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No 1053 14 M ay 2015
FUR FOR ALL
XXL and Ben Cohen present Bear Pride
18
Suitable only for persons
of 18 years and over
By James Egan
I’ll be honest; I’m a big Ben Cohen fan, so when tasked with
interviewing the former rugby player pin-up, now founder
of StandUp anti-bullying foundation, prior to his upcoming
appearance at XXL’s Bear Pride this weekend, I was a little
intimidated. It’s weird to be talking to someone you once
had a poster of on your bedroom wall.
XXL’s Mark Ames wrestled the mob of hungry bears off of Mr
Cohen just long enough for us to have a chat, and thankfully,
Ben was one of the sweetest and most gentlemanly guys
I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing. I probably
won’t ever mention Pooh Sticks to him again though.
It’s about
bullying across
the board.
It’s about
supporting
organisations
that do the
real hard work
Hey Ben, how are you?
Not too bad, but busy. Busy, busy!
I was supposed to see you at a signing once, but my
friend got too nervous and we didn’t go.
Oh, that’s crazy!
He’s regretted it ever since. When he found out I was
speaking to you today he let out a pained squeal and
ran away.
[laughs] Oh, bless.
You’re at XXL’s Bear Pride event this May Bank holiday,
are you looking forward to it?
Of course I am! It’s always an experience.
What will you be doing?
I’ll be giving a talk and meeting people. People like to know what
I’ve been up to and what I’m doing, in respect of the foundation.
Where the money’s going and all that.
You’ve done quite a few signings and appearances for
gay audiences. Do you ever get any weird requests? Like
people asking you to flash
them or if they can lick your
arm?
Urgh, god no! Is that what your
friend wanted to do?
I think so. I think that’s why we
had to cancel.
Hmmm. [Laughs.] No absolutely
not. The great thing is, they’re all
very respectful. I don’t do too many
signings or appearances, but when I
do, there’s a mutual respect. Which
is very important.
How did you get involved with
XXL?
They reached out to us, saying
they’d like to hold an event for the
foundation. We’re always looking
for partnerships and people to help raise awareness and money.
You created Stand Up Foundation to combat bullying,
was that specifically about bullying in a sporting
environment?
It’s about bullying across the board. It’s about supporting
organisations that do the real hard work. We raise awareness and
funds and we give money away in grants to organisations. We
wanted to support those organisations and not compete.
What drove you specifically to choose bullying as the
cause you wanted to get behind?
My dad was murdered protecting someone from suffering at the
hands of other people. That’s basically why. We wanted - I wanted
- to be able to make a difference and be a role model. I like the
idea of being a straight man bridging that gap between gay and
straight communities, really breaking down stereotypes.
Now, seeing as it’s XXL Bear
Pride, I’ve got some really
terrible bear-based questions
to ask you.
Okay…
Have you ever got a beehive
stuck on your head, like
Winnie the Pooh?
No.
Have you ever played ‘Pooh
Sticks’? That sounds weird
out loud.
…No [laughs]
Do you own any yellow tartan
trousers like Rupert?
No, but that would be interesting
if I did.
You could pick some up for XXL.
That would be hilarious!
Fozzie the Bear from the
Muppets was a comedian, are
you any good at telling jokes?
I’m shit! I’m too serious, that’s the
problem.
Care Bears or Grizzly Bears?
Grizzly bears. No, actually, Care
Bears. My kids are into Care Bears.
You’re a caring bear yourself,
so you can identify.
Exactly.
Have you ever eaten a prickly
pear like Baloo in Jungle
Book?
…No?
Yogi Bear or Boo Boo?
Oh, Yogi Bear!
Why?
To be honest, that’s the only one
I know.
Are you any good at catching
salmon swimming upstream?
[laughs] Yes! Yes, with my bare
hands!
Fantastic. Just to let you
know, the lady in accounts
just screamed “HE’S MINE!”
across the office. So if you
want a date with a small
Jewish lady, the offer is there.
[laughs] Oh, well, I’m not Jewish.
She’s very disappointed.
I bet.
XXL Bear Pride is Saturday 23rd May at Pulse
(No.
1 Invicta Plaza, South Bank, SE1 9UF)
from 10pm – 7am.
Tickets £16/£9 members. www.xxl-london.com
2
qxmagazine.com
Photo: Holly Revell
Cohen Mad

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