Happy birthday to Fatboy Slim!
Few artists are as closely associated with Britain’s seaside culture as Norman Cook. His landmark 1998 album You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby became one of the defining electronic music albums of its era, before he transformed Brighton Beach into the venue for the legendary Big Beach Boutique in 2002.
Today’s Link Salad begins with Fatboy Slim, but quickly crosses the Atlantic to California.
🎧 Kalifornia
One of the standout tracks on You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby is “Kalifornia”—deliberately spelt with a K.
The title is more than a playful misspelling. California has become shorthand for sunshine, beaches, festivals, freedom and outdoor living. It’s as much an idea as it is a place.
That immediately takes us to another iconic Californian location: Coachella, one of the world’s best-known music festivals. Our accompanying illustration imagines Fatboy Slim behind the decks there, wearing one of his trademark Hawaiian shirts—this time covered in avocado prints as a tribute to today’s second link.
🥑 National Avocado Day
Today is also National Avocado Day.
The world’s most popular commercial avocado is the Hass avocado, developed and patented in California by Rudolph Hass in 1935.
From a single Californian tree came the variety that now dominates supermarket shelves across the world. Today the Hass avocado has become almost synonymous with modern California cuisine and lifestyle, appearing everywhere from brunch menus to beach cafés.
🌴 California via Brighton
So today’s journey is surprisingly short:
Fatboy Slim
→ Kalifornia
→ California
→ Coachella
→ Hawaiian shirt
→ Hass avocados
→ California’s food and festival culture.
And then we come full circle.
Although California may represent the global dream of beaches, music and outdoor living, Britain has its own version. Fatboy Slim’s unforgettable Big Beach Boutique turned Brighton Beach into Britain’s answer to California for one remarkable summer day.
Sometimes the shortest Link Salads turn out to be the strongest.
Happy birthday, Fatboy Slim—and happy National Avocado Day!