The short answer, probably enough for most of you, was that I don�t really know, perhaps it was that he was a local lad I�d known and had become a celebrity, so it was natural to take an interest?
The longer answer is less obvious, and is my own opinion. I believe he is so fascinating because he represented me. All I ever did in my own life was act out various roles. You can create a character to present to the public quite at odds with your inner beliefs and feelings, and this feels a better way to live. All a lot of people do is dream: who should I be? And then do things that fit that imagined person that they become. That�s what I did for most of my life, acted out various roles, just like Ben. He did it publicly though, made clear to me what I had been doing on such a smaller scale myself. It�s not the only way though, as I found out, you can be yourself, you just have to work out who that is first.