Ben Weasel | |
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Performing in Chicago, Illinois on February 26, 2010.
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Background information | |
Born | 1968 |
Genres | Punk rock, pop punk |
Occupation(s) | musician, songwriter |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass |
Years active | 1986–present |
Associated acts |
Screeching Weasel The Riverdales The Vindictives |
Ben Weasel (born Benjamin Foster) is a punk rock musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the band Screeching Weasel. As a member of Screeching Weasel, he wrote the song "The Girl Next Door", which has been covered by Blink-182. He is also the co-host of Weasel Radio, a weekly radio show formerly on ESPN 1070, which has been relaunched as a podcast.
Foster was born in 1968, and was raised in Prospect Heights, Illinois. He attended River Trails Middle School in Mount Prospect, Illinois where he first met future Screeching Weasel co-founder John Pierson. After middle school, Ben was expelled from John Hersey High School and St. Viator High School. He was eventually sent to the Élan School in Poland, Maine for his behavior issues. Today, Ben lives in Madison, Wisconsin and is a practicing Roman Catholic.
For a number of years, Ben has suffered from panic attacks and bouts of agoraphobia. On November 30, 2010, he appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly to talk about these issues.
When Ben returned to Illinois from the Élan School, he got a job at a local movie theater, and formed the band Screeching Weasel with co-worker and former junior high classmate John Pierson, aka Jughead.
After an initial break-up in 1989, Screeching Weasel reformed in 1991 and broke up for a second time in 1994. Following the second breakup, Foster formed a new band, the Riverdales, with Screeching Weasel members Dan Vapid, and Dan Panic.