Fatboy Slim: Weapon of choice

Weapon of choice: Fatboy Slim goes back to basics with Palookaville

By Mike Prevatt

In this era of divided music audiences and niche pop, only a handful of artists could attract over 250,000 fans to a performance. Eminem might be one. Madonna could do it. U2 is a likely candidate. And then there's Fatboy Slim--who actually did it July 2002 in the city he currently calls home, Brighton, England. Normally, such an event would be a boon to the hosting city, encouraging future installments. Not in Brighton, though--the town police have quashed any prospects for a sequel.

"That night, we doubled Brighton's population, and the city couldn't cope," says the man born Norman Cook. "The police got a lot of stick for it. The person in charge was quietly transferred! But, I did it in Rio last year, and had 300,000. So, it definitely works--just not in England."

This confirms two things: One, people will show up in mammoth numbers for a party headlined by a DJ, and two, Fatboy Slim is still a mammoth presence in the pop world. In 1998, Cook released his second artist album, You've Come A Long Way, Baby, which not only sold millions around the world, but went platinum in the States alone, where electronic music is a harder sell. Part of the latter feat was rooted in the genre's brief mainstream flirtation that year, yet most of the credit belongs to Cook himself, who produced such infectious singles as "The Rockafeller Skank" and "Praise You," both nominated for various awards.

Since then, Fatboy Slim's profile has slid a bit among the mainstream; Cook hasn't upheld the same ubiquitous presence on the charts or in film soundtracks. In the dance world, though, his productions are still among the most played by DJs (there was no escaping his "Star 69" in 2001 and 2002). And, he has yet to repeat himself artistically, proven once again with last year's release of Palookaville, his fourth studio album.

While the effort isn't Cook's most melodic or inspired, it is his loosest and most personal. It's also the one most enhanced by real instruments, influenced by his production work with Blur two years ago and his stint as a bassist for late 80s' British act the Housemartins, as well as by vocal samples from records he'd bought all over the world.

"When I was working with Blur, I'd pick up a bass and guitar--I was amazed I could, given that I just wanted to forget I could for six, seven years--but when I did, it freed me up," says Cook. "I just thought, why don't I just strum along? And once I thought I could, it opened the floodgates."

For the second time, he allowed vocal collaborator to guest on one of his albums, such as Blur's Damon Albarn and flamboyant bassist Bootsy Collins (who had previously sung on 2000's hit "Weapon of Choice"). Cook was able to employ everyone on his wish list but one--the Rev. Al Green.

"I've always been an enormous fan of his," says Cook. "I've dropped so many hints, and got so far as talking to his manager. But I think someone's told him what a godless heathen I am. I think he's written me off as hopeless sinner!"

With the more instrument-oriented Palookaville, there was a brief hope that Cook might venture into performing his music live a la the Chemical Brothers, or with backing musicians like Roni Size's Reprazent. Normally, his performances are all DJ sets, consisting of anywhere from 20 to 40 percent of his own productions--including his signature mash-ups--and the rest from other artists. However, Cook will continue to globetrot with his turntables and compact crew, if only for efficiency's sake.

"[A live performance is] possible, but we tried it, and it's not viable," says Cook. "There's only certain tracks where it would work. But you have to have all the different vocalists, and each song has a different one. We tried with [collaborator] Johnny Quality...it sounded okay, but it reminded me why I went to DJing after being in a band...trying to find drunk drummers who've gone AWOL, and the sheer cost of it. When I tour as a DJ, it's a production manager, a regular manager and me. Plus, I'm a much better DJ than I am a bassist."