Fatboy Slim Claims He's Lost His 'Passion For Making Music'

More than 20 years on from his last studio album, Fatboy Slim has shared some insight into why the wait has been so long, citing a loss of “passion for making music” in a new interview.

Fatboy Slim (whose real name is Norman Cook), started his musical career as an aspiring punk musician in the late ‘70s before finding fame as a member of indie rock outfit The Housemartins. Moving towards dance music with Beats International in the early ‘90s, it was the advent of his solo career in 1996 that made him a global household name.

However, despite his rather prolific career as a live performer and remixer, his studio album output stopped in 2004 following the release of his fourth record, Palookaville. However, while remixes and singles are still a common occurrence, the 61-year-old has claimed that live shows are where his heart lies currently.

Speaking to The Sun’s regular column, Bizarre, Cook admitted that he’s been experiencing a lack of passion when it comes to creating new gear lately.

“My last two singles just came out of a live show,” he explained. “They were both things that I made just to play on the side. I had tunes that nobody else had in my set. And that kind of caught on with people when we worked out that we could clear the samples and release them.”

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The singles he’s referring to are 2024’s Role Model and Bus Stop Please, which were his first pieces of new music since the 2020 Carl Cox joint, Speed Trials On Acid.

“The thing is, you can’t make music unless you’re absolutely passionate about it and it drives you from the moment you wake up in the morning,” he continued. “I just don’t seem to feel like that any more. I feel like that about DJing and about putting on things like this, but I’ve kind of lost my passion for making music.”

Currently, the closest thing we’ve received to a full-length release from Fatboy Slim in recent years (save for live records and EPs) is 2010’s Here Lies Love, a concept album/soundtrack made with David Byrne about former Philippines First Lady Imelda Marcos. However, as a career musician, Cook explained that a feeling of obligation has clouded his judgement to a degree.

“For five years, I tried to beat myself up about it and go, ‘You should be doing this’,” he continued. “But then I thought, ‘Well, everybody likes my DJing and I enjoy that more, so I’ll do that’.

“I’m hoping that one day the passion will come back.”

Fatboy Slim is currently on track to return to Australia in early 2025, with a tour of outdoor venues set for March. Tickets to these shows are on sale now.