Fatboy Slim ‘Enjoying Sober Gigs’

DJ Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, has spoken of the joy of performing while sober since beating alcoholism last year.

The DJ spent time in rehab in March 2009 and said he now gets a natural high while DJing by recalling memories of past parties.

“There's a thing I learnt in rehab called euphoric recall which is where you've got so much serotonin going on in your head from the parties you've had before,” he explained. “I just get carried away when I see other people partying.”

But Cook admitted his change took a while to get used to performing with a clear head. Speaking from the Cool Britannia festival in Cape Town, South Africa, he said: "It took about a month to get my head around DJing sober because I'd always been right in the middle of the party, and suddenly I was on the outside and watching the other people party. It took a while but it's just a different mindset."

Cook’s wife Zoe Ball gave birth to their second child, daughter Nelly, earlier this year, and he recently described her as their reward for staying sober. “Zoe and I both gave up drinking so this baby is a present of our sobriety... I've got a new lease of life and a lot more energy. I'm enjoying it as much as ever.”