Woody Cook is keen to step out from his parents’ celebrity shadow and make his own name in the industry
(Picture: Warren Heath)Woody Cook has been busy building his DJ profile in recent months – but don’t expect him to follow completely in the musical footsteps of his father Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim.
The 21-year-old son of broadcaster Zoe Ball told The Standard that he’s focused on carving out his own niche in the music industry and won’t be trying to compete with his Grammy Award-winning dad.
Speaking to us ahead of his headline Tour de Dance set, he shared: “We don’t compare. I love making music and I love creating music and I want to do something in the music industry that will be performance based, but it might not end up being DJing in the end.
“I like to express myself through music and play music to people, that’s something I really enjoy.
“I don’t want to try and be a bigger DJ than my dad. He changed the face of rave culture, pioneered a new sound. It’s like you can’t really do that again.
“I mean you could in a different direction, but I think I’ve got my own path that I want to do.
“I mean if there’s a similarity it’s because, he’s my dad, he raised me but I’m not trying to do what he did in this sense.”
While acknowledging his privileged upbringing, the Celebrity Gogglebox star insisted that it’s his tenacity that’s got him to this point and not by riding off the coattails of his celebrity parents.
Keen to establish his own path and not be known as a ‘nepo baby’, Cook explained that he’s never worked harder to land his covetable set at Glastonbury this summer.
The Cooking with the Stars contestant explained how he worked several gigs for free to build up his profile in the months leading to his first Worthy Farm spot with Greenpeace.
He shared: “I have never worked harder than I did to get Glastonbury, I worked harder than I did on my exams to get my friends and I there. So, someone could say it’s nepotism, right?
“We asked my dad for help, and he was like, ‘no’ and it’s good, it’s how you grow. I wouldn’t want to be known as a ‘nepotism baby’.
“The responsibility is entirely in my hands, and you know if people want to yell, ‘nepotism’ and all that they can, but it doesn’t get to me too much.”
Instead, he said that it’s his parents work ethic that has inspired him to find his passion in life and work hard.
The Circle star added: “No one sees how hard people work behind-the-scenes, how hard both my parents worked to get everything they had and it’s very easy for people to chat s**t when they haven’t seen the full story.
“I mean, my dad went, ‘Look at all this stuff, this nice stuff, I earned this, none of it is yours. If you want this and you want nice stuff in life, go out and earn it because that’s how the world works. None of this belongs to you and don’t ever think it does.’
“And so that was a big thing with me. Whatever I was going to get I was going to get it for myself, also they were always like, ‘if you love your job, you never work a day in your life’.
“So, I think why I worked so hard with my DJing this summer is because I love it.
“Throughout my life, I’ve struggled with having dyslexia and ADHD and always struggled to work really hard on things but when the wind caught [with DJing] I got obsessed and really began working hard.”
Cook worked so hard on his upping his DJ profile this summer he admitted he got a little “burnt out” after his dad urged his manager to sign him up for “every dingy gig” he could find.
Reflecting on his busy summer, he shared: “I remember my dad and his mate turning to my agent and saying, ‘put him through the wringer, every dingy basement, every gig you can find, make him do it then make him do another one.’
“And I was like, ‘oh that sounds fun’ but I didn’t quite anticipate how many we would accumulate. I’ve been everywhere now from Glastonbury to Boomtown to Secret Garden Party and playing down on Brighton Beach.
“I’ve been here, there and everywhere from May until September, it’s been chock-a-block. After it all, I told my agent, ‘if you book me for another gig, I will not show up, I’m going to bed’, because I was a bit burnt out but it was a beautiful time.”
Cook is now gearing up to headline a London bike rave, Tour de Dance, on November 9 to celebrate an increase in Brits commuting on two wheels.
Teaming up with cycling subscription brand Swapfiets, the star will play DJ set on two wheels and lead Londoners on a party around the city to see It in a new, festive light.
He said: “Headlining a bike rave isn’t something I get the opportunity to do very often, especially one focused on getting more Londoners on their bikes.
“Cycling allows you to explore the city more, finding new bars, clubs and restaurants you may have never discovered. And with the added benefit of being environmentally friendly, it’s the perfect way to get about.”
Woody Cook will headline Tour de Dance, a cycling rave organised by bike subscription brand, Swapfiets, in partnership with Save Our Scene.
