Norman Cook contemplated becoming a fireman when he came close to bankruptcy in the early ‘90s.
Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, at his book launch at W1 Curates in London
Before finding fame and success as DJ Fatboy Slim, the 62-year-old producer’s music career was floundering after his collective Beats International’s second album, 1991’s Excursion on the Version, was a commercial failure.
Cook – who had achieved a number one single, Dub Be Good To Me, with Beats International in January 1990 – was broke and ready to walk away from the music business to take up fire-fighting, but an unexpected windfall prevented him from going bankrupt.
Speaking at the launch of his new book It Ain’t Over… ‘Til The Fatboy Sings, as reported by website Contact Music, 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.”
Cook – who was previously married to BBC Radio Two presenter Zoe Ball – insists his reinvention as a big beats pioneer was never intentional, as he didn’t have the foresight of an artist like David Bowie to plan his career.
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. It is out now.