Fatboy Slim

Fatboy Slim is Norman Cook, born Quentin Leo Cook in Bromley, Kent, in 1963 and raised in Reigate, Surrey. Bullied over his given name at school, he adopted Norman instead. He studied at Brighton Polytechnic in the early 1980s and stayed in the city afterward, which became his base as a producer and DJ.

He played bass in the Housemartins, scoring a number-one single with their cover of "Caravan of Love" in 1986, before moving into dance music. He formed Beats International, whose "Dub Be Good to Me" also topped the charts in 1990, then worked under names including Freak Power, Pizzaman and the Mighty Dub Katz.

He released his first album as Fatboy Slim, Better Living Through Chemistry, in 1996. Two years later, You've Come a Long Way, Baby made him a mainstream figure, driven by "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You," the latter paired with a Spike Jonze video that became as well known as the record itself.

Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars followed in 2000, and its single "Weapon of Choice" won six MTV Video Music Awards. Palookaville (2004) sold less well. Later, Cook worked with David Byrne on the Brighton Port Authority project and on Here Lies Love, a concept album later adapted into a stage musical that earned a Tony nomination in 2024.

Cook holds a Grammy, nine MTV Video Music Awards, two Brit Awards and an Ivor Novello, along with Guinness World Records tied to those MTV wins and to UK chart-topping singles across different acts. He remains an active club and festival DJ, has staged several large outdoor shows on Brighton beach, and serves as an ambassador for the city's Martlets Hospice.