Hoping to get my taste buds kicking: Fatboy Slim

The singer talks about his upcoming tour of India.

NEW DEHLI: He is set for his maiden performance in India and hopes to party the evenings away, but British musician Norman Quentin Cook aka Fatboy Slim, also wants to dig his fingers into Indian delicacies, and take local items like bindis and dhotis with him back home.

The acclaimed disc jockey (DJ), electronic dance musician and record producer, will perform in Bangalore on Sunday. What’s he expecting from Indian fans? “Great audiences and mind blowing production,” said Cook.

Known for chartbusters like “Weapon of choice”, “Praise you”, “The Rockafeller Skank” and “Right Here Right Now”, Cook looks forward to come face-to-face with Indian music lovers. “I plan to meet some of them backstage,” added the 48-year-old.

He is also said to have made special efforts to make the gigs memorable, and one of them is to have learnt saying, “namaste”. Cook says he is a “foodie”, and no wonder he wants to try out some spicy Indian delicacies. “I’m quite a foodie and I don’t get a lot of Indian food around the world. I’m hoping to get my taste buds kicking,” he said.

Other than that, he has a shopping list; “I am a great fan of localised items that I can take back home as a memory,” added the multitalented star.

Cook is the next international artist to tour India after Grammy Award-winning DJ and music producer David Guetta. Cook says it is a positive trend that the country is welcoming international talent with such gusto. “Crossovers are always advantageous and I like the idea of talent meetings on one stage through multi-faceted collaborations,” he said.

However, he is not immediately planning any collaboration with any Indian artists. “No collaborations as of now. I’m not too familiar with Indian artists but would be open to meeting them in due course of time,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2012.