← Back to home

Fatboy Slim

"Norman Cook" redirects here. For other uses, see Norman Cook (disambiguation).

Fatboy Slim

Fatboy Slim in 2025 Background information Also known as • Norman Cook • DJ Quentox • Cheeky Boy • Sunny Side Up • Yum Yum Head Food • the Feelgood Factor

Born Quentin Leo Cook (1963-07-31) 31 July 1963 (age 62) Bromley, Kent, England

Genres • Big beat • Electronic music • Acid house

Occupations • Musician • DJ • Producer

Years active 1979–present

Labels • Skint Records • Astralwerks • Southern Fried Records • BMG

Formerly of • The Housemartins • Beats International • Freak Power • Pizzaman • Mighty Dub Katz • the Brighton Port Authority

Spouse Zoe Ball (m. 1999; sep. 2016)

Website fatboyslim.net

Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), more famously known by his moniker Fatboy Slim, is a pivotal figure in English music, a musician and DJ whose influence helped propel the big beat genre into the mainstream during the 1990s. His sonic tapestry is woven from an eclectic array of samples, masterfully fused with accessible pop structures, intricate processed rhythms, and what can only be described as "sloganistic" vocals. He doesn't just create music; he crafts experiences, often with a wink and a nod to the sheer absurdity of it all.

Cook's musical journey began in the 1980s, where he served as the bassist for the indie rock band the Housemartins. This period, while commercially successful with their UK number-one single, a cover of "Caravan of Love", was a creative chrysalis. The band's split marked a significant turning point, propelling Cook toward the burgeoning world of dance music in Brighton. It was here that he truly began to experiment, forming the electronic group Beats International. This venture yielded another number-one hit, "Dub Be Good to Me", in 1990, and saw him further explore his sonic palette within bands like Freak Power. His relentless creative drive also led him to release house tracks under a variety of aliases, including Pizzaman and the Mighty Dub Katz, demonstrating a prolific output and a refusal to be confined by a single identity.

The evolution into Fatboy Slim began in earnest in 1996 with the release of his debut album, Better Living Through Chemistry. This was followed by a series of highly successful remixes for artists like Wildchild and Cornershop, cementing his reputation as a sonic alchemist. His sophomore album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby, was a watershed moment, achieving platinum certification and spawning iconic singles such as "The Rockafeller Skank", "Praise You", and "Right Here, Right Now". These tracks weren't just popular; they defined an era, their infectious beats and memorable hooks becoming the soundtrack to a generation.

The album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2000) continued his trajectory, featuring the Grammy-winning single "Weapon of Choice", which garnered an impressive six awards at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. While Palookaville (2004) saw a dip in commercial success, partly attributed to shifts in dance music's popularity and a more introspective sound, it showcased Cook's continued artistic evolution. His collaboration with David Byrne on the Brighton Port Authority album (2009) and later on the concept album Here Lies Love (2010), which was subsequently adapted into a successful stage musical, demonstrated his enduring ability to forge creative partnerships. In recent years, Cook has increasingly focused on his DJ sets, a testament to his enduring connection with the live audience.

Cook's accolades are numerous, including a Grammy Award, nine MTV Video Music Awards, two Brit Awards, and an Ivor Novello Award. He was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score for his work on Here Lies Love in 2024. In 2023, he achieved a remarkable Guinness World Record for the most UK number-one singles by a single musician across different acts. His personal life, particularly his marriage to BBC presenter Zoe Ball, was a frequent subject of tabloid scrutiny, adding another layer to his public persona.

Early life and education

Quentin Leo Cook was born in Bromley, Kent, England, on 31 July 1963. He was the youngest of three children. His mother was a teacher at a hospital school, and his father, an environmentalist consultant, was recognized with an Order of the British Empire for his pioneering work in introducing bottle banks to the UK. The family adhered to the tenets of the Kosmon faith, an esoteric religious order.

His upbringing in Reigate, Surrey, was later described by Cook as a "suburban hell." He attended Reigate Grammar School, where, coincidentally, he took violin lessons alongside the future prime minister Keir Starmer. It was during his school years that Cook developed a passion for punk music and even edited a punk fanzine. He adopted the name Norman after enduring bullying for the name Quentin, which his classmates mockingly associated with the openly gay actor Quentin Crisp. Even at a young age, his dedication to music was evident; he began collecting records and DJing at the tender age of 15.

During his time at sixth form college, Cook's path crossed with songwriter Paul Heaton, and together they formed a punk band named the Stomping Pond Frogs. His academic pursuits took a backseat to his musical ambitions, leading him to fail his A-level exams. He subsequently had to retake them. Cook then relocated to Brighton to attend Brighton Polytechnic from 1982 to 1985, where he earned a 2:1 in British studies. Brighton proved to be a fertile ground for his burgeoning DJ career; he honed his skills and was notably taught the art of mixing by the legendary DJ Carl Cox. His early visual presence in the music scene included an appearance as a porter in the 1982 music video for Adam Ant's song "Goody Two Shoes".

Career

1985–1988: the Housemartins

While Cook was immersed in the vibrant music scene of Brighton, Paul Heaton formed the band the Housemartins. In 1985, when their original bassist departed, Cook made the move to Hull to fill the vacancy. He has humorously recounted learning to play the bass guitar in a remarkably short period, approximately a week. The Housemartins' trajectory soared in 1986 when their rendition of the 1985 Isley-Jasper-Isley song "Caravan of Love" ascended to the number-one position on the UK singles chart.

Despite this success, Cook found himself increasingly constrained by the "white English pop" sound of the Housemartins. His true passion lay in the burgeoning realms of hip-hop and dance music, but he harbored reservations about a white English artist entering these genres, fearing a lack of credibility. He expressed discomfort with acts like Level 42 or Simply Red, whom he felt were "kind of pretend[ing] to be black." During his tenure with the Housemartins, Cook began clandestine experiments with dance music using a TEAC 144 Portastudio and a Roland S-10 synthesizer, with no intention of releasing the material. He also crafted a megamix titled "The Finest Ingredients," which garnered airplay from the esteemed BBC DJ John Peel.

1988–1995: Beats International, Freak Power and remixes

The Housemartins disbanded in 1988. While Heaton and drummer Dave Hemingway moved on to form the Beautiful South, Cook returned to his adopted home of Brighton to fully dedicate himself to dance music. He significantly upgraded his studio setup, acquiring a mixing console, an eight-track reel-to-reel tape machine, an Atari ST computer, an Akai S950 sampler, and later, the iconic Roland TB-303 synthesizer.

Cook began releasing a string of successful remixes, including "Blame It on the Bassline" with MC Wildski, which charted at number 29 on the UK singles chart. He also established Beats International, a collective of MCs and singers that operated as a sound system. Their single "Dub Be Good to Me" (1990) achieved number-one status, but their subsequent album, Excursion on the Version (1991), failed to make a significant commercial impact.

Following the dissolution of Beats International in 1992, Cook's personal life took a tumultuous turn with the end of his marriage and a subsequent mental breakdown. He candidly described himself as a self-destructive workaholic during this period, succumbing to heavy drinking and alienating friends. Finding traditional therapy insufficient, he turned to self-medication with ecstasy. Facing financial ruin, he took on the unconventional task of composing music for a Smurfs video game to make ends meet.

Cook then formed an acid jazz band, Freak Power, collaborating with musicians such as trombonist Ashley Slater. The band achieved a notable hit in 1993 with the single "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" released on Island Records. Despite the success, Cook felt out of place, recalling moments on stage where he questioned his role, thinking, "I'm a really crap guitarist. What am I doing here? I've spent the last 10 years getting pissed in nightclubs, learning how to DJ."

In 1993, Cook, alongside John Reid, founded the house music duo Pizzaman. Their sole album, Pizzamania, spawned three top-40 singles. Cook also ventured into releasing music under the moniker Mighty Dub Katz, producing two to three tracks weekly in his home studio. Due to contractual obligations with Island Records, which prohibited him from releasing music under his own name on other labels, he adopted a series of aliases. These included Cheeky Boy, Sunny Side Up, Yum Yum Head Food, and the Feelgood Factor, often releasing these tracks on his own label, Southern Fried Records. Cook explained that these pseudonyms reflected his lighthearted approach to his work and his willingness to embrace playful reinvention, stating, "this is me pretending to be someone else, so let's make this fun."

1995–1997: Fatboy Slim and Better Living Through Chemistry

The adoption of the stage name Fatboy Slim in 1995 marked a significant shift in Cook's career. He described the name's origin with characteristic ambiguity: "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." Around this time, the house music label Loaded Records established a new imprint in Brighton named Skint Records. Their inaugural release was the Fatboy Slim track "Santa Cruz" in 1995. Despite selling a modest 800 copies, it generated considerable buzz within the UK's underground dance music scene. Cook expressed surprise and delight when he heard "Santa Cruz" being played by the Chemical Brothers, then known as the Dust Brothers, at a London event, likening it to "meeting the rest of my long-lost family."

Cook co-founded the highly popular club night in Brighton, the Big Beat Boutique. This venue became a crucible for his musical explorations, where he blended genres such as northern soul, acid house, hip-hop, and reggae with infectious breakbeats. This distinct sound evolved into the big beat music genre, which he, along with others, helped define. Cook later reflected on the "enormous collective pride" associated with the big beat genre being named after their venue, drawing parallels to the origins of house and garage music in Chicago and New York City. He characterized this period as "very productive," a time when artists like the Chemical Brothers, Death in Vegas, Monkey Mafia, Bentley Rhythm Ace, and FC Kahuna were "breaking rules and feeding off each other." Encouraged by friends, Cook began translating the style he championed as a DJ into his own productions. His first album as Fatboy Slim, Better Living Through Chemistry, was released in 1996 on Skint. By 1997, Cook had ascended to the ranks of "an elite coterie of superstar DJs," commanding substantial fees for international performances and drawing massive crowds from Manchester to Madrid, according to The Independent.

1998–1999: You've Come a Long Way, Baby and international success

The year 1998 proved to be a pivotal one for Cook. His remix of "Renegade Master" by Wildchild climbed to number three on the UK singles chart, and his remix of "Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop soared to number one. Cook described these successes as a creative breakthrough: "That's when I was like, I've nailed it now, I've got the formula." This period also saw him fielding interest from major artists such as Madonna and Robbie Williams. He famously turned down an offer to produce the Pet Shop Boys' next album, respecting their music but acknowledging it wasn't a stylistic fit.

For his second album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby (1998), Cook aimed to craft a cohesive artistic statement, drawing upon the "ideas that had been brewing and fermenting" within the big beat scene. Remarkably, he produced three hit singles within a single week: "The Rockafeller Skank", "Praise You", and "Right Here, Right Now". "[Praise You]" became Fatboy Slim's first UK number-one single. Its accompanying music video, directed by Spike Jonze, garnered widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards. On 9 September 1999, Cook delivered a memorable performance of "[Praise You]" at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City, securing three awards, including Breakthrough Video. Just four days later, You've Come a Long Way, Baby was certified platinum. That same year, Cook was honored with the Brit Award for Best British Dance Act. His marriage to BBC presenter Zoe Ball also took place during this period, attracting significant attention from the tabloid media.

2000–2003: Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars and Brighton beach

In 2000, the dance music scene was at its zenith, commanding an impressive 13.3% of the UK album charts. Cook stood as a central figure in the burgeoning club culture in the UK, alongside contemporaries such as the Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, Underworld, Groove Armada, and Leftfield. His third Fatboy Slim album, Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars, was released in 2000, featuring collaborations with notable artists like Macy Gray and Bootsy Collins. Cook's artistic intention with this album was to move away from overtly radio-friendly material, stating, "I'm much happier at number nine in the charts than at number one because you're still top ten but it's a lot less work and stress."

The music video for "Weapon of Choice", again directed by Spike Jonze and featuring an iconic performance by Christopher Walken dancing through a hotel, swept the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, winning six awards. This achievement earned Cook Guinness World Records for the most MTV Video Awards won by a DJ and the most MTV Video Awards won for a single video. The album also included "Sunset (Bird of Prey)", accompanied by a video that ingeniously repurposed footage from the controversial 1964 "Daisy Girl" campaign ad. In 2001, Cook also released The Fatboy Slim / Norman Cook Collection, a compilation showcasing his remixes from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Cook's connection with Brighton deepened with the initiation of his free beach concert series, Big Beach Boutique. The first event in 2001, following a Channel 4-organized cricket match screening, drew an estimated 60,000 people. The performance was later released as the 2002 album Live on Brighton Beach. By 2002, The Daily Telegraph proclaimed Fatboy Slim the "world's biggest DJ." In July of that year, he staged a second, much larger free concert on Brighton beach, Big Beach Boutique II. This event attracted an astonishing 250,000 people, far exceeding expectations. The sheer scale of the gathering overwhelmed local authorities, leading to over 170 injuries and six arrests. Tragically, two attendees died in the hours following the concert. The subsequent cleanup operation was extensive, costing over £300,000 and removing 160 tonnes of rubbish from the beach. Despite the chaos, Cook received widespread support from Brighton residents, with local newspaper The Argus publishing a supplement of supportive letters and BBC Southern Counties Radio receiving numerous positive calls.

In 2001, Cook received his second Brit Award for Best British Dance Act. A live album and DVD capturing the Brighton beach performance, Big Beach Boutique II, was released in 2003. He also contributed production work on "Crazy Beat" and "Gene by Gene" for Blur's 2003 album Think Tank.

2004–2008: Palookaville

By 2004, the landscape of popular music had shifted, with dance music experiencing a commercial decline in favor of a resurgence in guitar-based bands. Cook's fourth album, Palookaville, released that year, reflected this trend, selling significantly fewer copies than his previous works. Cook attributed this to the album's more obscure musical direction and expressed a willingness to "take my foot off the gas for a bit," seeking to reduce his profile in the tabloid media.

Following the unexpected success of the Big Beach Boutique II DVD in Brazil, Cook found himself performing to an estimated 360,000 people in Rio de Janeiro in 2004. He returned to Brazil numerous times in the subsequent years and even appeared on the reality television show Big Brother Brasil in 2005. His 2007 tour was subsequently released on DVD as Adventures in Brazil. Cook also headlined the Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2005. In June 2006, he delivered a headline performance at the RockNess festival on the shores of Loch Ness. The compilation album The Greatest Hits – Why Try Harder was released that month, featuring two new tracks: "Champion Sound" and "That Old Pair of Jeans".

On New Year's Day, 2007, Cook staged another Brighton beach event, Big Beach Boutique 3. This event was exclusively for residents of Brighton and Hove, with a cap of 20,000 attendees. A similar event, Big Beach Boutique 4, took place on September 27, 2008, adhering to the same ticket restrictions.

2008–2012: the Brighton Port Authority and Here Lies Love

In 2008, Cook contributed a remix of the track "Amazonas" for the charity Bottletop. That same year, he formed a virtual band called the Brighton Port Authority, enlisting a diverse roster of collaborators including Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Dizzee Rascal, Martha Wainwright, and Ashley Beedle. Their debut album, I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat, was released in 2009. Cook also produced two tracks on The Revolution Presents, a 2009 compilation album featuring various Cuban musicians. Reflecting on this experience, he later commented, "I'm not Paul Simon – I'm not the world's best musical ambassador, it wasn't my forte."

Cook's festival appearances in 2008 included Glastonbury Festival, the O2 Wireless Festival, Rockness, and Coachella. He performed an unadvertised set at Glastonbury 2009 and headlined the east dance stage at Glastonbury 2010. His creative partnership with David Byrne was reignited for the 2010 concept album Here Lies Love, which explored the life of Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines. A stage musical adaptation of the album premiered in 2013 at the Public Theater in New York City and later opened on Broadway in 2023.

As EDM gained global traction in the 2010s, Cook increased his touring schedule in the United States. On 18 June 2010, he performed in Cape Town, South Africa, as part of the Cool Britannia FIFA World Cup music festival. In 2011, he received the PRS for Music award for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the Ivor Novello Awards. On 30 May of the same year, he headlined the Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit. He also played and headlined Bestival on the Isle of Wight on 11 September.

Cook's performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London featured renditions of "Right Here, Right Now" and "The Rockefeller Skank." On 1 September, he performed at Brighton Pride. In March 2012, Cook hosted a ten-part radio program on XFM titled On The Road To Big Beach Bootique 5.

2013–present: singles and performances

In 2013, Cook graced the stage at Ultra Music Festival in Miami. On 6 March, he made history as the first DJ to perform at the House of Commons in Westminster, London, in support of the Last Night a DJ Saved My Life Foundation, an organization dedicated to engaging young people in their communities. Cook later reflected on this experience as a "milestone," particularly in light of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which had previously curtailed rave culture. He remarked, "Isn't it brilliant that finally we've wormed our way into the public's consciousness to the extent that we're not seen as a bunch of drug-taking anarchists any more? Dance music is here to stay."

The 2013 release of "Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat", a collaboration with Riva Starr and Beardyman, reached number three in the UK and introduced Fatboy Slim to a new generation of fans. Supported by a remix from Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, the track topped the UK Dance Chart that year. Cook also contributed to Bem Brasil, a 2014 compilation featuring Brazilian music remixed by various DJs and producers. In 2015, he was honored with the Alumnus Award from the University of Brighton for his significant contributions to the music industry and his support for the university.

As of 2015, Cook maintained a rigorous DJ schedule, performing approximately 70 sets per year, while consciously declining numerous other opportunities. He expressed a lack of interest in further fame or commercial expansion, stating, "Nowadays I'd rather go sideways than up. I don't want to do things on a bigger scale. I want to do things that are interesting." On 15 May 2016, he delivered a unique two-hour set called "Baby Loves Disco" for preschool children and their parents during the Brighton Fringe. At Glastonbury 2016, he performed on the John Peel stage for the first time. In 2017, he released the single "Where U Iz."

During a concert in Gateshead, England, in October 2019, Cook performed a mashup of his track "Right Here, Right Now" and Greta Thunberg's speech at the United Nations. The resulting video went viral. Cook made a cameo appearance as a DJ in the 2019 satirical film Greed and portrayed himself in the third series of the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls, which aired in 2022.

Fatboy Slim performing in Mexico City, 2017 The COVID-19 lockdowns saw Cook engaging with his audience through online mixes and working at his cafe in Hove. He described this period as a grounding experience: "It was interesting, because I've never done an honest job for years. It kept me sane, really." In May 2021, he performed in Liverpool as part of government trials aimed at resuming large-scale audience events post-COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2022, Cook participated in an NHS initiative, offering DJ equipment lessons as part of art events designed for individuals experiencing mental health challenges. In July, marking the 20th anniversary of Big Beach Boutique II, Cook headlined the On the Beach festival in Brighton.

Cook collaborated with British singer Rita Ora on the 2023 single "Praising You", a reimagining of his classic track "Praise You." At Glastonbury 2023, Cook played "Insomnia" by Faithless in tribute to the band's late singer, Maxi Jazz. In October of that year, he was awarded the Guinness World Record for the most UK number-one singles by a single musician across different acts. He also performed a surprise gig at the Prince Albert pub in Brighton to support its campaign against property development in the North Laine area.

In June 2024, Cook released the single "Role Model," featuring vocalist Dan Diamond. The accompanying music video, his first in nearly two decades, employed deepfake technology to feature celebrities such as David Bowie, Bill Murray, and Muhammad Ali. In July, Cook reunited with his former Housemartins bandmate Paul Heaton to play bass on the 1986 song "Happy Hour" at Glastonbury 2024. By December of that year, Cook expressed a waning interest in music creation, stating a preference to focus entirely on DJ performances. He estimated that his 2025 Glastonbury performance marked his 100th appearance at the festival, encompassing sets on major stages and in smaller tents.

Style

Cook is widely recognized as a pioneer of the 1990s electronic genre big beat. Sound on Sound described this style as akin to a "pop art-styled collage" of samples. Pitchfork writer Brad Shoup characterized You've Come a Long Way, Baby as "pure pop," contrasting it with the more experimental or aggressive sounds of acts like the Chemical Brothers or the Prodigy. Another Pitchfork critic, Marc Hogan, encapsulated the Fatboy Slim formula as "eclectic samples, sloganistic vocal snippets, and an all-around drunken good-time spirit." DJ Mag lauded Cook's ability to create "big brash party tunes for big communal occasions," identifying him as both a "showman" and an entertainer. Cook himself articulated his approach as a fusion of breakbeats from hip-hop, the "anarchic rebellion" of punk, the driving energy of acid house, and the irresistible hooks of pop music. He distinguished his work from other dance acts by employing traditional song structures—verses, choruses, and middle eights—to arrange "dance floor ingredients... in a manner that the human brain would associate with pop music."

Cook estimated that the majority of his tracks comprised only about 20% original material, with some containing none at all. He expressed pride in creating music that intentionally diverged from the sounds of the artists he sampled. Rather than sampling well-known hits, which he considered too facile, he extracted vocal and drum elements from used vinyl records, meticulously building a library of sounds. His philosophy was to "take the best bits out of all the music you've grown up with – the Beatles, punk, rap and acid house – and you have an attractive and accessible package." He also admitted to struggling with writing traditional songs.

The construction of most Fatboy Slim albums involved assembling samples, augmented by synthesizer lines from a Roland TB-303 and components played on a Studio Electronics keyboard. Cook employed techniques such as time-stretching and distortion to manipulate samples, utilizing Akai S900 and S950 samplers and sequencing them with an Atari ST computer running C-Lab Creator. His drum tracks were created by sampling individual drum hits from vinyl break beats and then programming new patterns. Typically, Fatboy Slim tracks feature two simultaneous drum tracks: one "modern and crisp and clean-sounding" and another "older and dirtier" with less "punch." Cook continued to utilize this familiar equipment setup even as more advanced technology emerged. While he later adopted a MacBook with Ableton Live, he found the boundless possibilities and lack of constraints less creatively stimulating, lamenting the absence of opportunities to "bend the rules."

Cook maintained that he had never intentionally created overtly political music. He noted that attempts to produce "angry" music often resulted in a "slightly light-hearted" outcome, emphasizing the party and rhythm over overt messaging. He embraced accusations that he "made dance music for people who don't like dance music" as a compliment, seeing it as a testament to his ability to make the genre more accessible. He described his music as catering to "people who do shit jobs all week and on Friday and Saturday nights they get to be glamorous and exciting... My music is for the hips not the head... It's not supposed to be dissected by journalists, you're not supposed to sit at home with the lyric sheet wondering what they mean, reading the sleeve notes." Fatboy Slim's tracks have found extensive use in advertisements, films, and television, a fact Cook attributed to the self-contained nature of his instrumental music: "I make a certain kind of instrumental music they like using. You can hear 15 seconds of my stuff and it makes complete sense."

Cook's distinctive stage presence involves performing in Hawaiian shirts and without shoes. He explained this choice by saying, "I decided I had to be like James Brown without the band. I started cheerleading the crowd and showing off." He believes DJs should engage with their audience through facial expressions and body language, adapting their performance in response. "The more the crowd give me back, the more I wanna give them and it becomes a cycle of nonsense – sometimes to ludicrous extremes." He cited Jon Carter and Carl Cox as DJs from whom he learned and whose stage styles he emulated. Cook resisted pressure from record labels to incorporate live musicians into his performances, feeling that the raw appeal of his music lay in the "grit and character" of the samples, and that recreating them live would be akin to hearing a "wedding covers band."

Personal life

Cook's first marriage, to a nurse, concluded in the early 1990s. He met BBC presenter Zoe Ball in Ibiza in 1998. They married in 1999 and welcomed their first child in 2000. Their relationship garnered considerable attention from the tabloid press, and Cook later stated he was a victim of the News International phone hacking scandal. The Independent famously described Cook and Ball as "the It Couple (or, one of them) of Cool Britannia." Although they separated in 2003, they later reconciled and had a second child in 2010. By 2004, they resided on Western Esplanade in Hove. On 24 September 2016, Cook and Ball announced their separation after 18 years of marriage. Their son, Woody, has also pursued a career as a DJ.

For several years, Cook engaged in recreational drug use, including cocaine, ecstasy, and ketamine, and often performed while under the influence. After becoming a father, he expressed concerns about how his drug use impacted his relationships. On 4 March 2009, Cook voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation center in Bournemouth to address alcoholism. His scheduled performance at [Snowbombing], a winter sports and music festival in Mayrhofen, Austria, was canceled and replaced by [2ManyDJs]. Cook completed his treatment and left the clinic at the end of March. As of March 2022, he had maintained sobriety for 13 years. Cook admitted that performing sober for the first time induced stage fright.

In 2002, Cook officially changed his name by deed poll to Norman Quentin Cook. In the same year, he acquired a 12% stake in Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, a club he has supported since moving to Brighton in the 1980s. In June 2013, Cook opened the Big Beach Cafe in Hove, operating it during the COVID-19 lockdowns. He sold the cafe in November 2025, citing a lack of time and his business partner's retirement. Cook also previously owned a Japanese restaurant in Brighton, Oki-Nami, and The Spotted Pig, a Michelin-starred gastropub in New York City that ceased operations in 2016. He is an avid collector of objects bearing the smiley symbol, and in 2019, he curated a smiley exhibition in Lisbon alongside the Portuguese artist Vhils.

Awards and nominations

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

Discography

Main articles: Fatboy Slim discography and Norman Cook discography

(References are omitted in this rewritten output as per the original instruction to focus on the article content itself, but would typically be included in a full Wikipedia entry.)