice Girl watch. Like, I just couldn't ask. Yeah. Like, my parents. Can I have that? Even though they probably thought he wants that Spice Girl watch more than anything. Yeah.

If there's a knock on the door now, right, and you've gone to get it and you're opening it, it's one of the Spice Girls who's walking in right moment and that will make you the most happy. Who is? You're, like, opening the door. She's there. It's got to be Geri. Do you want Geri now or Geri then? Probably Geri then because now she's very, like, sophisticated. jerry do you want jerry now or jerry then probably jerry then because now she's very like sophisticated she only wears white didn't she white and cream she's very neutral is

she a bit horsey as well there's two horses and stuff i saw the other day she's got a um fantasy novel book coming out that she's written it's called something like i can't remember it's like eagle it's like it's basically a ripoff of har Potter, I'm guessing. But it's sort of like the eagle girl or something like that. Gary Snotter. And it says at the bottom, best-selling author and musician, Geri Horner. Oh, she's Horner. Yeah, Halliwell Horner.

So you open the door and I'm guessing Geri in her Union Jack dress. Yeah. Peace sign on the back, knickers and she goes she goes ziga ziga and she walks in and you have a lovely time i just think she's probably got some stories because i think when you're when you look up to a pop group as a young younger person you imagine them just to be this like lovely person who doesn't do anything wrong isn't it it's all behind the scenes and i just want to hear the stories behind the stories you know i mean i bet she's got some about her and mel yeah she rich i mean she she did let out a couple of racy stories didn't they didn't she

about her and mel yeah she got an autobiography i read that is it good jerry jerry's first one and you know what this is so sad i'm telling you this almost secrets richard's not here it's not what happened this is a safe space this is a safe space it's gonna go out to millions so basically the front of her autobiography was half of her face yeah oh and i used to put it over my half and she brought out that documentary do you remember that documentary she brought out she really she left the Spice Girls and I think she started filming she was the first reality show I think she ever came up with Bob she had a Bob black cropped up she was out there thin yeah

and she followed her around and I think I what I taped it and I think I watched that about a million times I don't know I was just like obsessed with her I'd probably watch it, and I think I watched that about a million times. And I was just, like, obsessed with her. I'd probably watch it. If it was on the telly tonight, I'd watch it. I would, honestly. I'd sit down and watch it. No, this is a safe space. Everything you're feeling, I felt about tape that.

It's fine. I didn't hold up a picture of half of Gary Barlow's face to my face. But you would have. But you know what? I probably wouldn't. And kissed it, wouldn't you I probably wouldn't have kissed it, would you? I wouldn't have kissed it.

Had a little... I'm trying to think if I ever kissed a poster. I'm not sure I did. Well, I might have kissed the Peter Andre one just to see. We've had...

Yeah, we've had somebody who kissed the Peter Andre poster. She used to kiss the nipples and it was a glass frame so she could just wipe off the kiss marks. That's scary. But no, I don't think...

I have met Peter. I have met Peter Andre in the 90s. Was he nice to you? Because he was nice when I met him. I just don't want to get into the story because it's embarrassing, but I was actually... It was about 2022

and I actually was in an up-and-coming pop group. Hang on, hang on. 2022 was last year. No, no, sorry, 2002. Oh, my God. I was going to... Last year. Give me the filler. Could, no, sorry, 2002. Oh, my God. I was going to... Last year. Get me the filler.

Could you imagine? I was in a pop group. OK, so 2002, you were in a pop group. Yes, I was in a pop group and I went to the Capital FM Awards. Nobody knew who we were. And there was obviously celebs in there. And our management was at the time, go and talk to them, go and talk to them, like to the celebrities. And they had us a thing that they wanted us to do so whenever we went whenever we wanted to go toilet whenever we wanted to go speak to someone

we were to hold hands like now i think about it we must look like a school school trip what how many of them the band four five i was the only boy oh okay so you're the only boy and you all had to hold hands when you went to the toilet. I think it's just so people looked at us and probably thinking, why are they holding hands? But anyway,

I met Peter and he was just really lovely. But there was four girls in the group. So I think that's why he was talking to us. Yeah. Was he with Katie Price then? Hang on, no. 20 years ago now,

it would be pre-Katie, wouldn't it? I used to love the Katie and Peter Andre show. I had the album. A whole new world, I can show you the... And when she did that Eurovision entry when she was pregnant in like a hot pink hat suit. I mean, I know she's my mom, but I absolutely love her. I watch Mucky Mansion, I'm obsessed.

I do love her. She's a great mom to Harvey and you can't take that away from her. And I was at an event the other week and there was this woman. I think, where do I know her from? Oh, my God. It was Katie Price's sister. Literally. Okay.

So, Dunya Bedrew, what kind of music, apart from the Spice Girls, were you into? Is it pure pop? Yeah. Oh, my God. A hundred percent. What was it? So, in 1997, do you want to know what the number one was? Oh my God, 100%. What was it?

So it was Candle in the Wind, Elton John. Oh, you've brought the mood down. I know, but I'm going to bring it back up again. Barbie Girl. Barbie Girl. Oh, Aqua. That's good. Yeah. They're still together. Yeah, they are. They pop up on TikTok sometimes.

And they did follow me on Twitter at one point. Did they not follow you anymore? I don't know. I'm going to fact check that and I will let you know at the end, people. How embarrassing if they unfollowed me. Vanilla Ice follows me and I regularly

check just to make sure. But Vanilla Ice also follows about 400,000 people. This has nothing to do with the 90 okay. Did you ever get a follow? This has nothing to do with the 90s. Did you ever get followed by Taye Diggs? No. You know who Taye Diggs is?

I know. So, like, he's an actor. He was married to Idina Menzel. I can't really say it. Oh, I know who she is. He was married to her and he's an actor. And he followed literally about 2 million people. If anybody's listening and you were at one point randomly followed by Tayegs please let me know who else you're in the gang who else famous

follows you let me know get ready for this i'm glad you're sitting oh my god i'm i'm sat down i'm holding onto the table h from steps not only that i once did a chat with h on his show just me rich not rich because he didn't know any of Steps though he didn't know anything about that, no routines H from Steps DM, we DM sometimes do you, does he watch

your stories and like give it a little double tap sometimes? He did when I was doing when I was in the line up for his show okay so he, was he nice? he seems like a nice man lovely lovely lovely guy yeah yeah um Kimberly from Girls Aloud she follows me on Instagram as well she once watched my stories and I was like what's going on there it's because we have the same right get ready for this guys because we have the same management um you went in really close to the microphone yeah me and kimberly have the same

management kimberly from gather yeah you're basically one of girls alone i am um and i met her at um uh our agency did like a uh christmas party type thing nice she was that everyone knew i was obsessed and then she was like hi lou and she was so lovely honestly oh that's nice yeah i met her um the no hang on not the clothes show that is the night is this morning live yeah she was on a stall selling some clothes i think she had arranged with next or something but she seems nice lovely her sister was there as well and i don't watch soaps so we're chatting away and then we found out that she's like on emmerdale is she yeah i don't watch emmerdale i used to watch back in the day i'd go like neighbors home and away holly oaks emmerdale coronation street i'd do the whole

boom i don't watch any of them anymore no no i i did stick with holly oaks for a bit but then i just don't have time to i don't have the commitment i was saying it's the same people it was on the telly that it's tony's been it is It's the same people Just pop up all the time On it Yeah yeah So pop music So we've got Spice Girls Aren't all saints

Loved all saints And do you know What really annoys me This is what annoys me About nowadays Like all saints came out They started The cargo trouser trend

Love them I wanted a pair Of cargo trousers And at the time Boys were like No you can't wear them do you know what I mean now they're all the range Erin's 12

she's well in she's got many pairs of cargo pants she wants a Von Dutch hat I had one of course you did they've got like dragons at the legs and like little tops yeah it's full all saints does she have the ones though that Of course you did. I'll show you know the thing they've got like dragons at the left. And like little tops.

Yeah it's full all saints. Does she have the ones though that had the material that. Random bits of material coming off them. Do you remember those ones? They're really baggy. No she didn't have it. And also not one with a skirt over the top. But my sister said the other day she wants that fashion to come back.

It will come back. It will come back. Rebecca. Yeah. I'm not sure I could pull that off at 45 i would give it a good go like okay so at school where were you in the hierarchy were you cool were you just middle ground do you know what i went to a so secondary school i went to a all boys school for the for people going into the navy so it was called the London Nautical School it was because I lived like growing up I lived very central like I lived in Himliko which is

kind of southwest one sort of like really nice area and then I went to school in London Waterloo and it was like for people we had to wear like proper like smart sailor uniforms we had to march in the mornings and like yeah we had to do like one of the options was like nautical studies um and it just worked my vibe if i'm honest with you no i don't i don't yeah i can't imagine you imagine like i used to get sent off but you know? Do you remember when Reebok came out with those trainers where the Reebok bit was like plastic and shiny? No, I don't. Remember, you know Reebok classics?

Reebok classics, so they were white and they used to come up with different colours. And because it was a bit Spice Girl-y, like the plastic-y like thing, and I pretended I forgot my, I didn't have school shoes and I wore them oh I've got I've only got these and everyone hates it would never wear them in my school but like you get if you had the wrong uniform we used to get sent off parade this man like one of the

kids in year like 11 used to walk down look at your socks make sure you had the same socks on and he said get off get off parade I'm like Ivar Rebo that's fine everyone look at the shoes and then because it was like really strict the only bit of like individuality you could have is your your hat you could bring to school in like whatever school bag you wanted like designer bag and I had a gap yeah with the white pull string nice like bag yeah of course you're not got plastic yeah I mean I had to I didn't have a terrible time at school I was kind of like a floater I kind of like I didn't get I know like lots of like LGBTQ plus I people say that they had a terrible time at school I didn't really I didn't really I had a good time I had friends and I kind of like they were like the outcasty friends like the boy that smoked on the break Jack Casey if you're listening we still remember you

like he used to like we needed we need the code to get out because there's no probably no video cameras back then we knew the code to get out so we used to go out at lunchtime go out to the estate and he used to smoke and we me and my friend David who is gay now but at the time we gravitated toward each other in school because we were into the same things but obviously we never had a conversation of like do you like boys or anything like that we were just like really good friends and we used to like stand guard for Jack the smoker and we thought he was like cool cool people yeah so like all the popular boys I think looking back at it I probably liked when they used to say go on give me a hug I'd be like no okay

no it couldn't possibly be okay do you think they knew oh probably probably because obviously going to an all-boys school they and they loved rugby and football and yeah and like I had a lot of friends that went to all-boys schools it's uh quite a an interesting place and I worked in one once and it just stunk away yeah I mean I wouldn't say looking back I had a terrible time I just had an average average but in my mind yeah everyone was there preparing for like going into the navy or like engineering and i'm like i'm gonna be a pop star because yeah well you you losers i'm gonna be on the top top i'm so excited so me and david you know the newspaper the stage this is the most

exciting thing we ever did so we used to get this well we didn't used to buy it we used to go into wh smith's or whatever and look at the back right down like we used to rip it out actually be naughty if there was an audition that we thought we were going to get because it would be like boy band being audition come Saturday at Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden oh Pineapple Studios we actually bumped out of school in year um year 11 to go and audition for this pop group we weren't old enough but we still went anyway so we go in and we're there we just had no honestly honestly looking back now if I would cringe at my life like I brought my own clothes in shoved them in my bag was like probably like the cargo trousers I remembered it was just like green long-sleeved shirt that was probably too tight for me and we went into a room and the guy just goes

dance everyone just dance and it and he put on um Janet Jackson everywhere everywhere I go and I just go every smile I see the confidence you were just like Scott I've smashed this I'm going to be in it just you fruit and I was like okay then

and we just went back to school do you know what the confidence when you're little like I I used to get they'd be like we're looking for

we're looking for a new morning breakfast host and I'd be like I can do that I'm 50 you know you have like Zoe Ball Chris Evans they're gonna have 15 year old I was in the queue oh well I'll audition at the radio Birmingham

whatever you just you just thought it was like it's so confident wasn't it it was so bad like honestly kids if any kids are listening stay in school stay in school and learn but I bunked off again and waited outside the channel four building on hope that we might see some sort of celeb going do you know what I mean it's just no it's not me we used to do like just random things and now I look back and I think how did you do that do you know what I mean like I know you should get in trouble for bunking off a lot did you stay there to uh to sixth form or did you I actually went in I went into the sixth form and I said it worked for me I left walk straight because my Saturday job was in Warner Brothers

studio shop in Regent Street so you know like it's basically like the Disney shop but Warner Brothers it's not there anymore shut down we had one in Birmingham and it shut down yeah it was a shame I worked in the stock room and this is so I was about 17 then and I think that's when I started to realize oh hi hi boys like I remember there was this boy who used to work there and he worked in a stock room and I used to pretend that I needed to go and get stock in hopes that he would talk to this because if I look young now at 17 I looked about eight ginger hair not sure of himself person thinking I'm gonna be a pop star and he's to go in and be like oh do you know where this is and he'll just be like yeah let's walk out again 10 minutes later do you know where this is oh do you know where this Looney Tunes t-shirt is yeah yeah so then

so I just worked in retail if I'm honest and then that's when I started going out at ages that I probably shouldn't have done and then I got that yeah I thought you know what I'm gonna go for it completely off topic now this is what happens when Rich is not here I got a legally blonde was out at the time yeah and you know that bit where she applies for the internship and she goes it's pink and she goes and it's scented yeah so I so I printed my CV off on four different colored paper and just took it into the Disney shop in Bond Street I was like that's Disney massive Disney fan yeah and I got the job and I switched to Disney and as you can imagine the ratio to gay to straight men working in the disney it was all of a sudden yeah and i was there

for like the carly we know victoria beckham battle for number one like and they took me to like heaven and jay and jay every saturday would have a pop star like yeah because obviously their singles would be out and i like danny minogue or someone like that yeah lived my singles would be out and I like Danny Minogue or someone like that yeah lived my best life really like and I didn't really know therefore that sounds a great job um I think about about a year a year or so and then I auditioned um to be a Pontins Blue Coat and then I was Pontins Blue Coat for the next six years. Oh, my God. I love red coats and blue coats. I had the best.

I bet you were so good. That was my thing. Literally, that was, I didn't really know what to do. I always wish I went to drama school or dance school. I never did. I'm too shy to do that. I tell you what, you cannot beat, like, we go to Butlin's, Butlin's Panto or something like that.

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today conditions apply details at fizz.ca i love it so you see how crushes on the boys in the back room apart from peter andre who is your famous 90s crush do you know who jennifer taylor thomas is what he wasn't casper was he no he wasn't in casper no he was in like home improvement and that was it lean of i don't know leonardo caprio roman juliet of course who wouldn't of course every single every single person on this podcast has said that apart from one who said carol decker Right, no, no, no. Jack Ryder, EastEnders. Classic blonde, floppy. Why were we so obsessed with blonde, floppy hair? I'm sure it was like in the singles of like,

PopCritz, Spliffing All Messages. Blonde, floppy hair is what you want. Do you remember, was Jack Ryder, no, do you remember Paul Nichols? Yeah. Paul Nichols. Yeah, yeah. And was the plot that he put loads of silver foil

on his head? Yeah, because he went crazy, didn't he? He was conspiracy. He went a bit mental. Conspiracy. It's good. That was cracking TV, that was. I had a ricket coronation streak. I breathe again. I mean, honestly, I think

anyone would turn gay watching that music video. And do you know what? I have the album that used to be my karaoke song at pontins i breathe again like it's not like it is nowadays like it was terrible you could like you could smoke like smoke in venues back then of course we'd have our drink back like honestly if they did a reality show about pontins in the 2000s it'd be shut down it's basically shut down now carnage honestly carnage and phil

oh my god awful awful like honestly brilliant awful but brilliant yeah and also do you know what's good is that there was no social media um no evidence of those times so you could get away with doing whatever you wanted and nothing would come back and bite you on the butt and i don't i know that no one's going to believe me on this podcast but and i know that they say that paris hilton and britney spears invented the selfie but they didn't i heard it here i invented the selfie i took out my camera that was so big i never used to i'd just carry it because it couldn't fit my my pocket the thing used to come out and hope for the best you still happen to get it developed that would be developed on film wouldn't it yeah no no you could kind of see it with the screen it

was sort of like um in the 2000s obviously I did obviously I did go I did live through um click because yeah like um the dance competitions were sponsored by um i think it was pepsi or something and they sent that the winners would win a little disposable camera we used to like steal them and take them out yeah love to dispose of a cat when you're getting them back and they'll be like one good photo and then the rest would be like um we had disposable cameras on a girl's trip to nukey which would have been 96 97 yeah and we met a group of boys whatever they came back it was you know as you do but that's what happened in your girly holiday took the film and to be developed on the last day of the trip waited the you could either pay like

rush for an hour or you could wait for like six hours or whatever so we waited got them back the photos were of the boys putting our toothbrushes up their bumholes that we had been cleaning our teeth with these boys day one let's take these photos I always used to think like the people who developed them at like boots they must have been like what and I just think that's probably like the most you probably have the best time going to like the college look at this yeah yeah because these boys are like really like looking at the camera like haha laugh yeah oh do you know what we just laughed off it was fine and we got back on the coach and came back to birmingham it was a great holiday and now they're all out of a job because of tech yeah it was but could you imagine if you had social media back then because i look now now, now I look at, when you look at Facebook memories

and you've written a dramatic Facebook status. And I think that was only 10 years ago. Like the end of the world. I would have been, I do kind of wish I'd had some photographic evidence of the outfit. Like there was like years where I didn't have to wear a bra. I mean, they'd be dragging on the floor now,

but there was like no bra, like mini skirts. I miss, I'm sad I don't have any evidence of that because I say this to like the kids now I even to my son what I'm still I'm taking a picture because when you're 18 I'm gonna have this and you're gonna like go oh I'm glad you took that picture yeah yeah sometimes you probably think some like paparazzi at them they're probably like no no no no photos like same i'll tell you what when they when they get to like secondary school it's very difficult or if they get their wedding speech yeah and you can do a little speech and go oh you know um so if there's two dads you don't both do speeches at the wedding i know this is a real far ahead things think of i i hope that i'll be doing everything if i'm honest

i might even do the wedding but i might i'd like to do because the mums don't get to do anything really mums are a bit like you know my mom's walked us down the aisle oh my god i walked richard walked in i walked second obviously waited for the cue of the music um yeah came in and i was a bit like this like i was really like nervous and I actually there's a video I look like a ping pin machine ball because I'm like bouncing up my mom because I was just so nervous but yeah I had the best I when I was picked they're not they're not songs that I wanted unique songs that like were covers by somebody else you know what I mean just like the best playlist ever but um we had our first dance to Jamie Foxx in Dreamgirls.

When I first saw you. You know that song? I don't think I know that song. Never see the Dreamgirls. I have seen it. I am telling you, I have seen it. But I can't. I love that.

Get me on the stage. What am I doing in a bedroom? Okay. That was just having a nice sentimental moment there where you know everything about Kate's hat. And I'm like, I don't like it. I don't like it. I'm tearing up.

Okay, I want Fashion Faux Pals. Do you know like the Nike and Adidas bags? You know they did mini ones. They do mini ones. So I wanted to wear one for the wrong reasons because I was totally obsessed with the film Clueless yeah and they the girls like wear these if you watch if you look at a photo you'll see that the girl's wearing this like little bag like tiny little yeah so I was wearing one to my secondary school I mean my A4 book could even fit

in it and then I was like why are you wearing that and I'm like hello that was a stub sign I totally tore like rolling with yeah rolling with my home like me and David in the corridor get away gay getting out smashing trying to learn the lyrics off those that's a faux pas I don't that's a faux pas I think that sounds nice I really wanted a pair of buffalo boots because obviously I'm obsessed oh yeah and there was this shop in Oxford Street and I remember these basically like rip-off buffalo boots were like 30 quid and I bought them oh yeah me and David bought them and I remember going home and they're just my mum looking at them going what are they and I'm like it's shoes yeah shoes mum I'm looking at him going, what are they? And I'm like, it's shoes. Yeah. It's shoes, mum.

I'm a spy. Were they that big? No, no, you know, like the trainer ones, like. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. My sister had knockoff ones of those as well. Yeah, because they went all the rage. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I did whack a bit of hair mascara in.

Nice. Did you ever do sun in? Yeah, and I would, like like now it's quite dark but back in the day it was like ron weasley i look like ron weasley and i used to tell all the boys at school that i dyed my hair like i don't know why that's that better do you know what i mean you're just like this is a choice and the teacher would be like you don't dye your hair i'm like i do dye my hair they probably think there's no roots i used to go like this you sound like you were so sweet but my eyebrows are dark so i used to go look look at my eyebrows look yeah i this is the choice this is a lifestyle choice okay what's

your favorite ever fashion you're wearing quite a 90s top in this podcast actually well if you're young and trendy you'll know that this is the top that um is popular in, is it Heartbreakers or Heartstoppers? You know that programme at the minute? Yeah, oh, that made me, that was just such a lovely programme. You know, at the end, I didn't know I had this top. And then at the end he goes, we're boyfriends. And he's wearing this top. So I'm actually quite hip, that's what I say.

Is it Joe and Nick? Is that the name of the character? Do you know, I watched it when I had COVID. I was locked in a room it was all a blur the pandemic that we don't talk about um I was locked in a room going through Netflix no one would come near me obviously so I just watched it and I watched it and I actually thought you know what this is what I needed when I was younger what did yeah what did I get queer as folk do you know what I needed when I was younger. What did I get? Queer as folk. Do you know what I mean? Queer as folk was proper, proper really, wasn't it? Like from the absolute

offset. I used to tape it in my VHS in my room and when I hear a noise stop. I might add this. It wasn't like nowadays technology. This was like push stop. It was like. No, you don't want to watch some of them bits you wouldn't want to watch for your mom. No, no. But when you push the button it would go back but i think the kids nowadays or the

secretly gay kids now could just nip on their phones like not that you should do that but what i'm just saying is like maybe if i had heart stoppers or i think that's what it's called as an influence rather than queer as fuck. Like, go out to the clubs and, like... Queer as fuck. There just seemed to be something that was, like, a little bit dark about it. It wasn't for teenagers, really.

It was for, like, young teenagers. It was like a grown-up programme. It was like a Friday night, like, late-night programme, wasn't it? It was still great, though. Yeah, still good. It was still great. Obviously, that was the sort of only thing that was showing that sort of stuff like growing up um but yeah Heartbreakers of Hearts of Astokia I'm so glad that the kids have like that sort of stuff yeah and they're

doing another series I think because she's got like quite a lot of books out hasn't she the author so I think they'll be doing I think the books are a little bit more because I was going to get the books for my daughter and people said the books are I think a little bit more adulty um than the program but yeah it's great so what so what was your best fashion item then when you were in the 90s well I probably like I actually do own I don't know what it is maybe because you know like they say that people who didn't have a lot of money growing up when they get money they buy toys and stuff don't they yeah like I actually own three pairs of buffalo shoes and I wear them to events nowadays and I'm reliving my 90s life. Could you please send me a photo so I can put it on the insta stories of your buffalo shoes please I really want to see what colors are they? I've got a white pair a black pair and like a snake skin pair which I'm yet to

wear out and I used to wear this green Adidas hoodie to cover everything because I was going out after work and my mum I think my mum asked me to get something and I went like that and I had like pretty much uh a tragedy and um no five six seven eight cowboy pale blue belt oh and um this top which my mum didn't see thank god that was glittered num because remember when numbers were on everything numbers numbers yeah was a six and a nine glittery blue numbers and I think and I think if you ask a lot of like gay men maybe not speaking for everyone that when they hit their I'm out they go through a yeah express yourself kind of phase and then you go back to wearing just like actually I was wearing your heart stopper tops a nice yeah actually I was

wearing a grey night top and rich went is that what you're wearing it's a podcast you're not even on the past podcast okay so what is your greatest um teenage flop so what's something you think back you know in terms of like something that i regret i find it really hard to say things that i don't because i don't regret a lot honestly oh that's good because i always feel like um and i know you're gonna ask me because i'm a fan of your podcast that you um would you rather be a child now or back back then and I honestly this is going to be very this is a soppy moment like how my life how my life is now married to the love of my life um being a parent to amazing children I I wouldn't change.

If anything, if I had to change something, I always think, oh my God, but that I might not end up here. Yeah. I haven't had a terrible time growing up being gay. Do you know what I mean? I've had parents accepting, friends accepting, never had any trouble going out.

Do you know what I mean? So like, I haven't got a lot to regret, apart from my pop group never taking off. What was your pop group called? Hussie with an E. Hussie with an E? H-U-S-S-E-Y. There's still some YouTube, on YouTube, you can see the music videos.

That is what I am going, as soon as I hang up on this podcast, that's what I'm doing tonight. You could even, there's one other song, Girls on Top is you can use it as a song on your instagram story if you want it's actually still there it's not me singing why do i feel like i know the song girls on top the girls on top we are the we are the we did we you were the boy though what it was like i don't quite understand what i was just in a pop group at the time. I would have signed to any deal. When you go to toilet, you have to hold hands with the girls.

And you're like, yeah, cool. You have no creative control. You might meet Peter Andre and you're like, I am in. And we got called the crap version of the pussycat dolls, basically.

Oh, right. Okay. Oh, crap version of the pussycat doll. I right okay oh crap version of the pussycat doll i mean it's not the best call i wouldn't change your bio to that and i would just be like do you like the way that i talk do you like the way that i move like this like and it was just very spy skills x-rated spy Yes. It sounds absolutely brilliant.

Was your mum really proud? Well, she did come and watch me at a few gigs. My dad did it. Oh, yeah. They were supposed to be at gay bars, though. My mum would have just been like, she'd have loved that. So you're glad that you grew up then

to get you to this point? I feel like it was like the campus time to grow up. Could you imagine nowadays going into a nightclub and then then putting on sailor v and everyone doing the irish jig with their vegan so i mean that is like my house you need to come my house would be your dream nightclub because i'll be playing the bit of sailor v but richard's like double denim and this turn this up i've dragged him to spire skills i've dragged him to brit Spears. Yeah, I've been to see Britney. I bet you're going to try and get Taylor Swift tickets.

Do you know what? My son actually loves the Love Story song because it's on TikTok, isn't it? He's got a girlfriend, Jessica, and there's a bit on the TikTok where he goes, and he doesn't really know the song. He's like, meh. The ring. And then he goes, in the car it's on,'s like put out a ring and the ring said marry me juliet oh i love it how old is it eight going on 18 yeah taylor swift tickets i think you're gonna be hot maybe an eight-year-old

perhaps she does like 42 songs i'm not sure we'd laugh he likes um like richard's into like swedish house mafia he was like a dance like a dance wow he's like the beat the beat's gonna drop and i'm like easy feed like even i play spice the kids know the Spice wannabe the kids we played actually yeah of course they do Spice Girls we played it

and I actually feel like I've got my own little Spice Girl with oh and how old is she she's like five and as soon as she's

stable in shoes she's getting a buffalo pair of buffaloes you need a jackdress you're like you're like this I'm handing this down to you

and she hang on you should probably have smaller feet. Put a bit of tissue in. You can wear these. There you go. These are yours. She's my own little Spice, my own little Spice girl.

And yeah, she's really, really sweet. She loves singing and dancing. So who knows? I took Erin to see Gary Barlow. And the quote from her at the end to me was, that was an old man singing. Yeah. Old man songs to old ladies

yeah he was like that's Gary Marlow take that look he's like no he was like no that is not any good and I was like right okay doesn't quite but Spice Girls that she probably quite like she probably would quite like that um my mum took me to see the Spice Girls at Wembley Arena originally when they first toured we have a tradition where we go and see every single concert by this one male artist and we've probably been to every single thing they've done and that's Will Young.

I'm gonna make it evergreen. Is he still knocking them out, Will Young? He's just done 20 years tour. Me and my mum are like the youngest ones include my mum so I'm 40 so I'm 40 imagine how old she is I won't say it um and we're like the youngest ones there and my mum's like it was so funny she was like I'm looking around here and all I can see is

old people and gay men like I was like I know but we love him don't we we love him we pay that audiences are quite when i went to see the gary barlow um he did like a life story they were older ladies i would say more like my mom's age which i would have thought they'd have been younger people but they are quite older they still had a good old scream and a good old love you gary when it went quiet like do you do you ever think like have these random, I call them car thoughts when you're by yourself. Do you think they're like 80 years old and putting on wannabe? Do you know what I mean?

Yeah, you'll be doing that. I'll be 80 going to see Tate that over their 90s. But do you think it's like, obviously my granddad putting on older songs. Oh, like it'll be like, you know, like we'll meet again. But could you imagine like, like we'll be like like you know like we'll meet again but could you imagine like like we're in the old folks home and we're like everybody get up sing it yeah i'll be doing that attempted the jig they're not real classics are they no like but like

honestly like i absolutely love that era nowadays obviously got little vicks and things like that but it's not the same is it no the 90s stuff was absolutely cracking um i i'm gonna end with this one question i'm not sure you're gonna have an answer but i'll be okay blur oasis i like oasis songs more. Yeah. But I do like that. Lives in a house, a very big house. You're going Blur because you might be the first Blur person. I do like Blur. My brother loved Oasis, so I sort of knew all the Oasis songs.

He probably threw the wall and he had all the Spirescale songs. Your neutral Blur and Oasis. You don't mind either? No, no. I like both of them but i probably say i know more of oasis songs yeah yeah i'll wear it i could do that on this um my little boy told me today that um oasis are reforming because manchester city have done the triple does that make rich would probably know more about that if you like football i mean will noah noel and leo

leo ever leo i don't know the name see that's how bad i know will they ever be in the same room who knows that's what he that's what that's what my 10 year old told me today he's told me he's told me that would you like to see was jerry with the spice it's all five spice girls because i went to see them and i can't remember was somebody not on it when we went to see them recently was it all five of them victoria wasn't in there she's too posh for it now do you think you'll ever see them all together again i mean i do find it's a bit out of order that she can't have done because i did hear a rumor that we're getting back together for

the king's coronation and i think i mean i know she's in fashion it's not as if she doesn't want i think i think she thinks I think she wants to be back in the group because whenever you see her like parties and they play it she's always like doing the moves like she misses being a spy scale but she can't because she's got to be taken serious as a fashion icon. Victoria if you're listening let us know what you think. I mean come on how how out of your mind didn't go to number one i will never know dame bowers and we were talking about dame bowers before this podcast started like next door to um disney shop was a hmv where a lot of them used to sign because it was voluntary um and she

pulled a quick thing with david beckham and dame bowers to do signing because obviously carly was beating her and david be Beckham was signing as well so she pulled that little trick did you see her there? I saw the queue, I had to work did you ever go to any signings? Do people still do signings now? I used to go to loads I went to Atomic Kitten one

was it with Kerri-Ann or with no Jenny and she said oh you're so cute one of them well williams once said i look nice i'm gonna probably put that on my team's back saying get tattoos here lies emma yeah maybe at my aunt robbie once said i look nice it was in his real days where we took a lot of drugs so i'm unsure if it was a reliable yeah well you're lucky that you've met them i forget to meet a spiceice Girl in any event that I've been no um I've not yet I've met I've met Gary Mark and Robbie oh no I

saw them the other day but I didn't like have a conversation with the others um oh and Jason yeah I've not not really spoke to Howard which is quite good after what we're talking about right thanks so much for coming to on this podcast thank you so much i've loved all your stories it's so nice to um know a bit more about you and i will see you very soon thank you so much 90s told you we love the spice girls you really love the spice girls if anybody out there's got that jerry that j box that he wants so much, please let us know so we can send it on to him. And he sent me a picture the other day of some of the trainers that he was talking about that seem to have come back in fashion, as with everything. Everything, not his. If only I'd kept it all, I wouldn't be able to fit into any of it.

I'd have been squeezing myself into my Adidas top and it would have ripped open like the Hulk. But maybe my kids could have wore it. He was an absolute delight. I have got a few fab guests all lined up ready for the end of season two. And I'm starting to already think about season three. So please do let me know if you can think of any fun guests. I'd love to get some like people who were in bands in the 90s and noughties. How amazing would that be?

So reaching out to anybody out there with contacts with the 90s and noughties. How amazing was that? So reaching out to anybody out there with contacts with the 90s and noughties, schlebs, I'm your girl. Come on my podcast. Thank you very much. Have a wonderful week, guys. I'll see you over on the Phonebox Podcast Instagram account.

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