The DJ, real name Norman Cook, will mark 40 years on the road with colourful coffee table book of his life
Fatboy Slim is lifting the lid on some of the best nights out and the secrets of his career through the years.
The DJ, real name Norman Cook, is launching a photo book and telling some of the crazy and celeb-filled stories of his life on the road as a musician and DJ. “It’s 40 years this year that I quit my day job and joined the circus. I thought about having a big party but this seemed better,” he said.
Called It Ain’t Over Until the Fatboy Sings and out next week it celebrates Norman’s years in showbiz and is a vivid celebration of indie, house, acid, and remix culture.
He has been in five bands down the years, including The Housemartins and Freak Power, but is best known behind the decks and as a producer.
Speaking about the idea of a book, 62-year-old Norman said: “Now there comes a point in your life, in your career, when people say, do you want to write an autobiography? This ain’t going to happen because I can’t remember the juicy bits and the other juicy bits I always say I can’t have published while my children and my parents are still alive.
“So I am exploring visually my 40 years in showbiz, from The Housemartins through Beats International, Freak Power, and, of course, Fatboy Slim.“
Helpfully for the book, Norman is a natural born hoarder, so many mementos and memories from his long and checkered career remain in his Brighton home including every lanyard and backstage pass he’s got, VHS and DAT cassettes of all his demos and thousands of flyers and photos.
There is also his obsession with smileys which even extends to a guest bedroom in his come absolutely covered in them on the walls and bookcases. “Not everybody can deal with waking up in a room like this,” he admits.
Highlights go his rollercoaster ride include the first giant outdoor gig the Big Beach Boutique he played on Brighton Beach in 2001 to around 50,000 people.
He recalls: “I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening on the beach. I couldn’t believe that the sun was out. I couldn’t believe that the police allowed us to do it. And it was just the most beautiful thing.”
The second one in 2002 when he was one of the biggest DJs in the world, got out of hand as 250,000 people turned up. Looking back Norman said the safety officer warned him it could be “like two Hillsborough’s” if things went badly and any crowd surges caused people to be crushed.
The event passed with few arrests and a loved up and peaceful crowd, but one 40-year-old man died of a heart attack, and Australian nurse Karen Manders, 26, was fatally injured when she fell 25ft from the Kings Road promenade to the seafront below.
In the book Norman writes: “Eventually I managed to contact her mother and amazingly she tried to reassure me that it wasn’t my fault. She said her daughter had phoned her after the show to tell her ‘I’ve just had the best night of my life’, and thanked me for making her last night the happiest.
“But I still feel in some way I’m responsible because if it wasn’t for me she wouldn’t have been in Brighton that night. It is something that I will carry with me, always.”
Other random music highlights for him include meeting Madonna at The Hacienda after being invited up by a music and DJ crew he hung out with: “There was a breakdance crew and we became friends and one day they called up and they were going to be at the Hacienda and I went to see them. When we got there, we were sharing a dressing room with this singer from New York no one had heard of, who turned out to be Madonna. It was her first TV appearance in England. No photo of that sadly, would have been a great selfie.”
He also had a night out with Cher, but sadly doesn’t remember that one: “Basically someone said are you going to put the Cher story in the book and I said I have never met her.
“They said ‘I think you’ll find you have’. Then they showed me a picture and it turns out I did have a night out. It was in New York and a launch party for some record. Cher was guest of honour and we got very drunk apparently. This is not testament to Cher being forgettable but to my drinking. I am 16 years sober and this is one of the reasons why.”
Norman also taught Nicola Kidman to DJ at a Cannes film premiere of Moulin Rouge in 2001 and has the photo to prove it.
“It was quite a surreal moment, marred only by her being appalled how sweaty my headphones were,” he says.
And another interesting night was DJ-ing at footballer Ronaldo’s wedding in Paris with guests including the Beckhams: “I don’t do many wedding but this is Brazilian fat Ronaldo. When he phones and says will you DJ and the Beckhams are here you say yes. But it is like any wedding, people don’t really know each other but two hours later everyone is drunk, everyone is dancing on each other’s shoulders and Ronaldo is snogging my face and his dad has his tie round his head.”
Before being a superstar DJ there were times making music when things were not looking so rosy, particularly when he was young and struggling to make ends meet.
“I’ve been so close to bankruptcy that my accountant was saying ‘I think you should declare bankruptcy’. I’ve then got a ppl cheque(music royalties) which cleared off the thing and I lived to fight another day, and then Freak Power happened.”
Despite the ups and downs, father-of-two Norman says he wouldn’t change a thing and his son Woody is now following in his footsteps as a DJ.
And he also hopes youngsters will continue to go out and party hard, even if there are signs some young people prefer not to drink or hit the clubs.
“That is where you learn so much about life and have your first snog. I worried about that during the pandemic. A lot of people say kids are living online and not drinking as much or taking drugs. Both my kids seem to be taking to it quite well! Some people say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I blame the mother! It would be a shame because so much beauty happens in nightclubs and festivals and the dancefloor when you live outside the box. You fall in love and friendships are made.”
* Fatboy Slim’s new book It Ain’t Over Until the Fatboy Sings is out on Thursday and available to buy at fatboyslimbook.com
Source: Mirror
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