Norman Cook, known as Fatboy Slim, reveals his lack of passion for making new music after two decades without a studio album. Despite sporadic releases, his main priority has become live performances.
- December 31, 2024
AceShowbiz - Veteran electronic producer Fatboy Slim, real name Norman Cook, has announced that he does not anticipate releasing any new music in the near future. In a recent interview with The Sun, Cook expressed that live shows have become his primary focus in recent years.
Despite his success as a solo artist in the 1990s, with albums like "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" and singles like "Praise You", Cook has not released a studio album since 2004's "Palookaville." Instead, he has largely shifted his energy toward live performances, with occasional singles being released sporadically.
In 2024 alone, Cook released "Role Model" and "Bus Stop Please", his first new tracks since 2022's "Speed Trials on Acid" with Carl Cox. However, Cook explained that these singles were initially created for his live shows.
"My last two singles just came out of a live show," Cook said. "They were both things that I made just to play on the side. I had tunes that nobody else had in my set."
Cook acknowledged that his passion for making music had waned. "The thing is, you can't make music unless you're absolutely passionate about it and it drives you from the moment you wake up in the morning," he said. "I just don't seem to feel like that anymore. I feel like that about DJing and about putting on things like this, but I've kind of lost my passion for making music."
Cook had previously collaborated with David Byrne on the 2010 concept album "Here Lies Love." However, he admitted to struggling with a sense of obligation to make new music alongside his live sets.
"For five years, I tried to beat myself up about it and go, 'You should be doing this,' but then I thought, 'Well, everybody likes my DJing and I enjoy that more, so I'll do that,'" Cook explained. "I'm hoping that one day the passion will come back."
Cook also discussed his son Woody's DJing career. Woody, 24, decided to pursue DJing after attending university in Bristol. Cook expressed that he had always been hesitant to suggest it to Woody, fearing nepotism accusations.
"All those years I could have mentioned him," Cook said. "But he couldn't do it when he was living with me. He wanted to do it on his own."
