Gorillaz, An Evening With Murdoc and Noodle
WARP, May 2018
Finally, I arrived to West London. From the outside it seemed like a nice suburban street, but the house where I was cited was sloppy and the smell surrounding it made me feel sick. Suddenly the door opened itself and I realized that there was no one in there, an unsafety feeling started to invade myself. I was shaking, but I knew I must remain strong.
My boss told me that this was probably the most dangerous interview I will ever do - “That guy, Murdoc Niccals, is a fucking lunatic, Oscar, you must have a special treatment with him, he’s one of a kind” -, he said, shaking me with his sweated arms. - “In other circumstances I will never send you through that kind of people but Warner said that we will never get an exclusive with Ed Sheeran if we don’t accept and you know how much I love him, please do this for me”-. I thought that he was proving me in a really disgusting way, but being there it became evident that this house can only be the home of a psycho killer, the type of guy of whom I must be scared of.
I stood there until someone said - “Hey there,come on, don’t be such a pussy”-. So I followed the voice through the interior of the house, which was far more disgusting than the outside. The walls were broken down and there were pills of garbage throwed on the floor, large ones formed by a lot of stuff, from broken musical instruments to used condoms and all kind of drugs, my interiors started to turn. - “Don’t”-, the shame voice said, - “Who would you think that will finish cleaning your disaster?”-,it continues, then I realized where the voice was coming from, there was a fridge on the kitchen, a large but oxidated one and as soon as I arrive to I opened it, the light leaved me blinded and after some time of pure darkness, there he was, a tall and skinny green dude trying to eat an alive chicken in there, - “...hum mm, wait me a minute”-, he said before leaving the kitchen with hurry.
My legs couldn’t stop to move, soon I would need to see that terrifying face another time. After some minutes of waiting I felt him, his feet were coming, he showed himself with his large nose and stinky scent, followed by a really pretty girl. He seemed utterly relaxed, walking with a strange conviction and stayed, looking inside the fridge, while the girl stood at his side, watching me with curiosity until the guy came closed to where I was sitting, my heart started to hit more rapidly and the blood inside me flowed hotter than in the past, I didn’t want to see him at all, - “What’s up mate?”-, the green one said. So it all starts.
The Interview
Each member has displayed staggering physical changes throughout the years, which have noticeably shown in each album, these changes have spanned from various skin tones, to dimensional reality, even the shape of your very own skull. How do you do this?
Murdoc: It’s called growing up, mate. Big reveal for your readers: 2D’s got pubes now.
What was your first impression of Mexico back then when you played your first show? How would you describe our country?
Noodle: I loved it. Mexico is like a huge, cuddly cactus with no spikes, designer sunglasses and a smile as wide as the sun. It is the centre of the Universe.
Murdoc, you were arrested in Mexico soon after the release of your first album, you were sentenced to 20 years of prison but you somehow managed to escape. How does it feel coming back after all this time? Weren’t you afraid that perhaps your fugitive status might get you in trouble with Mexican authorities?
Murdoc: You’ve got a beautiful country, but a Mexican prison is not a walk in the park. To be fair, no prison is a walk in the park, otherwise it would be a pretty useless prison. But the Mexican ones are extra special, and I should know. If there was a TripAdvisor for lockups, I’d be a fucking platinum level expert. Fortunately, my legal team assures me everything will be fine with the authorities, so long as I can pass a drugs test. So, mmm...
The most successful album by Gorillaz so far has been Demon Days, which you, Noodle, directed and appear in. How did Murdoc, who previously claimed all creative credits of the band, take it?
Noodle: You can’t always believe what the green one says. Judge every book by its cover and everyone can see my cover clearly.
What happened to Mike, the pet monkey that followed you around during that time?
Noodle: The last I heard, Mike had become Michaela and formed an all-girl spider monkey ska band, Queens of the Swingers. She plays the electric kazoo. If only, sadly Mike died and is now at the big eternal festival in the sky.
Being the only female member in the band, would you agree that you must portray female empowerment?
Noodle: I don’t need to portray female empowerment. It’s abundantly evident everywhere in the world. We can’t be kept down and everyone knows that.
What’s your opinion on the Gorillaz tribute band that Damon “pesky” Albarn has formed?
Murdoc: If some crooner wants to honour my art in a tribute act, I try to take it as a compliment. It’s the burden both Elvis and I have to bear. Jesus had the same problem. All those jokers claiming to be the second coming of Christ. It goes with the territory of being a messiah, musical or otherwise. We’re used to it.
Noodle, it’s funny that during Phase One you did not speak a single word of English, which must have led to all sorts of interesting situations, do you recall your strangest or funniest incident as a result of the language barrier?
Noodle: English is very much a mystery language but is also my cup of tea. Murdoc is not a good teacher, as most people don’t want to be addressed as ‘wanker’.
It’s popular belief among the Gorillaz fanbase that you, Noodle, and 2-D were at some point romantically involved, what’s your opinion on this?
Noodle: The only ships I sail are spaceships.
There’s a theory that suggests your every action is controlled by a man named Jamie Hewlett, what do you have to say about it?
Murdoc: The cartoonist? (laughter) That’s a good one, mate. Nobody controls Murdoc. Well, apart from 3-5pm on Thursdays, when I visit Madame Flesche, my dominatrix. And it all stops the second I say my safety word. Clementine.
My boss told me that this was probably the most dangerous interview I will ever do - “That guy, Murdoc Niccals, is a fucking lunatic, Oscar, you must have a special treatment with him, he’s one of a kind” -, he said, shaking me with his sweated arms. - “In other circumstances I will never send you through that kind of people but Warner said that we will never get an exclusive with Ed Sheeran if we don’t accept and you know how much I love him, please do this for me”-. I thought that he was proving me in a really disgusting way, but being there it became evident that this house can only be the home of a psycho killer, the type of guy of whom I must be scared of.
I stood there until someone said - “Hey there,come on, don’t be such a pussy”-. So I followed the voice through the interior of the house, which was far more disgusting than the outside. The walls were broken down and there were pills of garbage throwed on the floor, large ones formed by a lot of stuff, from broken musical instruments to used condoms and all kind of drugs, my interiors started to turn. - “Don’t”-, the shame voice said, - “Who would you think that will finish cleaning your disaster?”-,it continues, then I realized where the voice was coming from, there was a fridge on the kitchen, a large but oxidated one and as soon as I arrive to I opened it, the light leaved me blinded and after some time of pure darkness, there he was, a tall and skinny green dude trying to eat an alive chicken in there, - “...hum mm, wait me a minute”-, he said before leaving the kitchen with hurry.
My legs couldn’t stop to move, soon I would need to see that terrifying face another time. After some minutes of waiting I felt him, his feet were coming, he showed himself with his large nose and stinky scent, followed by a really pretty girl. He seemed utterly relaxed, walking with a strange conviction and stayed, looking inside the fridge, while the girl stood at his side, watching me with curiosity until the guy came closed to where I was sitting, my heart started to hit more rapidly and the blood inside me flowed hotter than in the past, I didn’t want to see him at all, - “What’s up mate?”-, the green one said. So it all starts.
The Interview
Each member has displayed staggering physical changes throughout the years, which have noticeably shown in each album, these changes have spanned from various skin tones, to dimensional reality, even the shape of your very own skull. How do you do this?
Murdoc: It’s called growing up, mate. Big reveal for your readers: 2D’s got pubes now.
What was your first impression of Mexico back then when you played your first show? How would you describe our country?
Noodle: I loved it. Mexico is like a huge, cuddly cactus with no spikes, designer sunglasses and a smile as wide as the sun. It is the centre of the Universe.
Murdoc, you were arrested in Mexico soon after the release of your first album, you were sentenced to 20 years of prison but you somehow managed to escape. How does it feel coming back after all this time? Weren’t you afraid that perhaps your fugitive status might get you in trouble with Mexican authorities?
Murdoc: You’ve got a beautiful country, but a Mexican prison is not a walk in the park. To be fair, no prison is a walk in the park, otherwise it would be a pretty useless prison. But the Mexican ones are extra special, and I should know. If there was a TripAdvisor for lockups, I’d be a fucking platinum level expert. Fortunately, my legal team assures me everything will be fine with the authorities, so long as I can pass a drugs test. So, mmm...
The most successful album by Gorillaz so far has been Demon Days, which you, Noodle, directed and appear in. How did Murdoc, who previously claimed all creative credits of the band, take it?
Noodle: You can’t always believe what the green one says. Judge every book by its cover and everyone can see my cover clearly.
What happened to Mike, the pet monkey that followed you around during that time?
Noodle: The last I heard, Mike had become Michaela and formed an all-girl spider monkey ska band, Queens of the Swingers. She plays the electric kazoo. If only, sadly Mike died and is now at the big eternal festival in the sky.
Being the only female member in the band, would you agree that you must portray female empowerment?
Noodle: I don’t need to portray female empowerment. It’s abundantly evident everywhere in the world. We can’t be kept down and everyone knows that.
What’s your opinion on the Gorillaz tribute band that Damon “pesky” Albarn has formed?
Murdoc: If some crooner wants to honour my art in a tribute act, I try to take it as a compliment. It’s the burden both Elvis and I have to bear. Jesus had the same problem. All those jokers claiming to be the second coming of Christ. It goes with the territory of being a messiah, musical or otherwise. We’re used to it.
Noodle, it’s funny that during Phase One you did not speak a single word of English, which must have led to all sorts of interesting situations, do you recall your strangest or funniest incident as a result of the language barrier?
Noodle: English is very much a mystery language but is also my cup of tea. Murdoc is not a good teacher, as most people don’t want to be addressed as ‘wanker’.
It’s popular belief among the Gorillaz fanbase that you, Noodle, and 2-D were at some point romantically involved, what’s your opinion on this?
Noodle: The only ships I sail are spaceships.
There’s a theory that suggests your every action is controlled by a man named Jamie Hewlett, what do you have to say about it?
Murdoc: The cartoonist? (laughter) That’s a good one, mate. Nobody controls Murdoc. Well, apart from 3-5pm on Thursdays, when I visit Madame Flesche, my dominatrix. And it all stops the second I say my safety word. Clementine.