FATBOY SLIM EXCLUSIVE
DJ on life & lost love
SUPERSTAR DJ Fatboy Slim has opened up for the first time about the heartbreak caused by the collapse of his marriage to Zoe Ball.
Speaking to Wired, the dance hitmaker – real name Norman Cook – is losing himself in music to get over his sadness.
And Norman revealed how he’s shared details of his break-up to his superstar neighbour Adele.
Norman, 53, and It Takes Two host Zoe, 46, were married for 17 years until they separated last September.
Zoe, also a Radio 2 DJ, was further devastated when her new boyfriend, TV cameraman Billy Yates, 40, killed himself in May.
Norman said: “My music and shows have always been about escapism, for people to forget about what’s wrong in their life.
“I’ve done it for 30 years but, because my life was really happy, I was providing that escapism for the crowds. And now they’re providing that escapism for me.
“Having hit a traumatic year, for those two hours when I’m on stage I forget all my worries and I feel like I can escape.”
The musician, whose hits include Praise You and Right Here Right Now, admitted that his personal woes have made him BETTER as a DJ and have forced him back into the studio.
Before his separation from Zoe, Norman hadn’t released an album since 2010’s Here Lies Love.
But he revealed: “A lot of people have been telling me: ‘You’re on fire in your shows! The worse your personal life gets, the better your DJing gets.’ It’s because I’m letting off steam.
“I’ve made three new Fatboy Slim songs lately, and that’s 300% more than I’d made in a few years.”
Norman and Zoe have two children, 16-year-old Woody and Nelly, seven. He explained: “Because of my marital situation, I have a lot more time on my hands. “Practically, I see less of the kids than I used to, so I have more time to make music. “A lot of the creative periods in people’s life are during times of turmoil and heartache.” Norman joked how he’d discussed his music with Adele, who has a house near him in Brighton. He said: “Adele told me how she’s having difficulty writing her fourth LP. “She said: ‘I write all my best songs when I’m depressed, and I’m just really happy now.’” Asked if he’d swap his new burst of musical creativity for domestic happiness, Norman instantly replied: “Yeah. I would, yeah. But these things have happened, so...” As well as new Fatboy Slim music, Norman is composing his first film soundtrack, as
well as writing music with a “hideously famous” female singer, though he isn’t yet allowed to name the film or singer.
Norman was speaking in his dressing room before his show headlining the BBC Music second stage tent at Latitude Festival.
He confessed: “Latitude was Zoe’s idea, in part. Playing somewhere new has become more and more important to me.
“As my bucket list gets smaller, doing something different is more fun.”
He revealed that his years of DJing behind turntables have given him a bad back.
Norman laughed: “I have a slightly wonky back. It’s from years of tilting my head where my DJ headphones sit, and controlling the laptop I DJ on.
“I have to see a chiropractor once a month. But I had my hearing tested for the first time recently, and the doctor was amazed how good my hearing is!
“So, really, I can’t complain.”