Gorillaz
imode world, May 2006
Cartoon superband Gorillaz took time out from their US tour to give us this exclusive insight into their love of technology. Which mobile phones and gadgets do they use? What do they think of today's download culture? And who gets top score on their brilliant new mobile game? Read on to find out...
Which phone does each member of the band own, and are you impressed with it?
Murdoc: All of us use Motorola handsets. Fantastic. 'State of the Art'. They gave us a financial piggyback to help sling us over the brick wall that stood between us and our New York Apollo shows. Motorola had the generosity and the style to lend their support. And what's more, they've upgraded my handset. I can now use it to stun an elk at fifty paces.
Russel: How much did Motorola pay you to say all that Murdoc?
Murdoc: What are you accusing me of, Russ? You know the whole idea of 'selling out' is sooooo dated. Yeah, obviously, don't stick your tracks on a nuclear arms commercial but some products are perfectly valid. Anyway, corporate 'fluffing' aside, I wouldn't endorse a product I wouldn't use. And y'know Motorola rocks!!!
(suspicious sound of money changing hands in the background)
Which features do you use the most?
Russel: I use my GPS roaming and location feature - you can be lost in the middle of nowhere and still get yourself picked up, dusted off and returned to the correct position behind the kit. Get on a network that gives you good coverage and then set your phone to roaming.
Do you use any of the games on your phone?
2D: I do now that I've lost all the balls for Pong.
Russel: 2D spent the last paycheck he got on a triple plasma screen entertainment system that cost something like £37,5000. And it only played one game, which was that old Atari game Pong.
2D: Sometimes when Noodle's got a guitar solo I play games on my mobile to fill in the time when I'm not singing. It's a lot easier than bringing my Atari onstage.
Russel: We've also got a whole new Gorillaz Entertainment System, that's designed for the mobile. Four separate games, where you can play as one of us in a different gaming scenario.
Who has the top score on the Gorillaz game?
2D: I've been playing my game non-stop since I downloaded it onto my phone. and I've got a high-score of seven. Can anyone beat that?
Who is the most competitive in the band?
Murdoc: I never enter any situation with the purpose to come second. What's the point? It's totally in me to be the best. The that I can also achieve premier world-class status while still half-cut makes the achievement all the more impressive.
Are you downloaders? If so, do you download onto devices?
Russel: It's all music. There's so much on our phones really - everything that's on my iPod is on my phone now. The Specials, King Tubby, Ennio Morricone. Public Image Limited, Talking Heads, The Clash... experimental artists like Eno or Steven Reuch. Some pop stuff like Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', some of the dub kings like Augustus Pablo. Some early hip-hop like Grandmaster Flash. There's some dancehall rhythms. But then there's a huge load from the World music circuit. There's bits of calypso in the mix. That's the thing with Gorillaz, we kind of cut and paste from each and every sector of music.
What are you views on the current music download culture?
Noodle: Downloading is one of the most important innovations to happen in the history of music. The ability to create portable playlists means that creatively the audience now expects much higher quality of music. THere's no room now for lazy album filler tracks. It has charged the way people listen to or select music, and therefore how it was created.
Murdoc: But if I catch people downloading my Gorillaz tunes without paying I'll sue them until their eyes pop out.
Russel: Complaining about file-sharing is like complaining about gravity. Ultimately pointless and it'll just bring you down. And people have been file-sharing since music came out. For most of us it's how we discover music, films, everything. So that's a good thing.
2D: I read the other day that kids in playgrounds can literally pass on a whole 90 minutes of music in a matter of seconds. On cassette tapes.
What other gadgets do you have?
Murdoc: I've got one of those hats with the two cans of beer on the side. You know those things? Who thought of that? A genius invention.
Noodle: My video iPod has rapidly become an essential.
What is your all-time favourite gadget?
Noodle: My favourite gadget would have to be my laptop. Although this is somewhat an obvious choice, and not exactly brand new or fresh off the market, I really would be lost without it. In fact to call it a gadget is probably a disservice. I use a G4 powerbook with WiFi, and it's with this that I can re-mix songs in Logic, using an enormous amount of incredibly playful plug-ins and then just e-mail them off from wherever I am. It' s a great way to pass the time in airports. With a plug in mic that goes directly into the computer, people can email me instrumental mixes to which I can add vocal, treat them in Logic, mix them and then send them back. I can also log onto our website and conduct webcasts while on the move. It's just... exhilirating! I can also make little animations of my own with Maya and Lightwave, which is fun. On top of this I'm still satisfied with the ability to watch DVDs on a portable 17" screen.
2D: I like my tazar gun. I think you're meant to use it for zapping cows or something, but I just like mucking about buzzing my mates in the back of the neck. Great fun. And my triple plasma screen entertainment system.
If you could invent a gadget, what would it be?
Russel: I've already invented one: my hip hop machine. Hip hop saved my soul, the machine is the least I can do in return. It contains every beat and rhythm known to man, since the history of evolution. Its contents span the universe and beyond. I'd be very careful when going near that thing.
Which phone does each member of the band own, and are you impressed with it?
Murdoc: All of us use Motorola handsets. Fantastic. 'State of the Art'. They gave us a financial piggyback to help sling us over the brick wall that stood between us and our New York Apollo shows. Motorola had the generosity and the style to lend their support. And what's more, they've upgraded my handset. I can now use it to stun an elk at fifty paces.
Russel: How much did Motorola pay you to say all that Murdoc?
Murdoc: What are you accusing me of, Russ? You know the whole idea of 'selling out' is sooooo dated. Yeah, obviously, don't stick your tracks on a nuclear arms commercial but some products are perfectly valid. Anyway, corporate 'fluffing' aside, I wouldn't endorse a product I wouldn't use. And y'know Motorola rocks!!!
(suspicious sound of money changing hands in the background)
Which features do you use the most?
Russel: I use my GPS roaming and location feature - you can be lost in the middle of nowhere and still get yourself picked up, dusted off and returned to the correct position behind the kit. Get on a network that gives you good coverage and then set your phone to roaming.
Do you use any of the games on your phone?
2D: I do now that I've lost all the balls for Pong.
Russel: 2D spent the last paycheck he got on a triple plasma screen entertainment system that cost something like £37,5000. And it only played one game, which was that old Atari game Pong.
2D: Sometimes when Noodle's got a guitar solo I play games on my mobile to fill in the time when I'm not singing. It's a lot easier than bringing my Atari onstage.
Russel: We've also got a whole new Gorillaz Entertainment System, that's designed for the mobile. Four separate games, where you can play as one of us in a different gaming scenario.
Who has the top score on the Gorillaz game?
2D: I've been playing my game non-stop since I downloaded it onto my phone. and I've got a high-score of seven. Can anyone beat that?
Who is the most competitive in the band?
Murdoc: I never enter any situation with the purpose to come second. What's the point? It's totally in me to be the best. The that I can also achieve premier world-class status while still half-cut makes the achievement all the more impressive.
Are you downloaders? If so, do you download onto devices?
Russel: It's all music. There's so much on our phones really - everything that's on my iPod is on my phone now. The Specials, King Tubby, Ennio Morricone. Public Image Limited, Talking Heads, The Clash... experimental artists like Eno or Steven Reuch. Some pop stuff like Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', some of the dub kings like Augustus Pablo. Some early hip-hop like Grandmaster Flash. There's some dancehall rhythms. But then there's a huge load from the World music circuit. There's bits of calypso in the mix. That's the thing with Gorillaz, we kind of cut and paste from each and every sector of music.
What are you views on the current music download culture?
Noodle: Downloading is one of the most important innovations to happen in the history of music. The ability to create portable playlists means that creatively the audience now expects much higher quality of music. THere's no room now for lazy album filler tracks. It has charged the way people listen to or select music, and therefore how it was created.
Murdoc: But if I catch people downloading my Gorillaz tunes without paying I'll sue them until their eyes pop out.
Russel: Complaining about file-sharing is like complaining about gravity. Ultimately pointless and it'll just bring you down. And people have been file-sharing since music came out. For most of us it's how we discover music, films, everything. So that's a good thing.
2D: I read the other day that kids in playgrounds can literally pass on a whole 90 minutes of music in a matter of seconds. On cassette tapes.
What other gadgets do you have?
Murdoc: I've got one of those hats with the two cans of beer on the side. You know those things? Who thought of that? A genius invention.
Noodle: My video iPod has rapidly become an essential.
What is your all-time favourite gadget?
Noodle: My favourite gadget would have to be my laptop. Although this is somewhat an obvious choice, and not exactly brand new or fresh off the market, I really would be lost without it. In fact to call it a gadget is probably a disservice. I use a G4 powerbook with WiFi, and it's with this that I can re-mix songs in Logic, using an enormous amount of incredibly playful plug-ins and then just e-mail them off from wherever I am. It' s a great way to pass the time in airports. With a plug in mic that goes directly into the computer, people can email me instrumental mixes to which I can add vocal, treat them in Logic, mix them and then send them back. I can also log onto our website and conduct webcasts while on the move. It's just... exhilirating! I can also make little animations of my own with Maya and Lightwave, which is fun. On top of this I'm still satisfied with the ability to watch DVDs on a portable 17" screen.
2D: I like my tazar gun. I think you're meant to use it for zapping cows or something, but I just like mucking about buzzing my mates in the back of the neck. Great fun. And my triple plasma screen entertainment system.
If you could invent a gadget, what would it be?
Russel: I've already invented one: my hip hop machine. Hip hop saved my soul, the machine is the least I can do in return. It contains every beat and rhythm known to man, since the history of evolution. Its contents span the universe and beyond. I'd be very careful when going near that thing.