Former Fresh FM radio presenters Ben and Liam on life in Triple J land, meeting Dr Karl, and learnings from Hamish Blake
Ben and Liam tell us about life in the Triple J studios, meeting Dr Karl, and the advice they got from Hamish Blake.
MANY Adelaideans felt a burst of pride when news broke that Fresh FM presenters Ben and Liam had scored the Triple J breakfast slot. Here, the boys tell us how life is going on the east coast.
What’s the nicest piece of feedback you’ve heard from listeners?
B: “Hearing you two on Triple J makes me proud to be from SA.”
L: “You know what? This isn’t so bad after all. I’m on ya boys.”
The meanest feedback?
B: You won’t be allowed to put it in the paper.
L: “Liam your voice literally sounds like a turd” and “You both make me physically sick” were two absolute pearlers.
How are you dealing with being in the national public eye?
B: Really well. Nothing has changed really, I’m still making a radio show five days a week with one of my best friends, only now more people are listening so when we ask for calls people actually call us, haha.
L: It has its ups and downs but to be honest we’re only concentrating on the show at the moment.
Name something about the Triple J office that has surprised you.
B: Everyone who works there is honestly so enjoyable to work with. For the first few weeks Liam and I kept looking for the one person who wasn’t pleasant to work with but we never found them. So now we are starting to think maybe we are those people.
L: There’s an insane amount of signed music memorabilia on the walls. There’s also a Terminator 2 pinball machine signed by Arnie himself and you’re not allowed to heat up anything deemed to be fishy ... it’s too stinky!
Who were you most excited to meet from the Triple J staff and what was your interaction with them like?
B&L: We were both amped to meet Dr Karl and he was everything you’d imagine him to be and more. Straight after shaking our hands he whipped out his business card from a silver case on his belt (like nerdy Batman) and said “Call me anytime” before launching into a spiel about oppressive overlords.
What do you miss about Adelaide?
B: The AFL season hasn’t started yet but I’m going to miss being able to watch Port Adelaide play every weekend.
L: Our families, the city’s layout and the pork crackling on a Vietnamese roll. They don’t have that in Sydney, it’s the worst.
Any advice you got from Matt and Alex?
B&L: Be yourself, have fun and everything else will fall into place. Wise words from the fellas.
Liam, were you getting Hamish Blake comparisons before Triple J?
L: Yes, though I should specify people only compare our voices not our on air abilities. I’m just unfortunately a nasally bloke who happens to work in the same field as Hamish.
What advice did you get from Hamish, who sent you guys a congratulatory message?
L: He told us to keep making each other laugh, to always trust our gut when an idea feels fun and above all else to have fun ... the fun thing seems to be a common thread.