EXCLUSIVE: Having two of the most famous names in music as parents can sometimes work in people’s favour, but for Woody Cook, it can be awkward dating when your mum and dad are Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim
Woody Cook has revealed that dating can be pretty awkward – thanks to his famous parents. Growing up as the son of Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim could often work in the musician’s favour, but for Woody, 25, things can be pretty awkward if he sees his mum on TV or if Fatboy Slim’s music starts playing.
But Zoe and Fatboy, whose real name is Norman Cook, are not Woody’s only famous relatives. His maternal grandfather is none other than TV presenter Johnny Ball. Thanks to his connections, Woody grew up watching his dad DJ in places like Ibiza, seeing his mum on TV and hearing her on the radio.
And now, he’s made the leap himself and has released his first single, Afters, in collaboration with garage pioneer Zed Bias. Speaking of growing up with his famous parents, Woody told the Mirror: “My mum and dad, Mr Slim Boy Fat and Mrs Zoe Louise Ball, are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. That’s the first thing I’d say about growing up with them. They’re so lovely.
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“They have so much love for everyone around them, so much kindness, joy and humility.” However, when he was growing up, his parents were simply Mum and Dad – Woody had no idea just how famous they were or the impact they’d had on culture. “Until I was about 15, I didn’t really know,” he laughed, adding: “They were just my annoying parents, rather than these cultural juggernauts!”
Woody went on to say: “We’re kind of like any normal family, except occasionally it’s, ‘Oh, that’s Mum on TV,’ or, ‘That’s Dad on the radio,’ when I’m trying to go on a date! It makes you feel a little bit like you’re in The Truman Show. But I guess I don’t know any different.”
Now that Woody is venturing into music, which has been a long process for him, his parents were on hand to offer some invaluable advice to him. “I’ve had some amazing advice from my parents,” he explained, adding: “I think the biggest thing is USP — unique selling point. What makes you stand out from everyone else?
“If you’re in a line-up, whether it’s for a job application, a gig or anything in life, even getting a girlfriend, what makes you stand out from the competition? What makes you, you? How do you stand out as a human being? What makes you unique? What do you do to make your act stand out, or your CV stand out?
“And then there’s, ‘You give a little love, and it all comes back to you.’ That’ll be on my gravestone, it’s kind of the family motto. It links into the idea that who you meet on the way up is who you meet on the way down. There’s no point in being nasty or mean to people because it will always come back around like a boomerang.”
With Woody throwing himself into the music industry headfirst, could we ever see a Fatboy Slim x Woody collab? “Never say never,” he teased, adding: “At the moment, I’m trying to just be me, which is lovely. I’ve got a lot of support from my parents, but I feel like it’d be a step back to start off and be like, ‘Oh, here’s a Fatboy flip.’
“I’ve got some that I play in my sets, but releasing one probably isn’t going to happen in the near future. It’s not off the cards, though. Let’s say I’d released a bunch of tracks and an album — I’d be so down to do it, maybe a flip of an old track. It’s probably more likely to be a flip rather than us collaborating on something completely new, because my dad’s not making loads of tunes at the moment. But you never know.
“I’m making no promises, but forever is a long time, and I’m not going anywhere! If you don’t mind a ten-year bet, I’m sure I’ll have done one in ten years.” But Woody is undeniably proud of his dad, who recently raised £50,000 for charity through two intimate shows at Quarters in Brighton. The two shows, which took fans on a journey through Norman’s career, raised the staggering amount for Brighton & Hove Albion FC Foundation, with 100 per cent of ticket sales going to the charity, which Norman has supported as a longstanding ambassador.
Woody’s first single, Afters, was an idea he had “years ago” – but the track was in “limbo” for a considerable amount of time. He said: “I worked on it with my friend Aloka, then got Johnny Dutch involved, and bit by bit it came together. It was in limbo for a while, then I showed it to Zed Bias, and he loved it. We turned it into a jungle track, and then eventually into a garage track, and we’ve ended up where it is now. My first release — so psyched! It’s been a pleasure making it.”
Reflecting on the process, Woody said: “I think it’s taken about two years from when I first came up with the lyrics and recorded the first bit. Obviously, there was a bit of time in limbo. Some songs just aren’t quite there, and then I happened to be in a session with Zed, showed it to him, and it all came together.”
But having been producing since his teens, Woody admits that there is no right or wrong when it comes to music; rather, in this art form, it can go in many different directions. “Certain people produce one way, starting with a drum pattern and building the song from there,” Woody explained, before adding: “I’m kind of the opposite. I start with a vocal idea and melody, and then the song comes from there, or even just a concept. I never really start with the drums.
‘I’ve noticed that I love a hook. I love creating a story, storytelling and trying to take someone on that journey. I guess that’s the bit I love most about music, and it’s been that way since I started when I was about 14 or 15.” Teaming up with Zedd, whose hits include Hurting Me and Music Deep Inside, for Woody was a complete dream come true.
“He’s like the godfather of dance music,” Woody exclaimed. He went on to add: “He’s just got such a lovely energy, and working with him is amazing. He helped me out so much with sample packs, software and production techniques. We were working together for a while before we even made this track. He was just helping me out, and it was a really massive boost to my producing, all the shortcuts and tricks he taught me.
“He’s just such a lovely guy, from the back-to-backs to everything else. He’s got this calm, godfather-like presence. He seems like this epic force, but he’s genuinely so down-to-earth and lovely.” But while many would assume Woody has gone down the same route as his father, he hasn’t.
Instead, his music is being released via his own label, Truth Tribe, something he’s exceptionally proud of. He said: “Releasing on Truth Tribe was important to me because the whole point of Truth Tribe was to create a place where I could get music out there and market it.
“I guess in this modern age, if you’ve got a laptop and a group of mates, you can accomplish anything. The idea of Truth Tribe is to link together all these artists, whether they’re singers, producers or trumpet players, who might not have had their moment in the sun yet, their moment to shine, and be a platform to unite all these people.
“Rather than throwing loads of money and studio time at it, it’s about using guerrilla marketing, connections and being in the right place at the right time. It’s more of a springboard label rather than an all-inclusive one.” And Woody believes that grassroots venues and independent labels are an excellent way for musicians to hone their craft.
He commented: “I think independent labels are an amazing way for people to start. It was important to release on Truth Tribe because we’ve done stages together as well, and I’m nothing without this group of people around me.” But while he’s a fan of grassroots, he’s also partial to the big stages – including Hï Ibiza and Snowbombing to Ministry of Sound and Glastonbury’s Arcadia.
“I think DJing is like anything, where the more you push your comfort zone, the further it gets,” he said, before adding: “Starting off DJ’ing you’re s******g youself thinking ‘What if they hate it?’ My advice is to keep making mistakes, keep pushing and keep trying something new, because most of the time you can recover from a mistake in a DJ set in about seven seconds. You can get it back in time, and no one will notice by the end of the set.
“People remember the beginning and the end of a set, but if you do something really mental, you can do it as many times as you want after that, and everyone will remember the amazing mix you made. You don’t want to make a hundred mistakes, but it’s better to go out there, take a risk, and try something new. That makes it easier in the long run than freaking out the whole time, because you’ll never expand your comfort zone if you never leave it.”
Playing his first Glastonbury was no small feat, though, although he’s attended the festival countless times, Woody was a bag of nerves. “I was s******g myself,” he said, adding: “I really wasn’t confident in the set. The funny thing was, when I listened back to it afterwards, it was actually great. But at the time, I felt like I’d failed my family and let everyone down.
“I had my mum in the crowd, my cousins, my friends and my family. That’s a lot scarier than playing to people you don’t know. I was up this giant tree, this Greenpeace tree, and I felt like an Ewok! It was really scary. I was thinking, ‘What if my whole life’s led up to this and I s**t the bed?”‘
“Luckily, it went great. Even for a few weeks afterwards, I was adamant it wasn’t any good. Then I listened back and thought, ‘Oh, that actually was good!’ When I came down, everyone was at the bottom of the tree, so excited and crying. It was a real moment, but I guess anxiety can really hide you from that when you’re freaking out. Over the years, it’s got easier. I’ve probably played another 45 sets since then.”
With names such as Taylor Swift, Sam Fender and Harry Styles floating around as possible headliners for next year, Woody hasn’t paid too much attention. “I’ve heard something about Harry Styles,” he said. But he would love to see the Swedish alternative and experimental group, Goat, on stage.
“There are some people I’d love to see,” he said, adding: “I’d love to see Goat – I know they’re not exactly a headliner, but I’ve never seen them there. I’m not exactly sure who the headliners are. I’m probably just going to get stuck in!”
Afters is available now on all major streaming platforms.
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