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{{Short description|English musician (born 1963)}}
'''Fatboy Slim''' (real name Norman Cook) is an English musician in the dance music genre. His style is known as "]", a combination of ], ], and ].
{{redirect|Norman Cook|the Canadian politician |Norman E. Cook|the American basketball player|Norm Cook}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{multiple issues|
{{unreliable sources|date=February 2024}}
{{more sources|date=September 2024}}
{{External links|date=September 2024}}
}}


{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Musicians -->
Born on ], ], Cook grew up in ], a small town near ]. In the early 80s Cook moved to ], where he supported himself by DJing while attending college. In ] the pop group the ] recruited him to play bass. Cook left the band two years later in order to move on in a musical style he preferred.
| name = Fatboy Slim
| image = Fatboy Slim (2006).jpg
| caption = Cook in 2006
| alias = {{flatlist|
* Norman Cook
* DJ Quentox
}}
| birth_name = Quentin Leo Cook
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1963|7|31}}
| birth_place = ], Kent<!--Kent is correct for pre-1965 dates-->, England
| genre = {{flatlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] (early)
}}
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Musician
* disc jockey
* record producer
}}
| years_active = 1979–present
| label = {{flatlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| past_member_of = {{flatlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* Mighty Dub Katz
* ]
}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Philippa Watson|1986|1988}}<br />{{marriage|]|1999|2020|end=div}}
{{Infobox person
| child = yes
| children =
| website = {{URL|fatboyslim.net}}
}}
}}


'''Norman Quentin Cook'''<ref name=Deedpoll>{{Cite news | date = 8 July 2002 | title = Changes of Name | periodical = ] | place = London | publisher = ] | issue = 56625 | page = 8166 | url = https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-56625-852 }}</ref> (born '''Quentin Leo Cook''', 31 July 1963),<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/happy-birthday-to-fatboy-slim-20392016 | title=Happy Birthday to Fatboy Slim! | newspaper=Hot Press | date=16 July 2017 | access-date=4 March 2019}}</ref> better known as '''Fatboy Slim''', is an English musician<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/fatboy_slim/artist.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060206085309/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/fatboy_slim/artist.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 February 2006 |title=Fatboy Slim &#124; Music Videos, Songs, News, Photos, and Lyrics |publisher=MTV |date=16 July 1963 |access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref> who helped to popularise the ] genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist for the ]-based ] band ], who achieved a UK number-one single with their ] cover of "]". After the Housemartins split up, Cook formed the electronic band ] in ], who produced the number-one single "]". He then played in ], ] and the Mighty Dub Katz, with moderate success.
Cook joined ], a musical collective that released two albums, ] (including the Number 1 single, "]") and ]. Next he formed ], with horn player and singer ]. The duo released their debut album, ], in ], which contained the single "]"]]. The cut was picked up by the ] company for use in a multimillion-dollar ad campaign.


In 1996, Cook adopted the name Fatboy Slim and released '']'' to critical acclaim. Follow-up albums ''],'' ''],'' and '']'', as well as singles such as "]", "]", "]", "]" and "]", achieved commercial and critical success. In 2008, Cook formed the Brighton Port Authority, a collaborative effort with a number of other established artists including ].<ref name="bbd">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045089/fatboy-slim-pulls-into-brighton-port-authority | title=Fatboy Slim Pulls into Brighton Port Authority |magazine=] | date=13 June 2008 | access-date=14 July 2012}}</ref> He has been responsible for successful remixes for ], the ], ], ] and ].
In 1995, Cook enlisted help from producer friends ] and ] to create a solo album, "]." The album featured one track ("Happiness") that was picked up by the ] for use in a ] fruit juice ad. Cook then re-joined Ashley Slater for the second Freakpower album, titled ], in ].


It was reported in 2008 that Cook held the ] for most top-40 hits under different names.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Michaels |first1=Sean |date=15 May 2008 |title=Fatboy Slim is no more |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/may/15/clubs |access-date=19 July 2018}}</ref> As a solo act, he has won a ], nine ] and two ], and was nominated for the ] in 2024.<!---Needs update/rewrite per ]. ---->
Later that same year, Cook adopted the alter-ego pseudonym Fatboy Slim and began frequenting the Brighton club The Big Beat Boutique. While DJing at the club, Cook befriended the ], who suggested that he work on his own material instead of sticking to DJing.


== Life and career ==
The Fatboy Slim album ] marked Cook's emergence into the big time. Filled with retro samples and funk-laden grooves, the album established the "big beat" sound. It also spawned one Top 10 ] hit, "]"). After Cook's remix of ]'s "]" topped the charts, such musical heavy hitters as Madonna and U2 asked him to produce for them.
=== 1963–1984: Early life and career beginnings ===
]
Cook was born in ], Kent. He was raised in ], Surrey, and educated at ], where he took violin lessons alongside the future<!-- do not remove "future", as Starmer wasn't PM in the 1970s --> prime minister ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2020/03/keir-starmer-sensible-radical |title=Keir Starmer: The sensible radical |last=Maguire |first=Patrick |date=31 March 2020 |website=] |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>


Cook grew up with a love of music. When he was 14, his brother brought home the first album from the punk band ]; he started attending punk gigs at the Greyhound pub<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elvery |first=Martin |date=18 April 2023 |title=Lost Croydon pub that was known for hosting the greatest gigs in London |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/lost-croydon-pub-known-crazy-24561093 |access-date=4 May 2024 |website=My London |language=en}}</ref> in Park Lane, ], and playing in punk bands.<ref name=":0">{{Cite podcast|url=https://www.acast.com/distractionpieces/normancookakafatboyslim-distractionpiecespodcastwithscroobiuspip-268|title=Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim|date=14 May 2019|website=Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip|publisher=acast|language=en|access-date=12 June 2024|host=Scroobius Pip}}</ref> He played drums in Disque Attack, a British ]-influenced rock band. When the frontman, Charlie Alcock, was told by his parents that he had to give up the band to concentrate on his ], Cook took over as lead vocalist. At the Railway Tavern in Reigate, Cook met ], with whom he formed the Stomping Pond Frogs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prsformusic.com/m-magazine/features/norman-cook---hes-come-a-long-way-baby|title=Norman Cook – He's Come A Long Way Baby|website=PRS for Music|date=9 May 2011|first=Paul|last=Nichols|access-date=30 August 2024}}</ref><ref name=heatongrad>{{cite AV media|title=Paul Heaton: From Hull To Heatongrad|people=Claire Faragher (director)|date=2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHFLV9s34Ws|access-date=21 August 2024|publisher=Channel 4 Television}}</ref>
Fatboy Slim's next work was the single "]," which was released prior to its album ], both of which came out in ] to rave reviews. Further Fatboy Slim works have appeared in movies, television series, and more ads.


At 18, Cook went to ] to read a B.A. in English, politics and sociology, where he achieved a ] in ]. He had begun DJing some years before, but it was at this time that he began to develop his skills in the thriving ] club scene, regularly appearing at the Brighton Belle and the Basement. There, known as DJ Quentox, he began laying the base for Brighton's hip-hop scene.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}
Cook was recently awarded a star on the city of Brighton's Walk of Fame, next to that of ].


=== 1985–1995: The Housemartins to the Mighty Dub Katz ===
In 1985, Heaton formed a guitar band, ]. Their original bassist, ], left on the eve of their first national tour, so Cook agreed to move to ] to join them. The band soon had a hit single, "]", and their two albums, '']'' and '']'', reached the Top 10 of the ].<ref name="martins">{{cite web|title=HOUSEMARTINS|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/housemartins/|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=25 December 2013}}</ref> They also reached ] just before Christmas 1986 with a version of "]", originally a hit the year before for ].<ref name="martins" /> By 1988 they had split up. Heaton and the drummer, Dave Hemingway, went on to form ], while Cook moved back to Brighton to pursue his interest in the style of music he preferred. He started working with the young studio engineer Simon Thornton, with whom he continues to make records.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

Cook achieved his first solo hit in 1989, "Blame It on the Bassline", featuring future ] member MC Wildski. Credited to "Norman Cook feat. MC Wildski", the song followed the basic template of what would become Beats International's style. It reached number 29 on the ]. <ref>{{Cite web |date=8 July 1989 |title=WON'T TALK ABOUT IT/BLAME IT ON THE BASSLINE |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/fatboy-slim-wont-talk-about-itblame-it-on-the-bassline/ |access-date=24 July 2024 |website=Official Charts |language=en}}</ref>

Cook formed Beats International, a loose confederation of ]s including the vocalists ] and Lester Noel, the rappers D.J. Baptiste and MC Wildski and the keyboardist Andy Boucher. Their first album, '']'', included the number-one single "]", which caused a legal dispute over allegations of ] infringement through the liberal use of unauthorised ]: the ] was taken from ]'s "]" and the chorus was an ] of ]'s "]". Cook lost the case and was ordered to pay back twice the royalties made on the record, bankrupting him. The 1991 follow-up album, ''Excursion on the Version'', an exploration of ] and ] music, did not chart.

Cook formed ] with the horn player ] and the singer Jesse Graham. They released their debut album '']'' in 1994, which contained the single "]". ] used the song in a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign. In 1996, Cook rejoined Freak Power for their second album, ''More of Everything for Everybody''.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

Cook enlisted help from producer friends Tim Jeffery and JC Reid to create a ] album as ]. The 1995 ''Pizzamania'' album spawned three ] hits: "]", "]" and "]". ] corporation used "Happiness" in a UK fruit juice ad. The videos for the three singles were directed by ].{{Cn|date=July 2024}} Cook also formed the group The Mighty Dub Katz with Gareth Hansome (aka GMoney), his former flatmate. Together they started the Boutique Nightclub in Brighton, formerly known as the Big Beat Boutique. Their biggest song together was "]".{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

=== 1996–2008: Fatboy Slim ===
], 2006]]

:"We just got really, really drunk and wrote down a whole lot of names and then looked at them the next day and went, "that's the one." I really love old blues records. Really old, like pre-war blues. I love blues singers and a lot of them have really stupid names. There was like... Peetie Wheatstraw and Snooks Eaglin, Arthur Big Boy Crudup..."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.synthhistory.com/post/interview-with-fatboy-slim|title=Interview With Fatboy Slim|date=29 September 2022|website=Synth History}}</ref>

Cook adopted the pseudonym Fatboy Slim in 1995. He said of the name: "It doesn't mean anything. I've told so many different lies over the years about it I can't actually remember the truth. It's just an oxymoron—a word that can't exist. It kind of suits me—it's kind of goofy and ironic."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/programs/watc/features/2001/fatboyslim/010908.fatboyslim.html|title=NPR's Weekend All Things Considered: Fatboy Slim|website=www.npr.org|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=1 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081243/https://www.npr.org/programs/watc/features/2001/fatboyslim/010908.fatboyslim.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Fatboy Slim album and Cook's second solo album, '']'' (released on ] in the UK and ] in the US), contained the Top 40 UK hit "]".{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

Fatboy Slim's next work was the single "]", using a keyboard, a ], an ] and an ],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-fatboy-slim-praise-you|title=Classic Tracks: Fatboy Slim 'Praise You'|website=www.soundonsound.com}}</ref> with a ]<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/c-lab-unitor/4492|title=C-Lab Unitor (SOS Feb 1989)|first=David|last=Mellor|date=25 February 1989|journal=Sound on Sound|issue=Feb 1989|pages=42–45|via=www.muzines.co.uk}}</ref> sequencer<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/c-lab-creator/2538|title=C-Lab Creator|magazine=Sound On Sound|date=November 1987|pages=57–61|issn=0951-6816|oclc=925234032}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.coolsmartphone.com/2020/02/03/fatboy-slim-when-hits-were-stored-on-a-floppy-disk-and-created-with-an-atari-st/|title=Fatboy Slim - When hits were stored on a floppy disk and created with an Atari ST|first=Leigh|last=Geary|date=3 February 2020|website=Coolsmartphone}}</ref> and released before the album '']'', both of which were released in 1998. "]", also from this album, was Cook's first UK solo ]. Its music video, starring ], won numerous awards.<ref name="BBC stardom">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1530530.stm |work=BBC News | title=Norman Cook's long way to stardom | date=7 September 2001 | access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> On 9 September 1999, he performed "Praise You" at the ] in New York City and won three awards, including that for ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1999/mtvvmas.htm|title=1999 MTV Video Music Awards|publisher=Rockonthenet.com|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2000, Fatboy Slim released his third studio album '']'' and featured two collaborations with ] and the track "]", which also was made into an award-winning ] starring ].<ref name="Fatboy Slim rakes in MTV awards">{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1530007.stm |work=BBC News | title=Fatboy Slim rakes in MTV awards | date=7 September 2001 | access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> The album also included "]," whose socially significant video sampled the 1964 "]" campaign ad.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Bein|first=Kat|date=7 February 2018|title=Fatboy Slim's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/fatboy-slim-songs-best-hits-list-8463826/|magazine=]}}</ref> At the ] in New York, Fatboy Slim won six awards for "Weapon of Choice", the most awards at the ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2001/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530092718/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2001/|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 May 2012|title=2001 MTV Video Music Awards|publisher=MTV|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2001/mtvvmas.htm|title=2001 MTV VMAs|publisher=Rockonthenet.com|access-date=22 September 2014}}</ref>

In 2003, he produced "]" and "Gene by Gene" from the ] album '']'' and in 2004, '']'' was Cook's first studio album for four years.{{Cn|date=July 2024}} Fatboy Slim's greatest hits album '']'' was released on 19 June 2006. It consists of 18 tracks, including ten Top 40 singles, a couple of Number Ones and two new tracks, "]" and "]".{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

In 2006, Cook travelled to Cuba and wrote and produced two original Cuban crossover tracks for the album ''The Revolution Presents: Revolution'', which was released by ] and Rapster Records in 2009. The tracks are "Shelter" (which featured longtime collaborator ]) and "Siente Mi Ritmo", featuring Cuba's female vocal group Sexto Sentido. The recordings took place at Cuba's EGREM Studios, home of the ], and featured a band of young Cuban musicians, including ]. Another track recorded during these sessions, "Guaguanco", was released separately under the Mighty Dub Katz moniker in 2006.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

=== 2008–2012: The Brighton Port Authority ===
The Brighton Port Authority debuted in 2008 with a collaboration with ] and ] titled "]", along with a video featuring nude dancers with ]s on them, making pictures and words with them.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

The soundtrack album for the TV series '']'' also includes the Brighton Port Authority's track "He's Frank (Slight Return)" (a cover of a song by ]), with ] as vocalist. The video for this track features a near life-size puppet of Iggy Pop. An alternative club version was released under the title "He's Frank (Washing Up)", with the video featuring some footage of Iggy Pop acting and saying lyrics.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

The band's debut album, '']'', is the first to be co-produced by Cook's longtime engineer Simon Thornton, who also sings on one track. The album was released 6 January 2009 exclusively at ] on CD, with downloadable format and other stores scheduled for a month later on 3 February 2009.

In 2010, Cook released a mix album, ''The Legend Returns,'' as a covermount album in the June 2010 issue of ''].'' He returned as Fatboy Slim when performing at ] in Miami in March 2012.{{Cn|date=July 2024}} On 12 August 2012 he performed "Rockefeller Skank" and "Right Here, Right Now" at the ], and on 1 September 2012 Cook performed at Brighton Pride.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/fatboy-slim-joins-freemasons-brighton-pride230812|title=Fatboy Slim joins Freemasons at Brighton Pride|website=Gay Star News|date=23 August 2012|access-date=22 September 2014|archive-date=9 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909085850/http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/fatboy-slim-joins-freemasons-brighton-pride230812/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 2013–present: Return of Fatboy Slim ===
]]]
On 20 June 2013, Cook released his first charting Fatboy Slim single in seven years; "]" with Riva Starr and ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNvkvgBFztg|title=Fatboy Slim Takes Us Into The Archives To Discuss His Biggest Hits &#124; 100% Interview|date=15 December 2021 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> Supported by a remix from Scottish DJ ], the song topped the ] that year.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20131103/7501/ | title=Official Singles Chart; 2 November 2013 - 8 November 2013 | publisher=] | access-date=29 December 2024}}</ref> In 2015, Cook released a 15th-anniversary edition of ''Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars''. This was supported with the release of miscellaneous remixes. In May 2015, Cook compiled ''The Fatboy Slim Collection,'' an album of songs used throughout his sets over the years.

In 2017, Fatboy Slim returned with his single "Where U Iz", released on 3 March.<ref>{{cite web|title=Where U Iz|work=Fatboyslim.net|date=3 March 2017|url=https://www.fatboyslim.net/2017/03/03/where-u-iz/}}</ref> Later that year, he released another collaboration with Beardyman titled "Boom F**king Boom".<ref>{{cite web|title=Boom F**king Boom (feat. Beardyman) by Fatboy Slim|website=]|date=11 August 2017|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/boom-f-king-boom-feat-beardyman-single/1263454945|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref> In 2018, a remix album from Australian artists of Cook's previous works was released, titled ''Fatboy Slim vs. Australia''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fatboy Slim vs. Australia on Apple Music|work=]|date=19 January 2018|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/fatboy-slim-vs-australia/1334391212?app=music&ign-mpt=uo%3D4|access-date=31 January 2018}}</ref> In June 2023, Cook played at ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0Cjbzo_Gk4|title=burn #residency - Masterclass: Fatboy Slim|date=22 August 2013 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> He performed the song "Insomnia" by ] as a tribute to ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Geraghty |first=Hollie |date=25 June 2023 |title=Watch Fatboy Slim pay tribute to Faithless' Maxi Jazz at Glastonbury 2023 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-fatboy-slim-pay-tribute-to-faithless-maxi-jazz-at-glastonbury-2023-3461084 |access-date=7 July 2023 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> In June 2024, Fatboy Slim released a new single featuring vocalist Dan Diamond called "Role Model." It comes with a music video, his first in nearly 20 years, and features many celebrities using ] technology such as ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vuoncino |first1=Chris |title=Fatboy Slim releases star-studded music video for 'Role Model' |url=https://weraveyou.com/2024/06/fatboy-slim-role-model-music-vide/ |website=We Rave You |date=13 June 2024 |access-date=25 June 2024}}</ref> On 28 June 2024, Cook appeared at Glastonbury with Paul Heaton on the Pyramid Stage.{{Cn|date=July 2024}}

== Other works ==
Cook produced the single "]" by fellow Brighton band ] released in December 2011 which peaked at number 2 in the charts.

Cook has been responsible for successful remixes for ], ], ] and ]. In 2008, he did a remix of the track "Amazonas" for the charity ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/right-here-right-now-fatboy-slim-and-sound-affects-brazil-784784.html|title=Right here, right now: Fatboy Slim and Sound Affects Brazil|website=The Independent|access-date=22 September 2014|archive-date=27 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227093426/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/right-here-right-now-fatboy-slim-and-sound-affects-brazil-784784.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Performances ==
]
], 2017]]
On Saturday, 13 July 2002, Fatboy Slim played at the second of his free open-air concerts on Brighton Beach, the ]. Although organisers expected a crowd of around 60,000 people, the event instead attracted an estimated 250,000 who crammed the promenade and beach between Brighton's piers. Local police forced the event to end early amid safety concerns due to overcrowding. Shortly after the event there were two deaths, one due to a fall from the Upper Esplanade<ref name="Girl dies">{{cite news|last=Morris|first=Steven|title=Nurse dies after fall at Brighton beach party|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jul/17/stevenmorris|access-date=23 November 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=17 July 2002}}</ref><ref name="independent">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Chris |date=21 December 2002 |title=Brighton restricts beach parties after Fatboy Slim concert chaos |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/brighton-restricts-beach-parties-after-fatboy-slim-concert-chaos-136932.html |access-date=9 February 2023}}</ref> and one from a heart attack.<ref name="guardian1">{{Cite news |last=Kelso |first=Paul |date=15 July 2002 |title=Fatboy Slim 'monster' beach party brings chaos to Brighton after 200,000 crowd in |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jul/15/arts.artsnews1 |access-date=9 February 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> After the show finished, major traffic congestion ensued throughout the Brighton area, with many caught in traffic jams until the morning.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2127259.stm |work=BBC News | title=Fatboy Slim crowds cause chaos | date=14 July 2002 | access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref>

In June 2005, Fatboy Slim filled the Friday night headline slot on the "Other Stage" at the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/glastonbury2005/lineupandartists/fatboyslim/ |title=BBC Glastonbury 2005 – Fatboy Slim |publisher=BBC |access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref> In 2006, Fatboy Slim filled the Saturday headline slot at the ] festival at ] Airfield in the ]. He played a two-hour set, appearing in front of a visual stage set comprising video screens and 3D lighting. A ] display rounded off the show.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5114238.stm |work=BBC News | title=Rock Ness fans have monster time | date=25 June 2006 | access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> Having been banned by police from playing in Brighton since 2002, Fatboy Slim was given permission in 2006 to play again in his home town. On 1 January 2007, he played to an audience of more than 20,000 fans along Brighton's seafront. Tickets to the event, titled "Fatboy Slim's Big Beach Boutique 3", were made available only to individuals with a BN postcode. The concert was deemed a "stunning success" by Sussex police, Fatboy Slim and the crowd.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/6222189.stm |work=BBC News | title=Thousands attend Fatboy Slim gig | date=1 January 2007 | access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> The Cuban Brothers and ] opened the concert. The next similar event, 'Big Beach Boutique 4', was held on 27 September 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/latest-entertainment-news/Fatboy-Slim-to-rock-at.4534665.jp|title=20,000 head to Brighton beach party|publisher=] Herald|date=28 September 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104213646/http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/latest-entertainment-news/Fatboy-Slim-to-rock-at.4534665.jp|archive-date=4 January 2009}}</ref>

In 2008, Fatboy Slim played at the ] again and headlined the ] ] and Rockness Festival. According to an '']'' interview, this may have been one of the last times he performed as Fatboy Slim, as he may now be focusing on his new band The Brighton Port Authority (BPA).<ref name=newmoniker>{{cite web |url=https://www.nme.com/news/fatboy-slim/36593 |title=Fatboy Slim is no more |website=] |date=14 May 2008 |access-date=1 October 2011}}</ref> Also in 2008, Fatboy Slim closed out the famed "Sahara" tent on Friday of the ]. His introduction included a '']'' opening that has been called of the most memorable Sahara performances ever.<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2023 |title=Fatboy Slim will headline Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles in September |url=https://www.dailynews.com/2023/06/28/fatboy-slim-will-headline-pershing-square-in-downtown-los-angeles-in-september/ |access-date=8 June 2024 |website=Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2009, he toured Australia in the ]. Also in 2009, he played in ], Dublin, alongside ], ] and ], as well as one huge performance at the ] in ]. He also performed at ] 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Top pics of Dizzee, Doherty and The Saturdays... |url=http://www.virginmedia.com/music/vfestival2009/galleries/best-of-saturday.php?ssid=6 |title=Fatboy Slim – V Festival 2009: Best of Saturday |publisher=Virgin Media |access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref>

At Glastonbury 2009, he played an unadvertised concert in the "pinball-machine" stage at trash city.<ref>{{cite web|author=Alicia Canter |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2009/jun/28/glastonbury-gallery-trash-city-fatboy-slim |title=Glastonbury festival 2009: Fatboy Slim wows Trash City &#124; ''The Guardian''.|website=The Guardian |date=28 June 2009 |access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref>

In 2010, Fatboy Slim headlined the east dance at ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/the-2010-line-up-is-revealed |title=News – The 2010 line-up is revealed! |publisher=Glastonbury Festivals |access-date=12 September 2011}}</ref> On 18 June 2010, he performed in ], South Africa as part of the Cool Britannia ] music festival at the ].<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=26 May 2010|title=Dizzee Rascal, Fatboy Slim To Play World Cup Shows|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles//1206102/dizzee-rascal-fatboy-slim-to-play-world-cup-shows|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510185919/https://www.billboard.com/articles/1206102/dizzee-rascal-fatboy-slim-to-play-world-cup-shows|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 May 2021|access-date=9 March 2021|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> He also performed in Naples on 15 July at the Neapolis Festival. On 30 May 2011, he performed as the headliner for Detroit's ] in Detroit, Michigan.<ref>{{Cite web|date=24 March 2011|title=Fatboy Slim, Carl Craig head Movement: Detroit Electronic Music Festival 2011|url=https://consequence.net/2011/03/fatboy-slim-carl-craig-head-movement-detroit-electronic-music-festival-2011/|access-date=9 March 2021|website=Consequence of Sound|language=en-US}}</ref> On 25 September 2011, Fatboy Slim headlined the Terrace at ]'s famed Space Nightclub's We Love Sundays closing party. On 29 October 2011, Fatboy Slim opened at the San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, following up on the 30th, closing out the Red Bulletin/Le PLUR Stage at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans, Louisiana. On Saturday, 24 March 2012, Fatboy Slim performed a live DJ set on the main stage at ] in Miami, Florida. In addition to his other 2011 performances, Fatboy Slim also played a headline gig at the ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.virtualfestivals.com/bestival-2011/lineup |title=Bestival 2011 Line Up |publisher=Virtualfestivals.com |access-date=27 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212132146/http://www.virtualfestivals.com/bestival-2011/lineup |archive-date=12 December 2013 }}</ref> on the Isle of Wight on 11 September.

In March 2012, Cook hosted a one-hour radio programme, titled ''On The Road To Big Beach Bootique 5'', on ]. It consisted of 10 shows.<ref>{{cite web|last=Laughlin|first=Andrew|title=Fatboy Slim joins Xfm for Big Beach Bootique show|website=Digital Spy|date=22 March 2012|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/news/a372561/fatboy-slim-joins-xfm-for-big-beach-bootique-show.html|access-date=6 April 2012|archive-date=17 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417161607/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/news/a372561/fatboy-slim-joins-xfm-for-big-beach-bootique-show.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

He performed his famous "]" (dubbed the 'Funk Soul Brother') at the closing ceremony for the ] on top of a giant inflatable octopus, which emerged from the top of a party bus.

In 2013, Fatboy Slim played at Ultra Music Festival,<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Baltin|first=Steve|date=19 March 2013|title=Fatboy Slim: Las Vegas' EDM Scene 'Really Isn't for Me'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/fatboy-slim-las-vegas-edm-scene-really-isnt-for-me-107821/|access-date=9 March 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> Wavefront Music Festival, ], ] and ] (as a special guest on the Wow! and Arcadia stages).

On 6 March 2013, Fatboy Slim played at the ] in ], London. This was the first time a DJ ever performed there, and the performance was in aid of the Last Night A DJ Saved My Life Foundation, which is aimed at "encouraging 16- to 25-year-olds to get more involved in their communities through grassroot initiatives and to raise awareness for community music projects".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trancefixxed.co.uk/news/fatboy-slim-lnadj-gig/ |title=Fatboy Slim to DJ at the House of Commons |publisher=TranceFixxed |date=12 February 2013 |access-date=9 February 2014 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222064501/http://www.trancefixxed.co.uk/news/fatboy-slim-lnadj-gig/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In May 2014, Fatboy Slim played Coachella for a second time, again on the Sahara stage.

In December 2014, Fatboy Slim played three sold-out shows including The Warehouse Project in Manchester & O2 Brixton Academy, with supporting acts such as ] with ] for Slam Dunk'd and ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewarehouseproject.com/event/eid/26/FATBOY-SLIM.html|title=Manifesto|website=The Warehouse Project|language=en|access-date=29 November 2019|archive-date=5 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805000003/https://www.thewarehouseproject.com/event/eid/26/FATBOY-SLIM.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.o2academybrixton.co.uk/event/69520/fatboy-slim-tickets|title=Upcoming Events – O2 Academy Brixton|website=www.o2academybrixton.co.uk|access-date=23 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223014247/http://www.o2academybrixton.co.uk/event/69520/fatboy-slim-tickets|archive-date=23 December 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 15 May 2016, he played a private two-hour set "Baby Loves Disco" for preschool children and their parents during the festival ] holding.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://muzwave.com/2016/05/fatboy-slim-played-secret-set/|title=Fatboy Slim played a secret set – MuzWave|date=5 May 2016|access-date=20 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616212812/https://muzwave.com/2016/05/fatboy-slim-played-secret-set/|archive-date=16 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At Glastonbury 2016, he played the John Peel stage for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/28jCKmgt3fLlWgwZWVN4Qtk/fatboy-slim-in-pictures|title=2016, Glastonbury – Fatboy Slim in Pictures – BBC Music|website=BBC|access-date=19 September 2016|archive-date=29 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629083607/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/28jCKmgt3fLlWgwZWVN4Qtk/fatboy-slim-in-pictures|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In October 2019, Cook performed a mashup of his track "Right Here, Right Now" and ]'s United Nations speech during a concert in Gateshead, England.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/fatboy-slim-greta-thunberg-right-here-right-now-remix-mashup-a9147736.html|title=Fatboy Slim remixes Right Here, Right Now with Greta Thunberg's United Nations speech|website=The Independent|date=9 October 2019|access-date=11 October 2019}}</ref>

In May 2021, Cook performed at one of the first UK events in Liverpool, England as part of the government's trials to restart mass audience events.

In July 2022, Cook returned to Brighton beach for the 20th anniversary of Big Beach Boutique. He was joined by Carl Cox, Eats Everything and others.

== Legacy ==
Known as DJ Quentox (The OX that Rocks), Cook and DJ Baptiste started putting on ] ] ] in Brighton, sowing the seeds of the city's flourishing hip hop scene today. These primitive 1980s ] are recalled in the music documentary ''South Coast'', which documents Brighton's cult hip hop scene from its grass roots to the present day.
Cook was awarded a star on the city of Brighton's Walk of Fame, next to that of ].
] named Fatboy Slim part of their "50 Bands to See Before You Die" list.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html |title=A Selection of Lists from Q Magazine – Page 2 |publisher=Rocklistmusic.co.uk |access-date=12 September 2011 |archive-date=19 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019101341/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Cook married TV personality ] in 1999 at ] in Somerset. In January 2003, the couple separated,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2671021.stm |work=BBC News | title=Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim 'to split' | date=18 January 2003 | access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> but three months later they reconciled.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Alan |date=16 July 2023 |title=Inside Fatboy Slim's life - bankruptcy, Zoe Ball split, bisexual son and rehab |url=https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/inside-fatboy-slims-life-bankruptcy-30403890 |access-date=8 June 2024 |website=Daily Star |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author1=GoodtoKnow |date=26 September 2016 |title=Zoe Ball and Norman Cook split after 18 years |url=https://www.goodto.com/wellbeing/relationships/zoe-ball-and-norman-cook-split-99153 |access-date=8 June 2024 |website=GoodTo |language=en}}</ref> Their daughter Nelly premiered a DJ set as Fat Girl Slim with ] during the ] to raise money for the ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5kFZ2UZ4uI&t=138s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/h5kFZ2UZ4uI| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|website=YouTube |title=FATGIRL SLIM – World premiere DJ set by Nelly Cook (with a little help from dad Fatboy Slim.....)|date=11 April 2020 |publisher=Camp Bestival |access-date=24 March 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They lived in Western Esplanade, ], ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.idealhome.co.uk/news/millionaires-row-hove-2-225938 | title=Fancy living next door to Fatboy Slim? You'll want to put an offer in right here, right now | date=May 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/sep/10/popandrock4|title=How the Fatboy grew up|website=The Guardian |date=4 September 2010 | location=London | first=Alexis | last=Petridis | access-date=21 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Zoe Ball launches subscription YouTube channel|date=20 July 2014 |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11353273.Zoe_Ball_launches_subscription_YouTube_channel/|publisher=The Argus|access-date=20 July 2014}}</ref> On 24 September 2016, Cook and Ball announced their separation after 18 years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37464920|title=TV's Zoe Ball and DJ Norman Cook announce separation|work=]|date=24 September 2016}}</ref>

On 4 March 2009, Cook checked into a rehabilitation centre in ] to fight alcoholism. Due to an extended stay in the rehabilitation centre, his performance at ], a week-long winter sports and music festival held in the Austrian ] resort of ], was cancelled, with the slot being filled by ]. Cook left the clinic at the end of March.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idiomag.com/peek/73236/fatboy_slim|title=Fatboy Slim leaves rehab|access-date=1 April 2009|date=31 March 2009|publisher=]}}</ref> As of 4 March 2019 he had not used drugs or alcohol for 10 years.<ref name=":0" />

Cook has supported ] since moving to Brighton in the late 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Work begins on new stadium |author=Jennifer Drury |newspaper=My Brighton and Hove Albion FC |year=2008 |url=http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__9429_path__0p116p176p1399p.aspx }}</ref>

== Collaborations ==
'''Bands'''
* ] <small>(Bassist; 1985–1988)</small>
* Rockaway Three <small>(1988)</small>
* Double Trouble <small>(1988–1990)</small>
* ] <small>(1989–1992)</small>
* ] <small>(1993–1997)</small>
* ] <small>(1993–1996)</small>
* Fried Funk Food <small>(1995)</small>
* Mighty Dub Katz <small>("]" dance song and "Work it, Work it")</small>
* The Brighton Port Authority <small>(2008–present)</small>

== Awards and nominations ==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Fatboy Slim}}

== Discography ==
{{Main|Fatboy Slim discography|Norman Cook discography}}
'''Studio albums'''
* '']'' (1996)
* '']'' (1998)
* '']'' (2000)
* '']'' (2004)

== Filmography ==
Cook appears in the documentary ''Tripping'' (1999) directed by Vikram Jayanti and written by Jeff Taupler about ] and the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.festivival.com/media-items/videos?m=k91c1 |title=Tripping (1999 Ken Kesey / Merry Pranksters documentary) - Trips Festival 1966 - Festivival |access-date=27 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027232041/https://www.festivival.com/media-items/videos?m=k91c1 |archive-date=27 October 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He appears as himself in the 2019 satire film '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18262661.norman-cooks-cameo-role-steve-coogan-film-greed/|title= Norman Cook's cameo role in Steve Coogan film Greed|date= 28 February 2020|access-date= 12 July 2022|first= Emily|last= Walker|work= ]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{AllMusic}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name}}


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Latest revision as of 15:31, 1 January 2025

English musician (born 1963) "Norman Cook" redirects here. For the Canadian politician, see Norman E. Cook. For the American basketball player, see Norm Cook.

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Fatboy Slim
Cook in 2006Cook in 2006
Background information
Birth nameQuentin Leo Cook
Also known as
  • Norman Cook
  • DJ Quentox
Born (1963-07-31) 31 July 1963 (age 61)
Bromley, Kent, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • disc jockey
  • record producer
Years active1979–present
Labels
Formerly of
Spouse(s) Philippa Watson ​ ​(m. 1986⁠–⁠1988)
Zoe Ball ​ ​(m. 1999; div. 2020)
Websitefatboyslim.net
Musical artist

Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), better known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist for the Hull-based indie rock band the Housemartins, who achieved a UK number-one single with their a cappella cover of "Caravan of Love". After the Housemartins split up, Cook formed the electronic band Beats International in Brighton, who produced the number-one single "Dub Be Good to Me". He then played in Freak Power, Pizzaman and the Mighty Dub Katz, with moderate success.

In 1996, Cook adopted the name Fatboy Slim and released Better Living Through Chemistry to critical acclaim. Follow-up albums You've Come a Long Way, Baby, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, and Palookaville, as well as singles such as "The Rockafeller Skank", "Praise You", "Right Here, Right Now", "Weapon of Choice" and "Wonderful Night", achieved commercial and critical success. In 2008, Cook formed the Brighton Port Authority, a collaborative effort with a number of other established artists including David Byrne. He has been responsible for successful remixes for Cornershop, the Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, Groove Armada and Wildchild.

It was reported in 2008 that Cook held the Guinness World Record for most top-40 hits under different names. As a solo act, he has won a Grammy Award, nine MTV Video Music Awards and two Brit Awards, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Original Score in 2024.

Life and career

1963–1984: Early life and career beginnings

Badge created by Cook (circa 1979) for his band Disque Attack in which he played drums and for whom he was later lead vocalist

Cook was born in Bromley, Kent. He was raised in Reigate, Surrey, and educated at Reigate Grammar School, where he took violin lessons alongside the future prime minister Keir Starmer.

Cook grew up with a love of music. When he was 14, his brother brought home the first album from the punk band the Damned; he started attending punk gigs at the Greyhound pub in Park Lane, Croydon, and playing in punk bands. He played drums in Disque Attack, a British new wave-influenced rock band. When the frontman, Charlie Alcock, was told by his parents that he had to give up the band to concentrate on his O levels, Cook took over as lead vocalist. At the Railway Tavern in Reigate, Cook met Paul Heaton, with whom he formed the Stomping Pond Frogs.

At 18, Cook went to Brighton Polytechnic to read a B.A. in English, politics and sociology, where he achieved a 2:1 in British Studies. He had begun DJing some years before, but it was at this time that he began to develop his skills in the thriving Brighton club scene, regularly appearing at the Brighton Belle and the Basement. There, known as DJ Quentox, he began laying the base for Brighton's hip-hop scene.

1985–1995: The Housemartins to the Mighty Dub Katz

In 1985, Heaton formed a guitar band, the Housemartins. Their original bassist, Ted Key, left on the eve of their first national tour, so Cook agreed to move to Hull to join them. The band soon had a hit single, "Happy Hour", and their two albums, London 0 Hull 4 and The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death, reached the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. They also reached number one just before Christmas 1986 with a version of "Caravan of Love", originally a hit the year before for Isley-Jasper-Isley. By 1988 they had split up. Heaton and the drummer, Dave Hemingway, went on to form the Beautiful South, while Cook moved back to Brighton to pursue his interest in the style of music he preferred. He started working with the young studio engineer Simon Thornton, with whom he continues to make records.

Cook achieved his first solo hit in 1989, "Blame It on the Bassline", featuring future Beats International member MC Wildski. Credited to "Norman Cook feat. MC Wildski", the song followed the basic template of what would become Beats International's style. It reached number 29 on the UK singles chart.

Cook formed Beats International, a loose confederation of studio musicians including the vocalists Lindy Layton and Lester Noel, the rappers D.J. Baptiste and MC Wildski and the keyboardist Andy Boucher. Their first album, Let Them Eat Bingo, included the number-one single "Dub Be Good to Me", which caused a legal dispute over allegations of copyright infringement through the liberal use of unauthorised samples: the bassline was taken from the Clash's "The Guns of Brixton" and the chorus was an interpolation of the S.O.S. Band's "Just Be Good to Me". Cook lost the case and was ordered to pay back twice the royalties made on the record, bankrupting him. The 1991 follow-up album, Excursion on the Version, an exploration of dub and reggae music, did not chart.

Cook formed Freak Power with the horn player Ashley Slater and the singer Jesse Graham. They released their debut album Drive-Thru Booty in 1994, which contained the single "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out". Levi's used the song in a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign. In 1996, Cook rejoined Freak Power for their second album, More of Everything for Everybody.

Cook enlisted help from producer friends Tim Jeffery and JC Reid to create a house music album as Pizzaman. The 1995 Pizzamania album spawned three UK Top 40 hits: "Trippin' on Sunshine", "Sex on the Streets" and "Happiness". Del Monte Foods corporation used "Happiness" in a UK fruit juice ad. The videos for the three singles were directed by Michael Dominic. Cook also formed the group The Mighty Dub Katz with Gareth Hansome (aka GMoney), his former flatmate. Together they started the Boutique Nightclub in Brighton, formerly known as the Big Beat Boutique. Their biggest song together was "Magic Carpet Ride".

1996–2008: Fatboy Slim

Cook performing at the first "Beach Party" in Portrush, 2006
"We just got really, really drunk and wrote down a whole lot of names and then looked at them the next day and went, "that's the one." I really love old blues records. Really old, like pre-war blues. I love blues singers and a lot of them have really stupid names. There was like... Peetie Wheatstraw and Snooks Eaglin, Arthur Big Boy Crudup..."

Cook adopted the pseudonym Fatboy Slim in 1995. He said of the name: "It doesn't mean anything. I've told so many different lies over the years about it I can't actually remember the truth. It's just an oxymoron—a word that can't exist. It kind of suits me—it's kind of goofy and ironic." The Fatboy Slim album and Cook's second solo album, Better Living Through Chemistry (released on Skint Records in the UK and Astralwerks in the US), contained the Top 40 UK hit "Everybody Needs a 303".

Fatboy Slim's next work was the single "The Rockafeller Skank", using a keyboard, a Roland TB-303, an Akai S-950 and an Atari ST, with a C-Lab Creator sequencer and released before the album You've Come a Long Way, Baby, both of which were released in 1998. "Praise You", also from this album, was Cook's first UK solo number one. Its music video, starring Spike Jonze, won numerous awards. On 9 September 1999, he performed "Praise You" at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City and won three awards, including that for Breakthrough Video.

In 2000, Fatboy Slim released his third studio album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars and featured two collaborations with Macy Gray and the track "Weapon of Choice", which also was made into an award-winning music video starring Christopher Walken. The album also included "Sunset (Bird of Prey)," whose socially significant video sampled the 1964 "Daisy Girl" campaign ad. At the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, Fatboy Slim won six awards for "Weapon of Choice", the most awards at the ceremony.

In 2003, he produced "Crazy Beat" and "Gene by Gene" from the Blur album Think Tank and in 2004, Palookaville was Cook's first studio album for four years. Fatboy Slim's greatest hits album Why Try Harder was released on 19 June 2006. It consists of 18 tracks, including ten Top 40 singles, a couple of Number Ones and two new tracks, "Champion Sound" and "That Old Pair of Jeans".

In 2006, Cook travelled to Cuba and wrote and produced two original Cuban crossover tracks for the album The Revolution Presents: Revolution, which was released by Studio ! K7 and Rapster Records in 2009. The tracks are "Shelter" (which featured longtime collaborator Lateef) and "Siente Mi Ritmo", featuring Cuba's female vocal group Sexto Sentido. The recordings took place at Cuba's EGREM Studios, home of the Buena Vista Social Club, and featured a band of young Cuban musicians, including Harold Lopez Nussa. Another track recorded during these sessions, "Guaguanco", was released separately under the Mighty Dub Katz moniker in 2006.

2008–2012: The Brighton Port Authority

The Brighton Port Authority debuted in 2008 with a collaboration with David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal titled "Toe Jam", along with a video featuring nude dancers with censor bars on them, making pictures and words with them.

The soundtrack album for the TV series Heroes also includes the Brighton Port Authority's track "He's Frank (Slight Return)" (a cover of a song by The Monochrome Set), with Iggy Pop as vocalist. The video for this track features a near life-size puppet of Iggy Pop. An alternative club version was released under the title "He's Frank (Washing Up)", with the video featuring some footage of Iggy Pop acting and saying lyrics.

The band's debut album, I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, is the first to be co-produced by Cook's longtime engineer Simon Thornton, who also sings on one track. The album was released 6 January 2009 exclusively at Amazon.com on CD, with downloadable format and other stores scheduled for a month later on 3 February 2009.

In 2010, Cook released a mix album, The Legend Returns, as a covermount album in the June 2010 issue of Mixmag. He returned as Fatboy Slim when performing at Ultra Music Festival in Miami in March 2012. On 12 August 2012 he performed "Rockefeller Skank" and "Right Here, Right Now" at the 2012 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony, and on 1 September 2012 Cook performed at Brighton Pride.

2013–present: Return of Fatboy Slim

Cook performing at the 2013 Glastonbury Festival

On 20 June 2013, Cook released his first charting Fatboy Slim single in seven years; "Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat" with Riva Starr and Beardyman. Supported by a remix from Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, the song topped the UK Dance Chart that year. In 2015, Cook released a 15th-anniversary edition of Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. This was supported with the release of miscellaneous remixes. In May 2015, Cook compiled The Fatboy Slim Collection, an album of songs used throughout his sets over the years.

In 2017, Fatboy Slim returned with his single "Where U Iz", released on 3 March. Later that year, he released another collaboration with Beardyman titled "Boom F**king Boom". In 2018, a remix album from Australian artists of Cook's previous works was released, titled Fatboy Slim vs. Australia. In June 2023, Cook played at Glastonbury Festival. He performed the song "Insomnia" by Faithless as a tribute to Maxi Jazz. In June 2024, Fatboy Slim released a new single featuring vocalist Dan Diamond called "Role Model." It comes with a music video, his first in nearly 20 years, and features many celebrities using deepfake technology such as David Bowie, Bill Murray and Muhammad Ali. On 28 June 2024, Cook appeared at Glastonbury with Paul Heaton on the Pyramid Stage.

Other works

Cook produced the single "Mama Do the Hump" by fellow Brighton band Rizzle Kicks released in December 2011 which peaked at number 2 in the charts.

Cook has been responsible for successful remixes for Cornershop, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest and Wildchild. In 2008, he did a remix of the track "Amazonas" for the charity Bottletop.

Performances

13 July 2002, The Big Beach Boutique II, where more than 250,000 people saw Fatboy Slim play live
Fatboy Slim playing live at Mexico City, 2017

On Saturday, 13 July 2002, Fatboy Slim played at the second of his free open-air concerts on Brighton Beach, the Big Beach Boutique II. Although organisers expected a crowd of around 60,000 people, the event instead attracted an estimated 250,000 who crammed the promenade and beach between Brighton's piers. Local police forced the event to end early amid safety concerns due to overcrowding. Shortly after the event there were two deaths, one due to a fall from the Upper Esplanade and one from a heart attack. After the show finished, major traffic congestion ensued throughout the Brighton area, with many caught in traffic jams until the morning.

In June 2005, Fatboy Slim filled the Friday night headline slot on the "Other Stage" at the Glastonbury Festival. In 2006, Fatboy Slim filled the Saturday headline slot at the Global Gathering festival at Long Marston Airfield in the English Midlands. He played a two-hour set, appearing in front of a visual stage set comprising video screens and 3D lighting. A fireworks display rounded off the show. Having been banned by police from playing in Brighton since 2002, Fatboy Slim was given permission in 2006 to play again in his home town. On 1 January 2007, he played to an audience of more than 20,000 fans along Brighton's seafront. Tickets to the event, titled "Fatboy Slim's Big Beach Boutique 3", were made available only to individuals with a BN postcode. The concert was deemed a "stunning success" by Sussex police, Fatboy Slim and the crowd. The Cuban Brothers and David Guetta opened the concert. The next similar event, 'Big Beach Boutique 4', was held on 27 September 2008.

In 2008, Fatboy Slim played at the Glastonbury Festival again and headlined the O2 Wireless Festival and Rockness Festival. According to an NME interview, this may have been one of the last times he performed as Fatboy Slim, as he may now be focusing on his new band The Brighton Port Authority (BPA). Also in 2008, Fatboy Slim closed out the famed "Sahara" tent on Friday of the Coachella Valley Music Festival. His introduction included a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opening that has been called of the most memorable Sahara performances ever.

In 2009, he toured Australia in the Good Vibrations Festival. Also in 2009, he played in Marlay Park, Dublin, alongside David Guetta, Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris, as well as one huge performance at the Sziget Festival in Budapest. He also performed at V Festival 2009.

At Glastonbury 2009, he played an unadvertised concert in the "pinball-machine" stage at trash city.

In 2010, Fatboy Slim headlined the east dance at Glastonbury Festival. On 18 June 2010, he performed in Cape Town, South Africa as part of the Cool Britannia FIFA World Cup music festival at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. He also performed in Naples on 15 July at the Neapolis Festival. On 30 May 2011, he performed as the headliner for Detroit's Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit, Michigan. On 25 September 2011, Fatboy Slim headlined the Terrace at Ibiza's famed Space Nightclub's We Love Sundays closing party. On 29 October 2011, Fatboy Slim opened at the San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, following up on the 30th, closing out the Red Bulletin/Le PLUR Stage at the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans, Louisiana. On Saturday, 24 March 2012, Fatboy Slim performed a live DJ set on the main stage at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida. In addition to his other 2011 performances, Fatboy Slim also played a headline gig at the Bestival on the Isle of Wight on 11 September.

In March 2012, Cook hosted a one-hour radio programme, titled On The Road To Big Beach Bootique 5, on XFM. It consisted of 10 shows.

He performed his famous "The Rockafeller Skank" (dubbed the 'Funk Soul Brother') at the closing ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics on top of a giant inflatable octopus, which emerged from the top of a party bus.

In 2013, Fatboy Slim played at Ultra Music Festival, Wavefront Music Festival, Exit Festival, Bestival and Glastonbury Festival (as a special guest on the Wow! and Arcadia stages).

On 6 March 2013, Fatboy Slim played at the House of Commons in Westminster, London. This was the first time a DJ ever performed there, and the performance was in aid of the Last Night A DJ Saved My Life Foundation, which is aimed at "encouraging 16- to 25-year-olds to get more involved in their communities through grassroot initiatives and to raise awareness for community music projects".

In May 2014, Fatboy Slim played Coachella for a second time, again on the Sahara stage.

In December 2014, Fatboy Slim played three sold-out shows including The Warehouse Project in Manchester & O2 Brixton Academy, with supporting acts such as VAS LEON with Arthur Baker for Slam Dunk'd and DJ Fresh.

On 15 May 2016, he played a private two-hour set "Baby Loves Disco" for preschool children and their parents during the festival Brighton Fringe holding.

At Glastonbury 2016, he played the John Peel stage for the first time.

In October 2019, Cook performed a mashup of his track "Right Here, Right Now" and Greta Thunberg's United Nations speech during a concert in Gateshead, England.

In May 2021, Cook performed at one of the first UK events in Liverpool, England as part of the government's trials to restart mass audience events.

In July 2022, Cook returned to Brighton beach for the 20th anniversary of Big Beach Boutique. He was joined by Carl Cox, Eats Everything and others.

Legacy

Known as DJ Quentox (The OX that Rocks), Cook and DJ Baptiste started putting on youth club hip hop jams in Brighton, sowing the seeds of the city's flourishing hip hop scene today. These primitive 1980s block parties are recalled in the music documentary South Coast, which documents Brighton's cult hip hop scene from its grass roots to the present day. Cook was awarded a star on the city of Brighton's Walk of Fame, next to that of Winston Churchill. Q magazine named Fatboy Slim part of their "50 Bands to See Before You Die" list.

Personal life

Cook married TV personality Zoe Ball in 1999 at Babington House in Somerset. In January 2003, the couple separated, but three months later they reconciled. Their daughter Nelly premiered a DJ set as Fat Girl Slim with Camp Bestival during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and The Trussell Trust. They lived in Western Esplanade, Portslade, Hove. On 24 September 2016, Cook and Ball announced their separation after 18 years.

On 4 March 2009, Cook checked into a rehabilitation centre in Bournemouth to fight alcoholism. Due to an extended stay in the rehabilitation centre, his performance at Snowbombing, a week-long winter sports and music festival held in the Austrian ski resort of Mayrhofen, was cancelled, with the slot being filled by 2ManyDJs. Cook left the clinic at the end of March. As of 4 March 2019 he had not used drugs or alcohol for 10 years.

Cook has supported Brighton & Hove Albion since moving to Brighton in the late 1980s.

Collaborations

Bands

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Fatboy Slim

Discography

Main articles: Fatboy Slim discography and Norman Cook discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Cook appears in the documentary Tripping (1999) directed by Vikram Jayanti and written by Jeff Taupler about Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. He appears as himself in the 2019 satire film Greed.

References

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External links


Fatboy Slim
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Awards for Fatboy Slim
Brit Award for British Dance Act
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