b. Quentin Cook, 31 July 1963, Bromley, Kent, England. A man of many musical faces, UK DJ Norman Cook's Fatboy Slim is probably his most successful alter ego, and one that made big beat music (a combination of rock and dance music styles) a huge crossover success in the late 90s. Cook began recording in the big beat style at the Big Beat Boutique (from which the movement took its name). Signing to Damian Harris' Skint Records, Fatboy Slim's debut single was "Santa Cruz", and was followed by further hit records including "Everybody Needs A 303" and the 1996 debut album Better Living Through Chemistry. "Going Out Of My Head", the March 1997 single featuring samples of the Who, gained Cook a place in The Guinness Book Of Records for achieving the most UK Top 40 hits under different names (seven).
The irresistible "The Rockafeller Skank" brightened up the UK singles chart the following year, reaching number 6 in June. "Gangster Tripping" provided Cook with another hit single, reaching number 3 in October and paving the way for You've Come A Long Way, Baby. "Praise You" provided Cook with his first UK number 1 single as Fatboy Slim in January 1999, and in the process dragged the album to the top of the charts. "Right Here Right Now" was another hit, debuting at number 2 in April. You've Come A Long Way, Baby also enjoyed crossover success in the USA, thanks to the prominent use of several tracks in movies including She's All That and Cruel Intentions, and advertisements for Adidas. The cover of the US edition of the album was also notable, featuring a picture of the overflowing racks of vinyl LPs in Cook's house (the UK cover was equally memorable, but for all the wrong reasons). Cook was honoured with three MTV Video Awards in September for his collaboration with director Spike Jonze on the video for "Praise You" (this lo-fi classic has since become a staple of music channels).
Fatboy Slim's 2000 follow-up album Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars was influenced by both Cook's newly-married status and the derision now accorded big beat in dance circles, with thumping big beat numbers such as "Ya Mama" and "Mad Flava" offset by the dark house grooves of "Star 69", "Retox" and the Jim Morrison-sampling "Sunset (Bird Of Prey)". The album trod a fine line in trying to appeal to both Cook's new pop audience and his dance fans, a balancing act the DJ was more or less successful in carrying through. Another brilliant video, directed by Spike Jonze and starring cult movie icon Christopher Walken, was used to promote the album track "Weapon Of Choice".
On 6 July 2001, Cook/Fatboy Slim played a gig in front of nearly 40,000 people on the beach in his home town of Brighton. He repeated the event the following year in front of a crowd of almost 250,000. The concert was marred by two fatalities, however, and Cook was compelled to call off a planned ticket-only repeat in 2004 because of worries over public safety. A new Fatboy Slim single "Slash Dot Dash" brought the DJ back into the headlines later in the year, when Tim Pope's striking video was banned by popular UK chart show CD:UK for fears it may encourage children to graffiti. The attendant Palookaville marked a change in direction for Cook, who eschewed the sample based approach of his earlier work and teamed up with a number of guest musicians and vocalists.
