Norman Cook was going to become a fireman before Fatboy Slim success
Norman Cook has revealed he considered becoming a firefighter as his music career floundered before he became a sensation in the electronic music world as Fatboy Slim.
Fatboy Slim considered quitting the music business and training to be a fireman when he came close to bankruptcy in the early ‘90s.
The 62-year-old DJ has had one of the most varied and successful careers in the music business, first enjoying chart success with indie band The Housemartins in the 1980s and a 1990 UK number one with the single Dub Be Good To Me as part of sound system collective Beats International.
But when their second album, 1991's Excursion on the Version, was a commercial flop, Cook seriously considered swapping music for fire-fighting as bankruptcy loomed due to a large unpaid tax bill, but an unexpected royalties cheque saved the day.
Speaking at the launch of his new book It Ain’t Over… ‘Til The Fatboy Sings, he said: “During the 40 years there’s been downs as well as ups. There’s been times when I’ve suffered with crippling anxiety and depression, just as a human being.
“There’s been times when I’ve been so close to bankruptcy that my accountant is saying, ‘I think you should declare bankruptcy that way you can keep your house.’
“My wife said, ‘You know, you ever thought about getting a proper job?’
“There was time between Beats International and Freak Power where I didn’t earn anything for about a year. I had a huge tax bill that I couldn’t pay. I got a PPL cheque which cleared off the debt and I lived to fight another day and then Freak Power happened.
“I actually had started finding out what was required to become a fireman, because my wife told me to get a proper job and earn some money.
“So it’s not always been successful. Everybody has bad days, it’s not all been clear.”
Norman Cook at his book launch at W1 Curates in London
Cook's acid house band Freak Power enjoyed some success before he and John Reid formed the house duo Pizzaman and then launching his DJ career full-time under the name Fatboy Slim in 1995.
Although Cook's rebirth as a DJ and pioneer of house music resulted in him becoming one of the world's biggest electronic music stars, he insists ne never planned any of his reinventions in the way an artist like David Bowie did.
He said: "The thing is, a few people when you’re talking go, ‘You reinvented yourself so many times.’ It was never, like, a conscious thing that I planned. What would happen is the band I was in was falling to bits and hating each other so I had to do something else.
“If you imagine like David Bowie, or somebody, he knows what he’s doing and he sees things on the horizon and thinks, ‘I’m going to do that, and next year I’m going to do that.’
“I never did that. I basically just followed my nose like some kind of puppy."
Cook's debut book It Ain’t Over... ’Til the Fatboy Sings celebrates his 40 years in showbiz and is a vivid celebration of indie, house, acid and remix culture.
Across 300+ pages, Norman’s photos, flyers and stories take us on a rave through every scene he has helped shape since the mid 1980s.
With almost 1,000 images, the book is a dazzling visual party. Readers will find personal photos, original artwork, flyers and posters that Norman has saved since forming his first band at 15.
Discussing the project, he said: "I can’t believe this book is finally here. When I saw a copy for the first time I didn’t want to let it go. "It reminded me of the first LP I ever owned (Black and Blue by The Rolling Stones), I slept with it under my pillow back then, and I almost did the same with this book.
"This year I’ll have been in showbiz for 40 years and to celebrate, we’ve put together a huge book packed with everything I’ve collected over the years: from my early days before The Housemartins, through Beats International and Freakpower, to Fatboy Slim. It’s all here, the keepsakes, the memories, and the stories behind them, in one big, beautiful volume.”
For more information and to buy a copy visit fatboyslimbook.com
