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Fatboy Slim was worried live music would never return

Fatboy Slim was worried he’d never tour again after the pandemic.

The ‘Praise You’ hitmaker – whose real name is Norman Cook – admitted he wasn’t sure what the future of music would look like after widespread lockdowns around the world due to the spread of COVID-19.

Appearing on the ‘Smallzy’s Surgery’ podcast, he said: “Yeah, yeah, obviously. In all those hours sitting staring at the walls, a lot of things come to you.

“One of them was that the world would never be the same. Even when we came back, what we do is the opposite of social distancing, we encourage people to get together and lick each other’s faces and share bodily fluids.

“I was aware that that could be the end for us, the human race. Then, obviously, at my age you can’t take it for granted that people will still want you.”

The 59-year-old DJ and producer noted that the pandemic made people really miss the “feeling of communinty” that live music provides.

He explained: “One thing we learned during lockdown was we need that sense of conneciton, to get out and share a feeling of community and solidarity.”

Meanwhile, the musician also reflected on his biggest hits and admitted he can be surprised by the things that really catch on with fans and take a life of their own.

He said: “With the bigger tunes, I’ve thought yeah, this is quite good. I didn’t guess the longevity that they’d still be here 20 years later.

“What I hadn’t picked up on is the way the lyrics – ‘Right Here, Right Now’ just never meant anything in the first place, but it means so much to people!”

He added: “It stirs people at sporting events and things like that. I didn’t realise it at the time, and maybe that’s one of my talents, the genius of coming up with a meme that means everything yet nothing.”