- Norman Cook
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Fatboy Slim 
Fatboy Slim in 2004Background information Birth name Quentin Leo Cook Also known as Fatboy Slim, and others. See pseudonym section Born 31 July 1963 Origin Reigate, Surrey, England Genres Big beat, trip hop, rave Occupations DJ, musician, record producer Instruments Turntables, keyboard, bass guitar, guitar, drums Years active 1981–present Labels Skint, Astralwerks, Southern Fried Associated acts The Housemartins, Beats International, Freak Power, Pizzaman, The Brighton Port Authority, David Byrne Website fatboyslim.net Norman Quentin Cook[1] (born Quentin Leo Cook on 31 July 1963 in Bromley, England) better known by his former[2] stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer.[3] He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s. Cook has achieved considerable success in the UK charts, performing as Fatboy Slim and with The Housemartins, Beats International, and Freak Power. He currently performs as the Brighton Port Authority.
Contents
History
Button Badge created by Cook (circa 1979) for his band Disque Attack in which he played drums and for whom he was later lead vocalist.
Quentin Leo Cook was raised in Reigate, Surrey, England, and was educated at Reigate Grammar School. He played drums in Disque Attack (a British new wave-influenced rock band). When 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 Reigate College he also met Paul Heaton with whom he formed the Stomping Pondfrogs. At 18, he went to the Brighton Polytechnic to study a BA in English, politics, and sociology. Although he had begun DJing some years before, it was at this time that he began to develop his skills on the thriving Brighton club scene.
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 '80s 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.
In 1985, Cook's friend Paul Heaton had formed a guitar band called The Housemartins. Their bassist quit 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 with "Happy Hour". 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. However, by 1988 they had split up. Heaton and the band's 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. It was at this time that he first started working with young studio engineer Simon Thornton, with whom he continues to make records. All of Cook's records released from that point onwards have involved both of them to varying degrees (Thornton is credited in 2004 as "Executive Producer", for example).
Cook achieved his first solo hit in 1989, featuring his future Beats International member MC Wildski, called "Blame It on the Bassline". Credited to "Norman Cook feat. MC Wildski", the song followed the basic template of what was to come in the style of the music of Beats International. It became a modest hit in the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 29.
Cook formed Beats International, a loose confederation of studio musicians including vocalists Lindy Layton, Lester Noel, D.J. Baptiste, rapper MC Wildski, and 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 revolving around allegations of infringement of copyright through the liberal use of unauthorised samples: the bassline was a note-for-note lift from "The Guns of Brixton" by The Clash and the lyrics borrowed heavily from "Just Be Good to Me" by The S.O.S. Band. The 1991 follow-up album Excursion on the Version, an exploration of dub and reggae music, failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, as it did not chart.
Cook then formed Freak Power with horn player Ashley Slater and singer Jesse Graham. They released their debut album Drive Thru Booty in 1994, which contained the single "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out". The cut was picked up by the Levi's company for use in a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign. In 1996, Cook re-joined 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 under the name Pizzaman. The 1995 Pizzamania album spawned three UK Top 40 hits: "Trippin' on Sunshine", "Sex on the Streets", and "Happiness". "Happiness" was picked up by the Del Monte Foods corporation for use in a UK fruit juice ad. The music videos for the three singles were all directed by Michael Dominic.
Cook also formed the group The Mighty Dub Katz along with Gareth Hansome (aka GMoney), Cook's 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".
Fatboy Slim, 1997–2008
Cook adopted the new pseudonym Fatboy Slim in 1996. The Fatboy Slim album and Cook's second solo album Better Living Through Chemistry (released through Skint Records) contained the Top 40 UK hit, "Everybody Needs a 303".
Fatboy Slim's next work was the single "The Rockafeller Skank", released prior to 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.[4]
Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars was his fourth solo album, released in 2000 and featured two collaborations with Macy Gray and "Weapon of Choice", which also was made into an award-winning video starring Christopher Walken.[5]
In 2003, he produced tracks 3 and 12 for 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 comprises eighteen tracks, including ten Top 40 singles, a couple of Number Ones and two exclusive new tracks – "Champion Sound" and "That Old Pair of Jeans". Most of the songs were shortened and heavily edited, resulting in almost fifteen minutes of unused space on the compact disc release.
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 were called "Shelter" (which featured long term collaborator Lateef); and "Siente Mi Ritmo", featuring Cuba's top female vocal group Sexto Sentido. The recordings took place in Cuba's legendary EGREM Studios, home of the Buena Vista Social Club, and featured a band made up of Cuba's top young musicians, including Harold Lopez Nussa. Another track recorded during these sessions entitled "Guaguanco" was released separately under the Mighty Dub Katz moniker in 2006.
Cook has also 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.[6]
Cook released a mix album in 2010 titled The Legend Returns as a covermount album in the June 2010 issue of Mixmag.
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 music 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 BPA'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 "He's Frank (Washing Up)" title with the video featuring some footage of Iggy Pop acting and saying lyrics.
The band's first 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.
Performances
13 July 2002. The Big Beach Boutique II, where more than 250,000 people saw Fatboy Slim play live.On 13 July 2002, Fatboy Slim performed the second of his free, open air concerts on Brighton Beach. 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, overcrowding, and one death. After the music had finished and the crowd began to dissipate, traffic ensued throughout the Brighton area with many caught in traffic jams until the morning.[7]
In June 2005, Fatboy Slim filled the Friday night headline slot on the "Other Stage" at the Glastonbury Festival.[8] In 2006, Fatboy Slim filled the Saturday headline slot at the Global Gathering festival, 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 firework display rounded off the show.[9] Having being 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 Brighton residents. The concert was deemed a stunning success by Sussex Police, Fatboy Slim, and the crowd.[10] The Cuban Brothers and David Guetta opened the concert. The next similar event, 'Big Beach Boutique 4', was held on 27 September 2008.[11]
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 focus on his new album, The Brighton Port Authority (BPA).[2] Also in 2008, Fatboy Slim closed out the famed "Sahara" tent on Friday of the legendary Coachella Valley Music Festival. His introduction included a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opening, that has been called by many one 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, Ireland 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.[12]
At Glastonbury 2009, he played an unadvertised concert in the "pinball-machine" stage at trash city.[13]
In 2010, Fatboy Slim headlined the east dance at Glastonbury Festival.[14] 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.[citation needed] On 30 May 2011, he performed as the headliner for Detroit's Electronic Music Festival in Detroit, Michigan, USA. 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, USA.
Personal life
Cook was awarded a star on the city of Brighton's Walk of Fame, next to that of Winston Churchill.
He married TV personality Zoë Ball in 1999 at Babington House in Somerset; in January 2003, Cook broke up with Ball but three months later, they reconciled.[15] They have a son named Woody Fred Cook (born 15 December 2000) and a daughter named Nelly May Lois (born 14 January 2010). Cook is a 12% shareholder of the football club he has supported since moving to Brighton in the late 1980s, Brighton & Hove Albion.[16]
Q magazine named Fatboy Slim in their 50 Bands to See Before You Die list.[17]
On 4 March 2009, Cook checked into a rehabilitation centre in Bournemouth to fight a "booze addiction" that he has been battling "for some time".[18]
Because of an extended stay in rehab, his performance at Snowbombing, a week-long winter sports and music festival held in the Austrian ski resort of Mayrhofen) was canceled – with the slot being filled by 2ManyDJs. Cook then left the clinic at the end of March.[19]
Cook completed the inaugural Brighton Marathon on 18 April 2010 in a time of 4:53:10.
Awards
In 1999, the video to "Praise You" won three MTV awards: for best direction (Spike Jonze), best choreography (Jones as "Richard Koufey"), and best breakthrough video.[4] Fatboy Slim's single "The Rockafeller Skank" topped the Village Voice 1999 Pazz & Jop singles poll. In September 2001, Fatboy Slim's video for "Weapon of Choice", also directed by Spike Jonze, received six prizes at the MTV Video Awards, the most given to a single winner that year.[5] In May 2007, Cook received an Ivor Novello Award for his "outstanding contribution to British music".[20] Cook was also a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[21] He has won two Brit Awards, in 1999 and 2001, both for British Dance Act.
Bands and pseudonyms
- Norman Cook, now his real name[1]
- Beats International
- Brighton Port Authority
- Cheeky Boy
- Chemistry
- DJ Delite – used in DJ Tools (e.g. acapellas) for Fatboy Slim singles
- Fatboy Slim
- Freak Power
- Fried Funk Food
- Mighty Dub Katz ("Magic Carpet Ride" dance song, 1996)
- Pizzaman
- Rockaway 3
- Sensataria
- Slimboy Fat
- Son of a Cheeky Boy
- Son of Wilmot
- Sunny Side Up
- The Feelgood Factor
- The Housemartins, the indie rock band for which Cook was the bassist for from 1985 to 1988.
- Wildchild ("Renegade Master")
- Yum Yum Head Food
Discography
Main article: Norman Cook discography- Studio albums
- Better Living Through Chemistry (1996)
- You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998)
- Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2000)
- Palookaville (2004)
- Here Lies Love (with David Byrne) (2010)
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "Changes of Name". The London Gazette (London: UK Government) Issue 56625: p. page 8166. 8 July 2002. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/56625/pages/8166.
- ^ a b "Fatboy Slim is no more". NME. 14 May 2008. http://www.nme.com/news/fatboy-slim/36593. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim | Music Videos, Songs, News, Photos, and Lyrics". MTV. 31 July 1963. http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/fatboy_slim/artist.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ a b "Norman Cook's long way to stardom". BBC News. 7 September 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1530530.stm. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Fatboy Slim rakes in MTV awards". BBC News. 7 September 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1530007.stm. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Right here, right now: Fatboy Slim and Sound Affects Brazil The Independent. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim crowds cause chaos". BBC News. 14 July 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2127259.stm. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "BBC – Glastonbury 2005 – Fatboy Slim". Bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/glastonbury2005/lineupandartists/fatboyslim/. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ "Rock Ness fans have monster time". BBC News. 25 June 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5114238.stm. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Thousands attend Fatboy Slim gig". BBC News. 1 January 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/6222189.stm. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "20,000 head to Brighton beach party". Shoreham Herald. 08–09–28. http://www.shorehamherald.co.uk/latest-entertainment-news/Fatboy-Slim-to-rock-at.4534665.jp.
- ^ Top pics of Dizzee, Doherty and The Saturdays.... "Fatboy Slim - V Festival 2009: Best of Saturday - Pictures - Music". Virgin Media. http://www.virginmedia.com/music/vfestival2009/galleries/best-of-saturday.php?ssid=6. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ Alicia Canter (28 June 2009). "Glastonbury festival 2009: Fatboy Slim wows Trash City | Music | guardian.co.uk". Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/gallery/2009/jun/28/glastonbury-gallery-trash-city-fatboy-slim. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ "News - The 2010 line-up is revealed!". Glastonbury Festivals. http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/the-2010-line-up-is-revealed. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ "Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim 'to split'". BBC News. 18 January 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2671021.stm. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Jennifer Drury (2008). "Work begins on new stadium". My Brighton and Hove Albion FC. http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk/page_id__9429_path__0p116p176p1399p.aspx.
- ^ "A Selection Of Lists From Q Magazine – Page 2". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage2.html. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
- ^ Case, Philip (4 March 2009). "Fatboy Slim in rehab". The Sun (London). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2291886.ece.
- ^ "Fatboy Slim leaves rehab". idiomag. 31 March 2009. http://www.idiomag.com/peek/73236/fatboy_slim. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
External links
- Official website
- Fatboy Slim at Allmusic
- Fatboy Slim discography at Discogs
- Fatboy Slim at the Internet Movie Database
Fatboy Slim Studio albums Live albums Remix albums Compilation albums The Greatest Hits – Why Try HarderLimited releases Beat Up the NME · Halfway Between the Gutter and the Guardian · The Legend Returns · Best of the BootlegsDVDs Big Beach Boutique II – The Movie · The Greatest Hits – Why Make Videos · Incredible Adventures in BrazilRelated articles Discography · The Housemartins · Beats International · Pizzaman · Freak Power · The Brighton Port Authority · Think TankYou've Come a Long Way, Baby "The Rockafeller Skank" · "Gangster Trippin" · "Praise You" · "Right Here, Right Now" · "Build It Up – Tear It Down"Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars "Sunset (Bird of Prey)" · "Demons" · "Star 69"/"Weapon of Choice" · "Song for Shelter"/"Ya Mama" · "Drop the Hate" · "Retox" · "Talkin' Bout My Baby"Palookaville The Greatest Hits - Why Try Harder Late Night Tales: Fatboy Slim Here Lies Love "Please Don't"Other singles Featured singles "Badder Badder Schwing"Norman Cook · Stan Cullimore · Paul Heaton · Dave Hemingway · Ted Key · Chris Lang · Hugh Whitaker Studio albums London 0 Hull 4 (1986) · The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death (1987)Live albums Live at the BBC (2006)Compilation albums Singles "Flag Day" · "Sheep" · "Happy Hour" · "Think for a Minute" · "Caravan of Love" · "Five Get Over Excited" · "Me and the Farmer" · "Build" · "There Is Always Something There to Remind Me"Categories:- Astralwerks artists
- Electronica musicians
- English electronic musicians
- Music from Brighton, England
- English football chairmen and investors
- 1963 births
- Living people
- Old Reigatians
- Alumni of the University of Brighton
- Breakbeat musicians
- Brit Award winners
- Ivor Novello Award winners
- Grammy Award winners
- The Housemartins members
- Remixers
- People from Hove
- Big beat musicians
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