Fatboy Slim (born Quentin Leo Cook on July 31, 1963, also known as Norman Cook) is an English big beat musician. Quentin Leo Cook grew up in Reigate, Surrey, England, and was educated at Reigate Grammar School. He started a punk fanzine titled Peroxide with his neighbour Andrew Thomas and art student Ian McKay (formerly Laidlaw). Contemporary with his publishing activities, he played drums in Disque Attack (a British new-wave-influenced rock band) for which he later performed lead vocals. ...show more

Fatboy Slim (born Quentin Leo Cook on July 31, 1963, also known as Norman Cook) is an English big beat musician. Quentin Leo Cook grew up in Reigate, Surrey, England, and was educated at Reigate Grammar School. He started a punk fanzine titled Peroxide with his neighbour Andrew Thomas and art student Ian McKay (formerly Laidlaw). Contemporary with his publishing activities, he played drums in Disque Attack (a British new-wave-influenced rock band) for which he later performed lead vocals.

At Reigate College he also met Paul Heaton and, at 18, he went to the Brighton Polytechnic to study a BA in English, Politics and Sociology. Although he had begun DJing some years before, it was at this time that he began to develop his skills on the thriving Brighton club scene. In 1985 Cook's friend Paul Heaton who lived in Hull had formed a guitar band called The Housemartins. The Housemartins' bassist had just quit on the eve of their first national tour.

Cook had lost interest in the rock scene and could barely play a musical instrument, he agreed to move to Hull to join them. The band soon had a hit single with "Happy Hour". They also reached number one just before Christmas 1986 with a version of "Caravan of Love" originally a hit the year before for Isley Jasper Isley. However, by 1988 they had split up. ...show less