DJ Fat Tony | EPISODE 12 | Abuse, addiction and self-destruction to recovery and redemption

From a council estate in Battersea to DJ’ing for A-list celebrities and royalty, today’s guest is not short of jaw dropping stories of his eclectic life. Grateful to still be alive after 28 years of addiction, DJ Fat Tony shares all in his powerful, hilarious and eye-opening Sunday Times best-selling memoir, ‘I don’t take requests’. From his first steps into Heaven nightclub at 16, his whole life changed, music “has the ability to take you wherever you want it to take you,” it really is ,“the best drug in the world”.
So how did Fat Tony become the iconic British DJ that we know today?
From losing his childhood innocence when a youth worker groomed and sexually abused him, “because I didn’t talk about it, I thought I had dealt with it”, to later recognising that talking about trauma allows you to process it and “that deals with it”.
From going through life believing his dad hated him because of his experiences in childhood, it took a court case, an ankle tag and sobriety on both parts to talk, listen and find peace. The biggest realisation being, that love for him was there all along.
From being open about his sexuality from a young age and socialising in iconic circles to experiencing a “pitchfork and torch” scenario when the AIDS pandemic took hold, causing 85% of his peers to tragically pass and his mental health to spiral.
From chaotic, drug fuelled behaviour being glorified and allowed because “I was making people money,” but when he started looking forward to the idea of dying an unexpected tap on the shoulder and a familiar face asking “what happened to you,” was a moment that would save his life.
DJ Fat Tony’s story is one of overcoming the odds whilst still being unapologetically himself. At 57, he is forward focused and excited about all the possibilities ahead of him powerfully sharing, “there is life after addiction”.
Listen to this episode if:
you have struggled with addiction or considering sobriety.
you have a difficult relationship with a parent.
your way of coping is to bury it and not speak about things.
you are a performance-type artist that experiences anxiety or nerves.
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