Norman Cook turns Fatboy Slim in four minutes

Superstar British DJ Fatboy Slim's Bangalore act on Sunday is going to be full of surprises. The 48-year-old Norman Cook, who gained superstar status in the 1990s with his Fatboy Slim pseudonym has churned out some of the most enduring hits of all time — Weapon of Choice and Rockafella Skank. In a chat with TOI, Norman, whose India tour was much-awaited, reveals his plans for the fifth edition of the hedonistic big beach party in Brighton, surviving in the industry saturated with DJs and how he switches to the Fatboy persona — “take off my shoes and put on a bad Hawaiian shirt.”
How excited are you about the Indian trip and what have you got lined up for your Indian fans?
I am thrilled to be playing in India after all this time.The show will be action-packed and hopefully everybody will smile and dance. Then we will all lose control and throw our inhibitions to the wind.
Have you visited India before? What do you like most about the country?
I once went on a package holiday to Goa but I’m aware that it is nothing like the rest of India. I have heard that the rest of India isn’t the same as the rest of India either, so many cultures, so many languages, so many people! It is always the people that I like most.
What’s your opinion about Indian music? Are you contemplating collaboration with an Indian musician?
I know very little about Indian music. Reason enough to visit already! Lets’ see what happens, eh?
You are one of the first EDM producers to break into the mainstream. What do you think of house music and how it’s evolved to the mainstream level?
There are always gaps into the mainstream for us, but they open and close over the years. Right now David Guetta and the Black Eye Peas smashed a hole into the mainstream which allows us all to breathe. Even the less commercial artists feel the benefits.
You have collaborated with Danny Elfman in the past for an animation project. Are there more film projects in the pipeline?
Not at the moment, though I’ve always had a dream to score a movie.
How do you make the transition from Norman Cook to Fatboy Slim, a persona you took on in 1997?
I take off my shoes, put on a bad Hawaiian shirt, my tour manager slaps me real hard round the face and I lose my inhibitions. It takes about four minutes.
Will there be another Big Beach Boutique?
Yes BBB5 is on June 1 and 2 this year (we have moved it from the beach into our brand new football stadium though.)
How do you survive in an industry saturated by young DJs (like David Guetta) becoming hot property and then dropping off the map?
Stay true to what you do, don't take yourself too seriously and make sure you carry on loving what you do. It rubs off.
Is there anything in the works right now that you’ll be releasing soon?
Some more tunes with the Rizzle Kicks, maybe?