Entertainment

Who Is 'RHOM's Ben Gillies? Jackie Was Actually Sort of Right About Him Being a Rockstar

Jackie Gillies from The Real Housewives of Melbourne wants you to know that her husband is a rockstar. In fact, she wants you to know this so badly that she mentions it in almost every other sentence she speaks on the show. Methinks that the psychic doth exaggerate her husband's influence too much. So, who is Ben Gillies from Real Housewives of Melbourne , really? Is he that exciting? Does he really look like Johnny Depp? The answers are, respectively, no, no, and yes — if Jack Sparrow didn't tan and was permanently viewed through the perspective of a fisheye lens.

Because you're probably not a psychic like Jackie, here is everything you need to know about Ben Gillies, the infamous rockstar husband of RHOM.

by Arielle Dachille

He's the drummer of the band Silverchair

Despite the fact that Silverchair sounds disturbingly similar to Silverfish, Gillies developed a name for himself as the percussionist of this Aussie grunge band. The trio’s best known song “Tomorrow” came out in 1994, which they performed at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards in the U.S. Hey, so that’s a reason people would want to crash his and Jackie’s housewarming party, right?

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Silverchair started when he was just a baby

Gillies started Silverchair with high school friends Daniel Johns, Chris Jouannou, and Tobin Finande when the boys were just 13. The group debuted with the name Innocent Criminals in 1992 and rose to local notoriety by playing Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath covers. Although Finande left the band shortly after, the very next year, their single “Tomorrow” was chosen as a winner in a national competition called Pick Me. They were signing a record contract with Sony all before the boys collectively hit 15. Ben is pictured here with the rest of the “Innocent Criminals”, the one to your right giving the “cheese” face.”

Image: Wearebento/Instagram

Silverchair is actually a big-ish in Australia

Their first album Frogstomp came out in 1995, shooting to the number one spot in Australia and New Zealand. Silverchair’s sophomore album Freak Show went quadruple platinum in the Outback, as well as gold in the U.S. However, Silverchair disbanded in 2011, citing that their decision was based their creative chemistry was waning. Welp, nothing gold can stay, folks…

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He has a new band called Bento

After Silverchair disbanded in 2011, Gillies decided to embark on a musical journey of his very own. He formed a band called Bento, finally getting out from behind his drum set and giving lead vocals a try. On the “About” page of Bento’s website, Gillies says of the band’s first album Diamond Days: ”It’s an album of self-discovery, of finding myself.” Check out the music video for the title single, in which Gillies wails on the mic wearing some extremely distracting man jewelry.

Image: Wearebento/Instagram

He can pull off a weave

He’s pictured here trying on what look to be Jackie’s extensions. All he needs is a little wind, and he’s Beyoncé.

Image: Wearebento/Instagram

He's a rather short fellow, but perhaps not as short as you thought

Gillies is on the more diminutive end of the height spectrum, contrary to what I imagine most “rockstar” husbands should be. According to his IMDb page, Gillies is 5’8”, although honestly, he looks about 5’4” on the telly. Perhaps this is due the fact that Jackie is perpetually in heels.

Image: Jackie Gillies/ Instagram

He and Jackie share a psychic connection, of course

An article in The Sydney Morning Herald from 2010 recounts the ballad of Jackie and Ben, shortly after the two were wed. According to the article, the two were childhood sweethearts and reconnected at a house party after over a decade of being out of touch. That night, they both dreamt of each other and, get this, had the same dream. There’s a psychic match made in heaven, for you.

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He and Jackie make booze together

Every reality TV star has to be a brand, as well as have a brand of alcohol. We saw the pair working on the beginnings of their booze label on RHOM, and now the business is up and running. Ben and Jackie’s line of pre-made cocktails, malt beverages, and tequila is called “La Mascara.” Just to clarify, it isn’t meant to be applied to your eyelashes.

Image: Jackie Gillies/ Instagram

He's friends with Benji Madden

Here, Gillies and apparent buddy Benji Madden goof off like a couple of old grammar school chums. The caption of this picture is “touching’ tips #wrong.” I guess 13-year-old boy humor never gets old.

Image: Wearebento/Instagram

Jackie thinks he looks like Johnny Depp

Well, I can see the Jack Sparrow resemblance a little… That is, if we’re talking about Jack Sparrow without beer goggles.

Image: Jackie Gillies/ Instagram

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