The Phonebox Podcast With Emma Conway - Tom Cox: Zig Ah Zig Ah!

Episode Date: September 26, 2023

Who nearly got kicked off The Phonebox Podcast for thinking Ice Ice Baby is a rubbish song? Tom Cox that's who! A huge fan of the Spice Girls and a bit in love with Ben from A1, podcaster and Unlikely Dad on social media also tells the sweetest love story.Follow Tom on instagram here and listen to his brand new podcast Can We Talk?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, topics you would like me to cover or send in a voice note to be featured 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.

With the Fizz Loyalty Program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan. You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with Fizz. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. FanDuel Casino's exclusive live dealer studio has your chance at the number one feeling, winning, which beats even the 27th best feeling, saying I do. Who wants this last parachute i do

enjoy the number one feeling winning in an exciting live dealer studio exclusively on fan duel casino where winning is undefeated 19 plus and physically located in ontario gambling problem call 1-866-531-2600 or visit connectsontario.ca. Please play responsibly. tour, NSYNC are reforming, what's going on? What's going on? It's all too much. Can you let me know? Message me, message me somewhere on social media and let me know your thoughts about this. Are you going to go on the Take That Tour? Are you excited about NSYNC? If you're in a room with some, like a famous quiz master, I'm trying to, Noel Edmonds, I don't know, you're on the Noel Edmonds house party. And he says, right, you win golden tickets to NSYNC

and you can watch it and meet them. Or golden tickets to Take That and you can watch it and meet them. Who you pick him? That's going to be the vote today on Spotify. Who you pick him? Take That versus NSYNC. I want to know. We have another great episode today with the lovely Tom Cox,

who's also known as the unlikely dad on social media. He's got a brand new podcast with his friend called Simon, which you're going to love called Can We Talk? And it's about LGBTQ plus body image, which I'm super keen on discussing parenting, sex and relationships and social media and all that good stuff. So definitely go and check him out over on social media. I'll leave links in the description. Make sure you take part in the poll. NSYNC versus Take That. Who am I going to choose? I'm going to choose Take That, but I think we all knew, we all knew I'd choose Take That. I've pre-ordered the album. I want to get them tickets to Birmingham. I want to go and watch them in my hometown. So enjoy the episode with Tom

and I'll meet you at the back at the end. Bridget. Hello Tom and welcome to the Phone Box podcast. How the devil are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm good. We were just moaning about the weather, like good British people. Yes. And do you know what? I think we are so obsessed with the weather here because it's so crazy. We don't really really like it's just so up and down i thought you're gonna say it's so crap because it also is it really is it's so crazy it's so crap okay what year you were 14 you declare this to be the best year 1998 1998 oh the best year for music well one of the best years for music yeah right it was a cracking one yeah yeah yeah um who was the who was on your bedroom who was on your bedroom Spice Girls Spice Girls it was like well okay so

Spice Girls from like 96 obviously okay like they ruled supreme to like 98 98 and then yeah when I was 14 it started like you know I was looking at like the boys in smash hits and things like that I don't think you need to whisper that anymore I think we all know it's not a secret it's not secret anymore my mum might be listening she'd be like what what were you doing in your room okay so it was the boys what boys was Peter Andre? Because he seems to be popular. Who was it? For me, it was Ben from A1. Loppy brown hair.

But do you know what? I think he was 19. And my memory, this is why this, me being on this podcast, is a match made in heaven. Because my memory of music from 96 to like 2000, 2001 is like, it's how I remember life moments. So like, I think A1 was actually 99, 2000. So you think you could go mastermind with music from 96 to 2001? Would you win?

Oh my God, I bet I could. Yeah, I would win. I would win the day. So Ben, Ben Adams, that was it, wasn't it? Yeah, he was probably the one. If there was a little knock on your conservatory window now and you pulled up the blind and it was ben adams would your heart flutter it would but you know what i think he would have to be ben adams from 1998 or 9 or whenever it was

yeah he looks all right now though you know i don't know if you if you've researched him i i actually don't yeah yeah he does look all right because i in in for research for this podcast i often look at handsome men from the 90s and he's doing all right so ben adams with the floppy hair what was the other song apart from take on me i can't remember the other ben at the other a1 song god they did one called Summertime, Summertime. I love, I love. And I was like, they were in the sea. Oh, lovely. In white trousers, maybe.

Yes. Your memory's good. It's like the things that can do to a teenage girl and a teenage gay, like, are just unreal. Oh, did you ever put posters up or was it a secret love? It was a secret love I think yeah yeah secret love I did go and meet them at like Topshop Oxford Circus um and got like a picture signed and the picture was framed and put on the wall yeah what did you say to him I think I was just like I don't even know if I managed to speak oh Oh, do you know what? Signing is just, I used to go to so many signings.

I'm not sure they do stuff like that anymore. Now, oh, do you know what? My friend's little girl went to meet, oh my gosh, one of One Direction, not Liam, not Harry. Niall, Louis, Louis, Zane. Louis, so she went to meet Louis Tomlinson and bearing in mind, she's like 13 big fan got in

the cube they weren't allowed to take a photo with them or a photo of them and i just think that like as soon as they got there cameras had to be away and i just that's a bit much isn't it that is it well god no i remember doing a signing for emma bunton baby spikes as well at top shop they were all like top shop oxford circus it was a great time. It's not there anymore. It's not here now, is it? No, it's, yeah. And I remember being able to go round the desk and getting a picture. Yeah. That was when she went solo.

That was amazing. What was her solo song? What Took You So Long. What took you so long. What took you on. And she went like a bit like, was it like 60s kind of hair?'t she yeah yeah yeah that was no that was her next one this was more like she was a bit more country but like it was very like guitar

based oh that was a great so I was talking about Jerry Halliwell's look at me that was a great so that was me doing a look at me I'm that's the actual dance well done um she was yeah I loved that actually I mean I was heartbroken when she left like actually heartbroken I had to and that was in 98 yeah we went to see them in Wembley and she left and so we only had the four as if it was I got to see all five yeah did you go when they came around recently? Oh, I don't know. Was it? Yeah. Actually, was it recently? No, it was just before the pandemic, 2019. Oh, God, that feels like last week.

Oh, my God. It was so good. I saw the first reunion in like 2008. You are the ultimate fan. Who's your number one out of five? Back in the day, it was a 12, 13, 14 year old. It was Geri. And do you know what?

I think it was because like she was so camp and like drag like and that was just like i was never gonna like find any of them like sexy as beautiful as they are so it was like i was very drawn to her like just nature she was loud confident and she just had and i think as a young gay boy, you look to that almost like you wish you could have been that confident and you could have just had carried that energy. You know, I loved her so much. The big red hair with the blonde bits and the British flag. Yeah, she was absolutely amazing.

And I can't believe that people used to think she was chubby. It was just that, in the 90s, I got so angry that people would say people were chubby when they weren't even chubby. Bridget, she's not chubby. Jerry, Martine McCutcheon-Love actually, not chubby. These people were not chubby. But you know what? Now, put them on now in mainstream.

They are like the, like what would be, I would, I don't know. I'm so detached from that culture, but I would say they'd be looked at as like a perfect, beautiful woman. It just makes me rage. The stuff that we had to put up with um apart from the Spice Girls and A1 who else what else music we listen to oh everything like think of every pop group I probably had a single or an album of theirs like I wasn't very much into the albums unless I was like a hardcore Spice boy you know what I mean so like the singles though that was that was like a hardcore spice boy. Do you know what I mean? So like the singles though, that was like your ritual on a weekend. You went to Our Price or like Virgin Megastore. You took your five pounds your dad gave you on a Friday

and literally went and got yourself a couple of singles. So it was like Destiny's Child had just come out. That was good. Like Say My Name, all of that era. Like you would just get the crazy singles. It was just my thing did you used to listen to the top 40 on um a sunday i didn't and i don't know why i didn't oh yeah i think i did for me it was like the era of the box music channel do you remember my dad listens to this

and dad my biggest regret is you never let me have the box we didn't have any kind of cable we had nada we had top of the pops on a thursday that was it was like it was the real like internet wasn't a thing so it was like the real first detachment from like radio for me like it was like oh i can actually listen to music on the telly and choose what i want to listen to you had well you had to call up this number but it was probably like a pound a minute or something and you had to enter a three digit code on the box for the video of your choice right and the the code would come up on the screen so all viewers we could always see these numbers coming up so you'd be like oh my god like two become one spice girls was 201 how mad i remember this so like if you saw 201 come up on the screen

it's coming up in a minute it's coming up in a minute yeah and that like oh my god kids today that excitement and that because we are like living in the world of instant gratification so you want to listen to two become one you just go on youtube or spotify back then you had to wait like oh there's another video coming oh another video coming oh there do become one and you would love it and so that's where i got my music fix the box i just i once had a boyfriend that i've that I met in Butlins a holiday romance nice he comes to live Birmingham lovely and I went round to his house and he had the box and I think I watched it for nine hours solid I was like I ain't moving

it's the best you want to go out cool I'm just watching the box it was like it as like All Saints Bewitched. All Saints. Westlife. Stop. I loved Kavanagh. I have got the 12 inches. He's never been mentioned on the podcast. Kavanagh. There we go.

Do you know what? He reminded me of like a neighbour who I was crushing on at the time. So I remember like liking Kavanagh. Like, yeah, he was good. He was good. And he's still gorgeous as well, isn't he? Yeah, I was just, I think I met him maybe at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. I think he was supporting for like Ant and Dec or somebody. But yeah.

Oh, just the dream. Did you go to any concerts? Yeah. So I did Spice Girls. We did the Wembley Arena when there was five of them that was my first ever concert so I would have been 14 yeah and then that sort of like opened the door for me I went to the Smash It's Pole Winners Party a few times like who was on who was on who was that were you there and take that were there no it wouldn't

take that era they broke up just before Westlife The early days of Westlife Steps Loved Steps How can you not love them? Who was your favourite Steps? At the time in my

You know, self-discovery era Of being 14 and horny It would have been late if i say h then you're like no it was it was late you like the dark i do i really do and it was um he um had what you call it like in the deeper shade of blue video he was like half naked and all painted yeah and it takes you back like god hormones were just wild back then yeah oh god any any boy band yeah i mean kavanagh i still think about him now i'm like kavanagh's not my daughter and also he don't even like girls does he not no did you know that's

brand new information yeah yeah yeah no no kavanagh's not straight. He did, did you ever used to watch the programme where they get like old pop stars back together? Yeah. And then they made like a band of them all merged. Oh no, I don't know about that one. But it was. And he was in that. And I went to see that with my friends.

I can't remember who else. Maybe Ben Adams was in that. What kind of school were you at? Was it just, was it a comp? It was an all boys boys very much normal school but it was um yeah it was like quite well it was I was there when it celebrated its centenary so it celebrated 100 years so it was an old-fashioned very traditional some of the teachers were like doctors you know they would call one of them was called doctor couch I just remember that and so it was very strict blazers you couldn't take them off in the summer all that kind of thing

and it was um really actually quite hard to like have this love for all these girl bands and all this stuff because you know all the boys were like talking about their boobs and things and I was like yeah did you see jerry's dress you seen what Scary Spice is doing to her hair now um and they were like so yeah school was not the best but I did like bond and find my well not even my tribe it was just one guy who was we didn't know it neither of us knew at the time we were gay but obviously we just connected for that reason, perhaps. And we could go to his room and share our love of the Spice Girls and Destiny's Child. It was so good. It was the best. Do you still speak to him now?

No. Such a shame. Such a shame. Yeah, that's what happens, isn't it, with friends? You just kind of like drift apart as life goes. That's it. I think school for me was like a get my GCSE results and go never go back yeah did you go to college then yes and that's where life just like oh I figured out who the hell I was and yeah I remember the first day I was sat opposite we were all doing like it was I did um performing arts obviously yeah so when I was sat in a circle chatting we all had to go around and say one thing and it's quite terrifying 16 and you know I was like had severe acne and had just been bullied for two years it was awful

and saw this guy opposite me and he was loud and camp as anything and I thought I'm finding my people like we are going to be we are we are literally going to be best mates and we were and it was and that's and that really helped me find myself do you know what I mean yeah finding your tribe yeah school is a tricky one isn't it it's not it's not great for everybody it's not it's not it wasn't for me and that's why I'm like really I mean we've got three years yet before my son even thinks about it but I want him to have the best secondary experience he can so I'm really yeah do you think you'll send him to a single sex school or do you think he'll go to a mixed school oh no I'm sure mixed yeah definitely but we're really going to put the work in there because I think both me and my husband didn't have great experiences so we're like come on we want you to

have the best one where you're supported and it's inclusive and you know and I've got no experience with them at the minute so I'm hoping in in 25 years they've actually moved on you know do you know what when I went to take my daughter around to look at secondary schools, they have, they have, we went to the library and there was, you know, feminist sections or LGBT, you know, they had all of that kind of bit. Whereas when I was at school, there was nothing.

Nothing. There was a rumour that somebody might have been a lesbian in a year. It was like, she was from Canada. She was from Canada. So it was like, well she she must be a lesbian she's like this you know mysterious like Canadian visitor who liked women oh my god we had like why why do schools have these weird like rumors and there was one one teacher his name was Mr Johnson and

the rumor was because he had like such a crazy coma the rumour was like he had chopped his ear off and his hair was covering his ear and I was really thinking oh my god he's so scary oh if you're listening let us know if you've got to okay so apart from posts on your wall what else did you have did you have like fancy wallpaper or bright colours or yeah I know we I didn't. Like it was very much the walls were painted blue. And I just remember this sort of bluey, greeny, wishy washy duvet set. And no, I really had nothing. I had the spare room. Right. And it was tiny three bedroom place. The spare room was tiny. I had the tumble dryer in my bedroom.

So like, you know, I just remember thinking mum had to come in and put the clothes in the tumble dryer in my bedroom so like you know I just remember thinking mum had to come in and put the clothes in the tumble dryer and have the window open to put it out all that and I was just like oh yeah it was hot and then my brother moved out really early maybe like 18 19 so I would have been 15 and I got his big room and it was amazing and then you know oh god I don't know if you know Emma but like I met my husband when my he's now my husband but my then boyfriend at 17 so like he would come and stay and wasn't allowed to stay in the room but every morning mum would bring a cup of tea for us both in the same she knew she was like she was so cool so like I never really had like time to like really figure out my room because I'm you

know I actually moved out at 19 as well so like there was just yeah I don't know I remember buying like the odd random painting or ornaments put in my room myself but I was just happy with like my Spice Girls posters and my stash of smash hits oh smash hits bring it back well there's there's an account on instagram which like go is i think it's called smash hits now i might be wrong but or it's no it is called that and it's i don't know if it's the official account but it basically shares all the old issues oh i need to go and look at that immediately it's actually read it because it's actually like quite problematic in some areas because like well everything do you remember everything was in the 90s but do you remember the biscuit tin the biscuit tin and they pull out a question and it'd be like the most yes some of the questions really just like really

and then some of the answers from some of the acts are really like oh today you would be like media trained you wouldn't get away oh do you know what i'm gonna go and have it yeah the biscuit tin um was an absolute classic yeah and they pull out like these random questions and i used to cut out the lyrics as well yeah it's different because you didn't have the internet to google the lyrics did you that's me googling you had to like you had to cut them out and then learn oh i just loved it i just loved it have you watched the one documentary going to i've seen the trailer for it and I was like, oh, I need to watch it. It is so good.

And it is a little bit before both of our times. But it was just, at the end, spoiler, they actually split up. I don't mean to ruin the surprise for you. Were they together long, though? Four years. But that is, like, Spice Girls really had two and a half years. Yeah, four years they were together. Wow.

They did a concert at the end and to get the tickets people just queued up so there's 25 000 people queuing up to get tickets and i thought bring back those days i love those trying to get the taylor swift tickets i was following your stories and i was stressed i'm not even trying to get the tickets and i was like is she gonna get them is she gonna get them oh my god i want to go and queue up outside the nec try and get tickets i don't want to be on a women's code to get a cute how did we get to I mean my mum I remember mum being on the landline getting tickets but how did they do that back then I mean I know I sound really ancient like they must have just kept trying until it stopped being engaged they must have had loads of they must have had people a

switchboard a call center of people taking orders and then did they like just if anybody knows let me know but then did they like just write your name on an envelope and post it or would there have been computers i'm sure i don't know i mean where computers were around then in the 90s but like they you know i don't know yeah they have a green green and black green and black text on a screen sandra wetter wants four tickets to bros print it out put the stamp on it send them out the tickets get you that way yeah that is when now you don't even get tickets do you just have it on your phone and it's just yeah oh it's just it's oh we sound like we sound two old people moaning don't we oh my god we are but do you not remember the days of like fan clubs i was now i joined any free fan club.

I didn't, if there's a free fan club, which meant you just sent off a little thing and then they'd send you, but I, I weren't paying for nothing. FanDuel Casino's

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Thank you. Oh, I don't think I ever, oh God, I didn't have the money to join. No, I wasn't in Take That Fan Club. I used to send, oh God god I didn't have the money to join I wasn't in that fan club I used to send oh I used to send them birthday cards oh my god that's broken a memory for me because I think I found out Mel B's address I don't I mean I'm a stalker clearly but I'm sure there was something I found out her address and I sent a letter maybe, or I sent something and I got a signed,

signed like A4 picture of her back. I used to follow a lot of like very small boy bands and I sent a lot of letters and you'd get the, you'd get the odd letter back. What were the small boy bands? Were they like Northern Line? No, even smaller than that. They were like really small bands,

but I'd send them letters and I used did you ever used to send a letter with the sellotape over the stamp so you think somebody could reuse it the other end so they could wipe off that is amazing okay what um who was your first question apart from Ben Adams I think it was the guy who played the lead t-bird in greece too that is the most niche that is actually paula take a look over here that was your question no i think it might have been the English guy. Oh, a behemoth charade. You fancy Cool Rider. Cool Rider was such a song.

Cool Rider. Oh my God. Yeah. Okay. So that is the niches crush we've had. That is a very niche crush. And I think it's because like, obviously my parents were obsessed with the first Grease.

We would watch the second Grease on VHS. And I just sort of remember like, I must've been really young, but you know, God, I knew I was gay really young. And it's just sort of like those funny, like, ooh, he's like he's cute he's a cool rider um Grease 1 or Grease 2 which is better discuss? This is tricky I think like for like iconic culture moments of life Grease 1 is will always forever be iconic right? I truly believe in my heart of hearts it's great it's greece too i love it yeah i love the song reproduction i love cool rider i love i'll be

your girl for a season i love i love that one michelle pfeiffer on the stage and she's looking all like she's all upset in the rehearsal i just i think greece too is very very under and again that would be a film that would not be made would not be made let's do it for our country oh my god yes

you're breaking so many memories for me I'm going to watch it I need to watch it Grease 2 is great I do love Grease 1 because it is great I did it when I was at school

my sister was Sandy yeah I did it at college who were you in it my sister was Sandy Roger is he yeah Roger's a good one he's the one that's seen Mooning yeah he goes out with Janice Sandy. Yeah. I did it at college. Who were you in it? My sister was Sandy. Roger. Yeah, Roger's a good one. He's the one that's seen Mooning.

Yeah, he goes out with Janice. Yeah. So Janice, my best friend, and she's still my best mate, was Janice. And we both, we did the song together. Oh, yeah. Because Mooning's not in the film, is it? But that is a great.

In the musical. That is a great song. Okay, what was your biggest fashion faux pas? I mean, there were many. I think there were many up until like a few years ago to be honest with you so I think in those days David Beckham had not risen okay as some fashion guru so men had no real style you know everyday casual style to look up to so David Beckham had not yet come out on the scene and i think maybe he had but maybe it was just taking time for the stores to catch up he was wearing a sarong was it the sarong years do you remember that no i definitely didn't i definitely didn't wear a sarong but in the it was those days of 98 99 of steps right when they did like one of

their videos in these just those huge everyone did it a1 did it also into those huge combats and chunky trainers i mean i still love a trainer now and those sort of like what are they called they're like the long sleeve tees but they've got a different color on the arms and they have a slogan on and i remember the slogan on the t-shirt and i got the matching cat oh my god i'm painting a picture it said tommy's bike shack and i just thought it was so cool where did you get that from did you get it from tommy's bike shack i wish it was top man so and it was like with these real creamy beige baggiest of baggy pants that literally sound as you walked sounded just like yeah it was it was it was all of that's back in fashion you know now oh it is you just go to asos and like if you go to urban outfitters it is head hardy you've

got the trousers with the dragons up oh my god the jeans i remember wearing a pair of jeans i thought i was the shit right i had a pair of jeans with a huge dragon up one leg of course you did and of course oh my god the outrage it caused at school oh my god look at gay boy did all this stuff and it was like are you kidding me i'm an innovator i'm like i'm setting this trend here in in the suburbs of maidenhead like are you kidding me um I thought I was the thing and you were just if you'd have been accepted into all saints if Nicole and Natalie Appleton had seen you they'd be like get in you're in the band get in you're in the band we don't need Shaz now we don't like you're in yes um did you wear anything that you'd wear now um I'm still like so 2000 2001

it was all about the denim okay all I would literally be and i'm in a denim shirt so there there are so many like denim is my thing like a white tee and jeans is my thing yeah that's what he's wearing it's just my listeners that's what he's wearing now i'm literally but no not on my bottom when he came on i said you look great i mean they're literally the tiniest little gym shorts because i'm fresh from the gym at least you got super kind of dress yes i think okay what was your first kiss like was it with your now husband your first kiss no was it terrible was it a terrible kiss it was a girl for sure it was a girl yeah it was like we used to have those random parties do you remember like did you have that one friend whose parents

were really cool with just going up they would go upstairs emily hill emily hill used to have a party continuously it was the party house it's a big massive house a very fancy house in moseley all the time to be part is oh yeah mine was david tointon and he literally his parents would were the ones that went to france every summer they brought back those little those little bottles of beers and um so they would they would hang out upstairs happily and let when i say party i really need to paint a picture it's like three girls and three boys opposite end of the room right and we were listening oh my god i'm gonna literally bring something i bet no one else has mentioned on here solid harmony please tell me you remember solid heart sing the song sing

the song sing the song i want you to want me for all that i am i did it did it did it do you know it no i'm gonna have to google it afterwards google it right they came out the reason i just remember them at david's house because we had them on and there was like three girls, three boys, and we were just all having these little French beers at age like 14, 15. Ooh, la la. Yeah.

And there was a girl there called Zoe and we, we kissed. Yeah. And we were going out for like a little bit. Oh, nice. Was it just to get it out of the way? Because most people seem to just snog somebody just to be like, I've done it now.

Yeah. I think it was very much, I think it was very much a um let's just do it because this is what we do right like just do it just to get it just to get it out of the way yeah and I wasn't really feeling it but I kind of just went with it because I needed to figure out who I was you know and it's all part of that exploration you know we've only had one good kiss everybody else has been like oh it's been absolutely disgusting it's been awful it's a bit sloppy and what was your biggest teenage success that you're really proud of probably like learning the lyrics to every song there's not been one that's been like really like everyone it's always been like i managed to get i

did downed all this drink or learning the lyrics are you still good with lyrics now you could literally put on an album track not even a single put on an album track of all the spice girls a1 backstreet boys like you could put on album tracks and i'll be like oh yeah i know this bob i can i can i can sing the lyrics like yeah it's just how my dann Danny my husband literally I will say like we'll talk about a memory of something and not even music related and I'll be like oh yeah that was the year um so and so came out with that song and he's like what why does your brain work like that I'm like music was my thing we need to get you on in fact we need to

discuss Backstreet Boys and I'm sad that we haven't talked about it more yes who's your favourite member at the time Kevin with the thick eyebrows I knew you were going to say Kevin I knew you were going to say Kevin really I knew you were going to say

to be honest Backstreet Boys sorry if you're listening there ain't much choices there you've got Nick you've got Kevin and then you've got AJ do you know what though

AJ was the one who had nail polish yeah and then there's AJ Howie Nick Howie D Do you know what though? AJ was the one who had nail polish. Yeah. And then there's AJ. Howie. Nick. Howie D. Kevin and Brian.

Come on. I thought you were like the big Backstreet Boy fans. I didn't fancy any of that. I mean, I fancy everybody. And even for me, fancy one of Backstreet Boys was just. I think it was Kevin. It was never Nick. Nick was like a kid himself, you know.

They were very American looking, weren't they? And American men tend to look older in pop culture. When you look at NSYNC, you were like, oh my gosh, these look like actual grown men. Who was bigger? Who was bigger, NSYNC or Backstreet? I think it would have been NSYNC. I feel in England, I think I read this recently,

the stuff I read, Backstreet Boys were famous in England before they were famous in America. So they came to England, broke england so i think in england it would be backstreet boys and i think in america at the n-sync right i can't this is just in my head i can't know yeah but a lot of them did that i remember the spice girls actually released their well their first single i don't know if they did the album in like japan or somewhere first and they got some like they got used to performing out there. They got used to doing it. And then they came here and they were,

I mean, that Spice Girls were never polished, but they got, but they were a bit more used to it. Yeah. I did love the Backstreet Boys. The Call. Can we discuss that classic?

Well, I remember. So I learned your love of this song when I did a Bop or Flop. Yeah. And I think I did a Bop or Flop Friday that I do on Instagram every now and then. And I did Backstreet Boys. I don't know if i did the call maybe i did and i had so many dms saying oh my god is emma is emma seeing this and she's saying oh my god it's a flop everyone's flopping it it was a flop it was a flop if you're listening you flopped it you're a flopping idiot

the call has everything i like in a song it's got a plot and i like a song with a plot full story from the beginning to the end you know what's going on it's dramatic he made an error it is just yeah it's got the telephone thing at the beginning hello hello it is just brilliant when i went to see backstreet Boys in concert, they started with the call. And I thought I thought I physically left my body. A big a big circle turned round and they all seem to be attached to the circle. Hello. Hello. Oh, my God. Really? You know what? You have an amazing memory of the call. My memories of the call is at college in 2000, 2001. A group of some of my friends doing a dance routine to it.

And I bet it was bloody brilliant. Uh-huh, yeah. Because they could do a plot, they could do like an interpret, and be the founder, and then they'd start with it. Sorry, crying. Yeah, I don't think they did. Oh, it's just one of my favourite.

It's one of my favourite songs. I'd say it's top five. What, of life? Of life, top five. Oh, wow. God, that means a lot to you then. Along with Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby. I can't stand that one.

What the hell? This podcast may never air. Vanilla Ice follows me on Twitter. He's a close personal friend. Wow. And if you don't like Vanilla Ice, you don't like me. All right, stop. Collaborate.

If you listen to Vanilla Ice. Do you know what? Don't like vanilla ice, you don't like me. All right, stop. Collaborate. If you listen to vanilla ice. Do you know what? I feel like it's just way overused in commercial, wasn't it? It can't be used enough. It can't use it more. Oh, God. Change the news at 10 to the vanilla ice. Get Emma presenting it.

Get me presenting it. Oh, don't have me presenting the news. It would be terrible. What is the biggest flop teenage flop that you kind of regret oh god maybe like to get serious not or like embracing my true self yeah yeah like I really hit that and I think it was in in the security of my own room that I allowed myself to love these bands and listen to this music and now as a 38 year old man on you know you couldn't tell me this back then I wouldn't have understood what a smartphone or Instagram was but now as a 38 year old man on my phone telling 30,000 people every

like even when I put my gym videos up I put the old bop music to it like I'm doing some you know and I'm like people love it and I'm like people love it and we need to I would tell anyone like now love what you love and if someone's like oh my god that's not cool we're like well I don't want to be cool yeah yeah god I'm not cool no I'm good doing what I do if you could go back in time is that what you tell yourself as well definitely if I could go back knowing what I know now I'd be like like, dude, because like life is amazing. Like, don't get me wrong. We definitely had some hardships growing up gay. And I think, but now it's a wonderful, I'm in a wonderful place with it.

But imagine how like much of the pain I could have not had if like we literally had the guidance and support that kids have today. My nephew's 12. He came out at 10 so he was like he was just like I'm just I know like and I was like oh my god you know from the age of like seven eight figuring that why is everyone saying I need a girlfriend really questioning that to early teens late teens thinking oh my god I'm wrong I'm broken what's wrong with me I'm gonna have to get a wife and kids and just live a lie like all that trauma it stays with gay people for sure like it's trauma we've experienced and we have to just work through that every day of our lives you know so imagine not having that the potential

do you think social media because would you prefer to grow up now then with social media or you've got a lad you grew up then hell no I'm glad I grew up then but I just wish no definitely didn't need social media growing up but um I just wish that the parents and people in like because I grew up I was in school during section 28 so for anyone listening who doesn't know section 28 basically anyone in teaching or professional places could not acknowledge homosexuality or teach it or or promote it in a positive light so you know teachers thought was going on and they could not do anything and I'm like that's just messed up and I remember you know in drama class like I think we need someone needed to play a female role and everyone just went oh Tom would

do it Tom would do her and then I literally was like wanted to die and I looked over I looked over to the teacher and the teacher was laughing right so we grew up with that you know and I think that is why that's why I bloody love my community the gay community because we've got each other we are strong and we choose to support each other and we are as we grow we are rising and we are becoming our true selves and I love it so I glad I grew up then without social media I just wish the people of authority parents older people care caregivers whatever had the resources we have today I wish we had those then because my parents had no resources bless them they just didn't have a clue oh and they were really and your mum bringing up the cups of tea. Oh, yeah. They were amazing.

So amazing. I think, yeah, how I came out was maybe not great. I just texted my brother and was like, can you tell mum and dad I'm gay? And I actually did that while I was on a date with my husband, my boyfriend. So I think it was our first date. And he was just, I didn't know if I was ever going to see this bloke again.

I was like, we're just having a date. I'm 17, whatever. But something in me, he was like, yeah, you should do it, Tom. Just do it. And I went, oh my God, okay. So something, either the alcohol or I wasn't drinking. I was underage. I'm joking.

You know, but it was either, I think it was just, I was at a moment in my life where I thought, yeah, this guy could go tomorrow. However, this is my life. I actually need to acknowledge this. So I text him. And then the fallout from that was really not not massive it was very much like we'll pick you up tomorrow and we'll have a talk oh no we'll have a talk oh god it was awful we're not really like an emotionally led talking family we weren't um so

that was an experience when I went home and had the chat and then there was just I think a lot of weeks months for them figuring stuff out you know but I was just like cool I'm good now I'm done I can start being my authentic self and it just became I just became my true self it was amazing oh and you met your husband oh it's just like a real true love story it was and I look back now the older mean, it's always been our thing. We've been together forever, right? So when we were together 10 years, it was like, God, 10 years, I'm 27. We met when we were seven.

Now I'm 38, right? It's 21 years. And I'm just like, this is actually insane. Like the older I get and it's lovely. And the older I get though, I do think like, what if my son, Kai, like meet someone at 17 and look serious? I'd be like, cool, like you do you. We did it.

I can't tell you any different. But yes, it's wonderful. It is wonderful. Oh, what a lovely note to end the podcast on. I love the love story. It made me forget that you don't like vanilla ice, just to be honest. Have I got some points back now?

Do you know what? I'll publish this podcast now. It was a little bit, you were shaking around. Just to be honest. Have I got some points back now? Do you know what? I'll publish this podcast now. It was a little bit, you were shaking your head. You were shaking your head. Oh God. Tom, it was lovely to speak to you. Everybody go and follow him on Instagram

and check out all his fab stuff over there. And I will see you very, very soon. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Well, despite Tom's outrageous claim that he does not like vanilla ice, which to be honest

I'm not happy about because I any time I go to a karaoke and I get up and I do a vanilla ice I'm telling you now the audience stops and they turn and stares and I think they're turning and staring with adoration

is it possibly because I look an idiot maybe maybe but you know what they're all looking staring with adoration. Is it possibly because I look an idiot? Maybe. Maybe. But you know what? They're all looking at me. All eyes are on me as I go, all right, stop collaborating. Listen, I could do the whole song for you, but I'm not going to.

You're just going to have to hope one day you stumble across me at a karaoke. Oh, my God. Maybe we should do. Maybe we should do a podcast. I really want to do a live podcast show. Maybe we should do a live podcast karaoke. Wouldn't that be amazing? A live podcast karaoke.

What do you think, guys? Let me know if you think that's a good idea. Let me know if you'd come. Let me know if you think it's a good idea, if you'd come and what you'd sing. And if it's... Well, you can't do Vanilla Ice because I'm doing that. And you can't do Turtle Eclipse of the Heart because I'll do that with my sister.

Anything else is fair game. I hope you enjoyed another lovely episode of the phone box podcast don't forget to go and leave a review on apple or spotify hit the stars you know just give me some great feedback that'd be absolutely amazing it helps other people to listen to it of course you can go and follow me on brummie of two or the phone box podcast instagram account where we do polls pretty much on the regs oh my gosh i tried to sound cool then i just sounded like an idiot i love you lots and i will see you next week for another episode bye guys fanduel casino daily jackpots guaranteed to hit by 11 p.m. with your chance at the number one feeling, winning. Which beats even the 27th best feeling, saying I do. Who wants this last parachute?

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