Gorillaz Interview
Guitar Part, June 2001
Could you explain where the concept of Gorillaz comes from, and what made you work together?
Murdoc: Concept? Who do you think we are? Yes?
Was it difficult to obtain the agreement of the record company for this kind of project?
Murdoc: Hahahahahaha! I think they saw us as some sort of marketing dream, the suckers! I’ve had it written into my contract that I have complete creative control, you won’t be seeing any shoddy action figures of me lining the bargain bins of the world.
What happens on stage? Who plays, do you hide yourself?
Russel: We play. And we’re not hiding, we’re just approaching how we “Show ourselves” in a new way. We do that with everything from our music, to our videos on our internet site, all of our design work, and in our merchandise. We don’t like to take anything for granted. Our shows work on a lot of levels, obviously, we aim to give a liver-quivering audio adventure but we don’t stop there. We’re developing a visual presentation that isn’t simply the standard four faceless dullards banging through their barely discernible repertoire. It’s a culmination of genres that’s in line with our diverse musical influences. While we’re the live band at the heart of the show, the projections, rap, and DJs have their roots in a more club-orientated tradition, but those are just the parts of the experience, the sum itself is something else. Something much more.
Will you come to France for some gigs? When?
Russel: We’re playing in Paris on the 22nd of June. How’s that for a start?
How would you define the roles, functions, and characters (the traits?) of each one of the musicians: Russel, 2D, Noodle, and Murdoc?
Russel: That’s a difficult one to answer about yourself. I mean, our press agents have some sort of blurb that we have cleared, but I find it kind of wack to call myself a “Hip-Hop hard man”.
Murdoc: No, it’s easy! It’s my band and you are all just stooges in my master plan. Hail Satan!
This interview is for a guitar magazine, what can you tell us about Noodle more precisely: what are her main influences, and what kind of gear does she use?
Noodle (Translated from Japanese): My main influences are Zen poetry, and I’m always torn between Tony Iommi and Angus Young. Both of their playing moves me, but Angus has got the moves! I always use a Fender Duo-Sonic 2, for that Shadows and Beach Boys vibe, I like to stick it through a Sans Amp to give it that Sonic Youth edgy edge. Then there’s my Electro Harmonix Bad Stone for when I need to bring on that Reggae-influenced sound, we are all big fans of Augustus Pablo and the whole Rockers Sound System vibe, this was also the inspiration for 2D's Melodica work on the album. I pull out an Electro Harmonix Big Muff for when we need to sound like a charging tank! I also use an MXR Phazer 100 and a Roland 501 Space Echo. On some tracks I play a Taylor Classic acoustic, a lovely-sounding guitar, it's my baby. On the Electric, I use Ernie Ball Slinky top heavy bottom strings because I heard the twisted legend Graham Coxon uses them, I love him and his sound. My amp is a Selmer Zodiac 30 True Voice, I use it because I like the pre-set buttons for the Bass and Treble, and the strobe light on the tremolo really helps.
The members of the band come from the USA, Asia, and Europe... Do we see a metaphor on the tolerance between peoples and races?
2D: No, that’s just where we come from. I don’t really know what you mean!?
Murdoc: There is no way anyone could tolerate your level of idiocy on the constant basis that I have to, you nimrod!
The record company defines you as a "Hip-Hop collective", do you agree? Because musically, it's really hard to classify the band in one particular style of music... Is it an advantage or a disadvantage?
2D: Record companies always send out the stupidest biographies stuffed full of superlatives with everybody’s releases. We had to do some record reviews for an English kiddies music magazine the other day, and if you believed everything that the record companies had to say you’d think that every group with no hope, faceless wannabes were the next god star geniuses. Like they were, I dunno, Sigue Sigue Sputnik or something, y’know?
Murdoc: Oh great example, brain ache!
Damon said that the Gorillaz existed at least as much as Marilyn Manson. What did he mean about you?
Murdoc: That means that he’s a plank, plain and simple!
Why wouldn't there be a cartoon diffused on Brit-TV about the "Adventures of Gorillaz”? Is it in the works?
Russel: We ain’t The New Shmoo or the Monkees! We don’t have “adventures,” I am partial to the odd Scooby Snack myself, but the last thing that anyone can accuse us of being is meddling kids!
What can you tell us about the Gorillaz's website? Who made it?
Russel: www.gorillaz.com is our world online. Jamie Hewlett’s in-house design team “Zombie” made the site after we spent a long time filling their minds up with all of our interests and inspirations. It’s a pretty accurate rendition of our studio complex “Kong Studios”, where we all live and work. We try and keep the site filled with exclusive pieces of music and information. It’s a very deep site that rewards the more explorative user, we like to hide the juicy little freebies deep inside our online environment so that true fans get it all first before we bring it all further to the front for the more casual user. We also have a lower bandwidth “Fan Site” run by our number one fan Josh, so that everyone with slower connections can still find out about us. There’s a vibrant online community that seems to spend all of their time on our message board chatting about our band, our music, and their own lives in general. We try to get in there as often as we can to answer questions and sometimes settle the odd dispute, or even start them if Murdoc is around!
What is your opinion about music on the Internet?
Murdoc: Record companies are scared, but sod them! I’ve done a new mix of 19-2000 that you can get for free from our site because I want my music to get out there and be played by the people.
Is it any danger for you?
Russel: Put it this way, we get 350,000 unique users a month who all pass our games and sounds around to their friends, you can’t knock that level of publicity.
How and why did you decide to work with Ibrahim Ferrer?
Murdoc: It's a shame that somebody as gifted as Ibrahim can spend 20 years shining shoes when bands like Westlife are forever at number one, polluting the charts and kiddies' brains. Makes me want to shit. We just invited him over, gave him a bottle of JB, and off he went.
Imagine you're a manager, you've got plenty of dollars, and you can compose the band of your dreams with people dead or alive, who plays in it? (and don't tell me that Gorillaz is the band of your dreams, please...)
Leroy “Horse Mouth” Wallace on drums, Eddie Van Halen on lead guitar, Mick Jones on rhythm, Tina Franz and Bootsy Collins taking turns on the bass, and Otis Reading on vocals, with a guest spot from Terminator X on the turn tables, all produced by Sly and Robbie!
Usually, we finish the interviews by giving our readers the chords of the single of the artist who is interviewed. Then, could you give our readers the chords to play either 5/4 or Clint Eastwood? Thank you for your availability. Was it too boring?
Noodle: 5/4 is just the old three-chord wonder played in a 5/4 rhythm over 4/4 drums. Simple and direct, like the Tao!
Murdoc: Concept? Who do you think we are? Yes?
Was it difficult to obtain the agreement of the record company for this kind of project?
Murdoc: Hahahahahaha! I think they saw us as some sort of marketing dream, the suckers! I’ve had it written into my contract that I have complete creative control, you won’t be seeing any shoddy action figures of me lining the bargain bins of the world.
What happens on stage? Who plays, do you hide yourself?
Russel: We play. And we’re not hiding, we’re just approaching how we “Show ourselves” in a new way. We do that with everything from our music, to our videos on our internet site, all of our design work, and in our merchandise. We don’t like to take anything for granted. Our shows work on a lot of levels, obviously, we aim to give a liver-quivering audio adventure but we don’t stop there. We’re developing a visual presentation that isn’t simply the standard four faceless dullards banging through their barely discernible repertoire. It’s a culmination of genres that’s in line with our diverse musical influences. While we’re the live band at the heart of the show, the projections, rap, and DJs have their roots in a more club-orientated tradition, but those are just the parts of the experience, the sum itself is something else. Something much more.
Will you come to France for some gigs? When?
Russel: We’re playing in Paris on the 22nd of June. How’s that for a start?
How would you define the roles, functions, and characters (the traits?) of each one of the musicians: Russel, 2D, Noodle, and Murdoc?
Russel: That’s a difficult one to answer about yourself. I mean, our press agents have some sort of blurb that we have cleared, but I find it kind of wack to call myself a “Hip-Hop hard man”.
Murdoc: No, it’s easy! It’s my band and you are all just stooges in my master plan. Hail Satan!
This interview is for a guitar magazine, what can you tell us about Noodle more precisely: what are her main influences, and what kind of gear does she use?
Noodle (Translated from Japanese): My main influences are Zen poetry, and I’m always torn between Tony Iommi and Angus Young. Both of their playing moves me, but Angus has got the moves! I always use a Fender Duo-Sonic 2, for that Shadows and Beach Boys vibe, I like to stick it through a Sans Amp to give it that Sonic Youth edgy edge. Then there’s my Electro Harmonix Bad Stone for when I need to bring on that Reggae-influenced sound, we are all big fans of Augustus Pablo and the whole Rockers Sound System vibe, this was also the inspiration for 2D's Melodica work on the album. I pull out an Electro Harmonix Big Muff for when we need to sound like a charging tank! I also use an MXR Phazer 100 and a Roland 501 Space Echo. On some tracks I play a Taylor Classic acoustic, a lovely-sounding guitar, it's my baby. On the Electric, I use Ernie Ball Slinky top heavy bottom strings because I heard the twisted legend Graham Coxon uses them, I love him and his sound. My amp is a Selmer Zodiac 30 True Voice, I use it because I like the pre-set buttons for the Bass and Treble, and the strobe light on the tremolo really helps.
The members of the band come from the USA, Asia, and Europe... Do we see a metaphor on the tolerance between peoples and races?
2D: No, that’s just where we come from. I don’t really know what you mean!?
Murdoc: There is no way anyone could tolerate your level of idiocy on the constant basis that I have to, you nimrod!
The record company defines you as a "Hip-Hop collective", do you agree? Because musically, it's really hard to classify the band in one particular style of music... Is it an advantage or a disadvantage?
2D: Record companies always send out the stupidest biographies stuffed full of superlatives with everybody’s releases. We had to do some record reviews for an English kiddies music magazine the other day, and if you believed everything that the record companies had to say you’d think that every group with no hope, faceless wannabes were the next god star geniuses. Like they were, I dunno, Sigue Sigue Sputnik or something, y’know?
Murdoc: Oh great example, brain ache!
Damon said that the Gorillaz existed at least as much as Marilyn Manson. What did he mean about you?
Murdoc: That means that he’s a plank, plain and simple!
Why wouldn't there be a cartoon diffused on Brit-TV about the "Adventures of Gorillaz”? Is it in the works?
Russel: We ain’t The New Shmoo or the Monkees! We don’t have “adventures,” I am partial to the odd Scooby Snack myself, but the last thing that anyone can accuse us of being is meddling kids!
What can you tell us about the Gorillaz's website? Who made it?
Russel: www.gorillaz.com is our world online. Jamie Hewlett’s in-house design team “Zombie” made the site after we spent a long time filling their minds up with all of our interests and inspirations. It’s a pretty accurate rendition of our studio complex “Kong Studios”, where we all live and work. We try and keep the site filled with exclusive pieces of music and information. It’s a very deep site that rewards the more explorative user, we like to hide the juicy little freebies deep inside our online environment so that true fans get it all first before we bring it all further to the front for the more casual user. We also have a lower bandwidth “Fan Site” run by our number one fan Josh, so that everyone with slower connections can still find out about us. There’s a vibrant online community that seems to spend all of their time on our message board chatting about our band, our music, and their own lives in general. We try to get in there as often as we can to answer questions and sometimes settle the odd dispute, or even start them if Murdoc is around!
What is your opinion about music on the Internet?
Murdoc: Record companies are scared, but sod them! I’ve done a new mix of 19-2000 that you can get for free from our site because I want my music to get out there and be played by the people.
Is it any danger for you?
Russel: Put it this way, we get 350,000 unique users a month who all pass our games and sounds around to their friends, you can’t knock that level of publicity.
How and why did you decide to work with Ibrahim Ferrer?
Murdoc: It's a shame that somebody as gifted as Ibrahim can spend 20 years shining shoes when bands like Westlife are forever at number one, polluting the charts and kiddies' brains. Makes me want to shit. We just invited him over, gave him a bottle of JB, and off he went.
Imagine you're a manager, you've got plenty of dollars, and you can compose the band of your dreams with people dead or alive, who plays in it? (and don't tell me that Gorillaz is the band of your dreams, please...)
Leroy “Horse Mouth” Wallace on drums, Eddie Van Halen on lead guitar, Mick Jones on rhythm, Tina Franz and Bootsy Collins taking turns on the bass, and Otis Reading on vocals, with a guest spot from Terminator X on the turn tables, all produced by Sly and Robbie!
Usually, we finish the interviews by giving our readers the chords of the single of the artist who is interviewed. Then, could you give our readers the chords to play either 5/4 or Clint Eastwood? Thank you for your availability. Was it too boring?
Noodle: 5/4 is just the old three-chord wonder played in a 5/4 rhythm over 4/4 drums. Simple and direct, like the Tao!