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The Fabulous Pre-Fab Gorillaz
Fictional Band a Lively Mix of Music Genres and Animation
 Listen to Susan Stone's report.
April 2, 2002 -- In a world of pre-fab boy bands and plastic pop princesses, Gorillaz are a manufactured band with a difference. The group's debut album sold more than six million copies worldwide. They were nominated for MTV awards, Brit awards, even a Grammy. And their recent tour sold out premier venues in the United States and Canada. Not bad for a bunch of cartoon characters. For All Things Considered, Susan Stone reports.
Lead singer 2-D has a blank stare and is missing a couple of teeth, but still exudes a boyish charm and sweet vocals. Bass player Murdoc resembles one of the undead, with a devilish glare and green teeth. Guitarist Noodle is an 11-year-old Japanese girl. Drummer and rapper Russel, the American, looks... well, like a gorilla.
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"Gorillaz are definitely a manufactured band, but they've been manufactured by people who care about what they do and want to do it properly -- not manufactured to make as much money as possible and sell rubbish to kids."
Comic artist and Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett
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The fictional cartoon band is the brainchild of British pop star Damon Albarn and comic artist Jamie Hewlett, creator of the post-apocalyptic anti-heroine Tank Girl. Albarn's band Blur spent a decade on the top of the British pop scene. But celebrity got tiresome, and the duo developed a new way to be creative without being in the spotlight. "I've always been a firm believer that cartoon characters will be far more interesting to the public than real people," Albarn says.
Gorillaz call their music "zombie-hip-hop" -- but that doesn't quite do justice to their collage of musical styles. Albarn and Hewlett teamed up with American hip-hop producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura to create a stew of dance, hip-hop, Latin rhythms and Japanese language samples. The debut CD features appearances by the rhythm section of the Talking Heads, San Francisco Bay Area rapper Del tha Funky Homosapien, a singer from New York-based Japanese duo Cibo Matto, and Latin Simone, featuring Cuban vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer of the Buena Vista Social Club.
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Gorillaz perform in Washington, D.C., Feb. 26, 2002.
Photo: Jonathan Oppong-Wiafe/Virgin Records
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For the musicians, their pen and ink alter egos provide some anonymity, allowing them to try new styles and collaborate with an array of musicians. But going on tour can be an interesting challenge. At a recent show in Washington, D.C., the band itself played behind a curtain, while the audience got to see music videos, lights, shapes and colors projected onto gauzy scrims.
Some concertgoers told Stone they liked the music, but seemed disappointed that the live band never revealed themselves. But Jamie Hewlett says that's OK. "Gorillaz are definitely a manufactured band, but they've been manufactured by people who care about what they do and want to do it properly -- not manufactured to make as much money as possible and sell rubbish to kids."
Next up for Gorillaz: a new album and feature-length animated movie, due in 2004.
Other Resources
• Gorillaz.com official Web site.
• Blur official Web site.
• Virgin Records.
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