Interview | VIBE HERE, VIBE NOW | By Scene Magazine |

Contrary to earlier reports this year, Fatboy Slim is not dead. Not only is he not dead, but the equally good news is that he's coming to Australia in February 2009 to headline the Good Vibrations Festival.

From his home in Brighton, the cheery Norman Cook is perplexed about how the false rumours of his alter-ego's demise started, but is firm that it's definitely not the case. “That was as a result of some very, very odd journalism,” he muses. “I had something coming out under a different name, and they asked if I was killing off Fatboy Slim, and I said 'no', and they reported it as 'yes’. It was then reported on the internet, and then it just took a life of its own right around the world. That was way back at the beginning of the season, and I've done about 30 Fatboy Slim gigs since then, which I think proves that Fatboy Slim is still alive and kicking.”

At the centre of the blame surrounding the early-death reports of Fatboy Slim is the release of material by BPA (Brighton Port Authority) - a single called ‘Toe Jam’ - which was assumed to be the singular future of Norman Cook. Indeed, just like Freakpower, Pizzaman, The Mighty Dub Katz, and other such monikers and guises, BPA is just another project that Cook has worked on. He claims the forthcoming album is a collection of recordings from the past … although some might wonder exactly how far back the project stems, since the collaborations seem very current.

“It's like the Beach Boys long-lost album; it's like one of those long-lost albums that I never quite finished and never quite did. It's sort of like a posthumous album - although no one's dead,” he quickly corrects himself. “It's just like a load of collaborations with people like Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Dizzee Rascal, Martha Wainwright, Jamie T, Jack Penate … just people I've met over the years. I recorded with them, but we never really finished anything off, and I kind of forgot about it. It comes out just around the time I come to Australia next year.”

And so what of Fatboy Slim; is there a new album on the horizon?
“It's coming …,” he hesitates, “it's coming - don't even attempt to ask me when. It's on the distant horizon. After ten years and the last 'Greatest Hits' project I just thought it deserved a sabbatical.”
Looking forward to playing downunder in summer 2009, Cook is planning on bringing the full production spectacle to Australian audiences, without having to scale down his appearance due to costly logistics. “Fuck yeah! We're going to throw in as much LED, lasers and fireworks that we can find in Australia. It's been a while since I went out to Australia, but in the good ol' days I really loved the crowds because they really throw themselves into it. We definitely won't be holding back for Australia.
“We've got this new show where I'm controlling the visuals from the decks. I'm not really playing vinyl anymore these days, I'm playing this thing called Serato, which is actually from New Zealand. Basically you play a record that feels like vinyl, but it's a timecode, which then triggers your WAV files - ie. music - but it also plays the visuals.”

Does this mean our DJ hero has turned his back on vinyl these days?
“I haven't turned my back on it … you're making me sound like Judas! It's just that no one was releasing enough vinyl for me to play, but I also didn't want to play CDs or laptops. So I'm still playing it like it’s vinyl.”
Excited about the prospect of Good Vibrations, Cook is momentarily thrown off guard when I tell him he's following up last years southern state headliner Kanye West as the main attraction, before bouncing back, cheerful as ever. “No pressure, then,” he chuckles nervously. “I'm probably not as hip and down as Kanye. There will be less bling, but more lights! The only other thing I'd say is, just make sure to bring your dancing shoes.”
Sasha Perera

Fatboy Slim plays at The Good Vibrations Festival at Gold Coast Parklands on February 21. Also on a huge bill are The Presets, The Roots, Deadmau5,The Pharcyde, Sam Sparro, Roni Size Reprazent, Chromeo and many more. Go to www.gvf.com.au for more info.