Gorillaz Questionaire
Crossbeat, February 2001
We've heard that your first gig ended in a riot but what it was actually like?
Murdoc: Our first gig at the Camden Brownhouse turned into a monster riot. - Nobody has been willing to put us on after that incident.
And we've also heard that you were signed to a record label at the venue of your first show. Did you expect that you'd be signed to a major label from the very beginning?
Murdoc: EMI’s legendary headhunter, Whiffy Smiffy, was there. He snapped us up there and then. Before we knew what was going on we were signing our contract at London Zoo.
Murdoc, you seem to aspiring to make it big with this band but how far do you think you could go?
Murdoc: From the moment 2D went through the windscreen on my Vauxhall Astra I knew we were going to rule the day.
As far as interpreting from the official bio the Gorillaz appeared to be more or less a vehicle of solely Murdoc's idea but basically how do you decide the direction to take your band to? Could you elaborate on each member's role in the band (character-wise, contribution-wise, etc.)?
2D: Well, we got a mixing desk and Todd, our tech, puts in all of the sounds, and then they're done.
Murdoc: Bravo brain-ache, the world is enlightened.
2D, Russel, Noodle, what do you all find attractive about Murdoc, so much that you'd like to work with him?
Russel: Although Murdoc would be the first to call himself an opportunistic Nazi I feel he is a troubled man, I’m here to stop him from imploding. Basically, we all love each other, except for Murdoc who hates us all and himself equally.
Murdoc: Exactly, so what’s your point?
2D: I love you, Murdoc.
Murdoc: I won’t say it again, I saved your life, and you owe me your soul.
Murdoc, you are pretty mature in age but what have you been doing before the Gorillaz?
Murdoc: Michael Canes started when he was 30 so basically being a 36-year-old pop star means I've got far more experience both musically and sexually.
2D, you kinda look like Damon Albarn from Blur but is it just our imagination?
2D: I never really liked that band Imagination, Damon wasn’t anything to do with them, was he?
Murdoc: How do you explain the gold thong and glitter you have on under your clothes then, Nancy boy?
2D: My pants and socks aren’t gold Murdoc, they’re cotton.
We feel that your music is very refreshingly realizing creative ideas without boundaries, but what is your reason behind sticking to a band form in the first place? Has it never occurred to you that this doesn't have to be a permanent band with guitar/bass/drums/keyboard, it could be more of a free-form unit where you could get together whenever you feel like it or bring in different people every time?
Murdoc: We formed as a band in April 1998. It then took some time for our individual characters to gel together. It’s only after many punch-ups, screaming matches, and late-night coloring-in sessions that we have reached a point where we can get on stage, pull our pants up high under our armpits and shout “Hello Mr. President….”
Russel: We live in an animated alter-world where Augustus Pablo can walk into Electric Lady Studios, pick up a Gibson, and play a fuzz lead over a Cachao bassline while Dr. Dre plays the tin flute to Rag Time beatz.
What is your idea of an ideal band? What do they require?
Russel: A band needs to care about music, it needs music to be its primary method of communication not its primary method of glorification.
Murdoc: Yeah, Sigue Sigue Sputnik is a constant inspiration to us all.
2D: I agree with what Russel said about music, if a band doesn’t have that then what’s the difference between them and anything else?
Are there any bands out there whom you feel they've got what it takes to be a perfect/ideal band besides you?
Murdoc: Look out for The Perverts, they are four animated Bears who are into Krautrock. They're our arch-enemies.
Who are the targets of the Gorillaz music?
Murdoc: Gorillaz will ween the kids off of crap.
Your debut album will be coming out very soon. Did you use your own studio (which is shown on the Internet site) for the whole production process?
2D: We recorded the album in Jamaica. I was on the studio roof recording the vocal for Sound Check (Gravity) and while I was singing and looking up at the stars, a giant vulture that the locals call Johnny Bird swooped down and took me off into the mountains and left me there with a Rastafarian medicine man. I stayed there for a week and he fed me with vegan food and educated me in the ways of Jah, but I can't remember a word that he said.
Who was the producer of this album?
Dan the Automator.
The album is very pop while it has rather some dark texture in it. Is this pop feel there for tactical reasons to some extent, or is it just a natural result of four people playing together?
Russel: Our music doesn't brainwash as it's a pure expression but it can stimulate intelligent minds and there are more of those than the public is given credit for.
How would you describe the sound that the Gorillaz pursuing?
Murdoc: Here's the sound bites- we like to call it Dark Pop, Zombie Hip-Hop, and sometimes Low-Fi Thriller.
There are various guests from the third dimension world taking part in this upcoming album, including Damon Albarn, Dan The Automator” Nakamura, Miho Hatori, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Tina Franz, Ibrahim Ferrer. Tell us how come you guys hooked on each of them.
Murdoc: We already knew Damon from a long time ago. We used to be enemies with him, but through a bizarre twist of fate, we became close friends. He's done a lot of work with us on our album. We found Damon walking around Leicester Square, he seemed a little confused so we took him for a cup of coffee and a doughnut, got on like a house without a conservatory, and decided to work together.
Noodle (translated from Japanese): I met Miho in a dream. I was standing on the platform waiting for the next Bullet train to take me to Kingston Jamaica, and Miho was there with a ticket for the same trip.
Russel: I met Dan on the Million Man Left Hand March which congregated at the White House. It was here that we discovered that not only did we have a shared love of Hip-Hop, but that we were both left-handed. Del’s the spirit of my dear departed high school pal who now lives inside of me. He keeps playing the album again and again inside of my head.
We are especially interested to hear how you brought in Ibrahim Ferrer, the great vocalist from Cuba who is now very popular around the globe because of the film Buena Vista Social Club. What was his reaction like when you first asked him to take part? Did he show any surprise?
Murdoc: We invited Ibrahim over, gave him some J-B, and off he went. 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 puke, man.
Do you have any confidence that the Gorillaz could fulfill the listeners who are feeling that something's missing in the current music scene?
Murdoc: We hope to be able to remind people of what it is they have been missing out on. The charts have become a playground for talentless, uninspiring freeloaders with one party trick up their sleeves. Being able to do a backflip and having a floppy fringe doesn't make a pop star if you ask me.
Your band is based in England. How do you find the current British music scene and youth culture?
Noodle: We are .com, not co.uk.
What kind of music do you find it worth listening to now?
Russel: I'm listening to Deltron 3030. Del's the spirit of my dear departed high school pal who now lives inside of me. He keeps playing the album again and again inside of my head. Also, I can't stop playing Gang Starr Full Clip, there are some serious beats on this album.
Murdoc: I'm well into Dinosaur Junior, Freak Scene on Bug still rocks my world, and Buckcherry; Lit Up is cool. Other than that I've been listening to Raging Speedhorn, let me assure you, these boys are very heavy.
2D: I've been watching Rockers on my portable DVD, and I've left Augustus Pablo's King; Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown, Tom Tom Club, and Simian; Watch It Glow on my C.D player for ages, all of them make me feel happy and I like that.
Noodle: I've got Cornelius and Graham Coxon; The Big D on my MP3 player. I'm in love with Graham and with an artist named Takashi Murakami.
The Gorillaz is a cosmopolitan male/female band and each member belongs to a different age group. What's the secret of keeping the band tightly together?
Murdoc: Beach buggies, Chuck Jones, sweets, and dead arm competitions.
2D: Yeah, and regularly sitting down together to watch George Romero zombie movies.
There are not too many bands out there that contain such a variety of personnel, but do you think that it's the best way if you wish to make colourful and interesting music?
2D: When I cook or make sandwiches I always make sure that I like all of the stuff that I put in, and it’s the same with the band and our music.
Besides music, what is the inspirational source for the Gorillaz?
2D: I really like tomato sauce but Noodle gave me some wasabi the other day, and I don’t know if that’s a sauce or not but it certainly made my chips interesting.
Murdoc, do you feel it is possible that your twisted dark self would somehow disappear by the success this band would achieve (and the feeling of fulfillment granted by it)?
Murdoc: Look pal, Hello magazine can come round my gaff any time. I've got me pentagram pinny and I can cook a wicked Toad In The Hole. Kate Moss can be in the pictures. I know she's up for a shag. This band, mostly down to me, are the bollocks of the gods. Who else is there? Oasis? Boring old wank. U2? Tuna fish snoggers! Fred Durst? Fred West more like. And I've seen plumber's arses that are better looking than Five. We are our own independent state. We do not recognize Camden. Official. We do not recognize Oldham. We are virtual crack for the stereo! And the sooner twats like you realize it the better. So can we do the photos now? My arse is ready for its close-up. Err... what was the question again?
Noodle is still only ten years old, but do other members find her personality as a child has a place of its own in the band?
Russel: I sometimes wonder if she is secretly older than the rest of us. I’ve never seen her lose her cool or be unable to deal with a situation. She can kick ass while banging out a mind-blowing riff on her little pig-nose guitar and still have time to tell the rest of us what the hell is going on around us. I’d definitely want her in my foxhole.
We assume that Noodle might be introducing various Japanese cultural substances like music, art, Anime, and/or food to other members of the band, but what do each of you think are the three greatest products made in Japan?
Russel: I love anything by Beat Takashi, PlayStation still rocks, and the comic book work of Katsuhiro Otomo is timeless and classic.
Murdoc: I like Saki, Sapporo Beer, and I have an amazing issue of Studio Voice magazine from February 1996 dedicated to Charles Bronson that is a constant source of wisdom for me.
2D: I’ve always wondered what a Japanese typewriter would look like, other than that I like the mobile phone camera that Noodle has and my Suzuki Omni Chord is one of my most treasured possessions, we wouldn’t have been able to make Clint Eastwood without it.
We could get in touch with you through the Internet by accessing your homepage, but what kind of tool is the Internet to you?
2D: Everybody is really nice to us on the internet, I get cool e-mails from people all around the world, although I got a very strange one the other day with a picture of Leonardo Di Caprio with no pants on.
What is your plan for the next gig/tour?
Murdoc: We are playing our first gig since The Camden Brown House incident on March 22nd in the Scala Club in Kings Cross. Dan’s gonna come over and DJ on that night, as well as Ed Case and a live P.A from Sweetie Irie. Dark Pop will reign supreme.
Unlike most of the other bands, the Gorillaz has infinite possibilities. You could even conquer the universe - what's your ultimate ambition?
Murdoc: I want to be as big as Mighty Joe Young.
Murdoc: Our first gig at the Camden Brownhouse turned into a monster riot. - Nobody has been willing to put us on after that incident.
And we've also heard that you were signed to a record label at the venue of your first show. Did you expect that you'd be signed to a major label from the very beginning?
Murdoc: EMI’s legendary headhunter, Whiffy Smiffy, was there. He snapped us up there and then. Before we knew what was going on we were signing our contract at London Zoo.
Murdoc, you seem to aspiring to make it big with this band but how far do you think you could go?
Murdoc: From the moment 2D went through the windscreen on my Vauxhall Astra I knew we were going to rule the day.
As far as interpreting from the official bio the Gorillaz appeared to be more or less a vehicle of solely Murdoc's idea but basically how do you decide the direction to take your band to? Could you elaborate on each member's role in the band (character-wise, contribution-wise, etc.)?
2D: Well, we got a mixing desk and Todd, our tech, puts in all of the sounds, and then they're done.
Murdoc: Bravo brain-ache, the world is enlightened.
2D, Russel, Noodle, what do you all find attractive about Murdoc, so much that you'd like to work with him?
Russel: Although Murdoc would be the first to call himself an opportunistic Nazi I feel he is a troubled man, I’m here to stop him from imploding. Basically, we all love each other, except for Murdoc who hates us all and himself equally.
Murdoc: Exactly, so what’s your point?
2D: I love you, Murdoc.
Murdoc: I won’t say it again, I saved your life, and you owe me your soul.
Murdoc, you are pretty mature in age but what have you been doing before the Gorillaz?
Murdoc: Michael Canes started when he was 30 so basically being a 36-year-old pop star means I've got far more experience both musically and sexually.
2D, you kinda look like Damon Albarn from Blur but is it just our imagination?
2D: I never really liked that band Imagination, Damon wasn’t anything to do with them, was he?
Murdoc: How do you explain the gold thong and glitter you have on under your clothes then, Nancy boy?
2D: My pants and socks aren’t gold Murdoc, they’re cotton.
We feel that your music is very refreshingly realizing creative ideas without boundaries, but what is your reason behind sticking to a band form in the first place? Has it never occurred to you that this doesn't have to be a permanent band with guitar/bass/drums/keyboard, it could be more of a free-form unit where you could get together whenever you feel like it or bring in different people every time?
Murdoc: We formed as a band in April 1998. It then took some time for our individual characters to gel together. It’s only after many punch-ups, screaming matches, and late-night coloring-in sessions that we have reached a point where we can get on stage, pull our pants up high under our armpits and shout “Hello Mr. President….”
Russel: We live in an animated alter-world where Augustus Pablo can walk into Electric Lady Studios, pick up a Gibson, and play a fuzz lead over a Cachao bassline while Dr. Dre plays the tin flute to Rag Time beatz.
What is your idea of an ideal band? What do they require?
Russel: A band needs to care about music, it needs music to be its primary method of communication not its primary method of glorification.
Murdoc: Yeah, Sigue Sigue Sputnik is a constant inspiration to us all.
2D: I agree with what Russel said about music, if a band doesn’t have that then what’s the difference between them and anything else?
Are there any bands out there whom you feel they've got what it takes to be a perfect/ideal band besides you?
Murdoc: Look out for The Perverts, they are four animated Bears who are into Krautrock. They're our arch-enemies.
Who are the targets of the Gorillaz music?
Murdoc: Gorillaz will ween the kids off of crap.
Your debut album will be coming out very soon. Did you use your own studio (which is shown on the Internet site) for the whole production process?
2D: We recorded the album in Jamaica. I was on the studio roof recording the vocal for Sound Check (Gravity) and while I was singing and looking up at the stars, a giant vulture that the locals call Johnny Bird swooped down and took me off into the mountains and left me there with a Rastafarian medicine man. I stayed there for a week and he fed me with vegan food and educated me in the ways of Jah, but I can't remember a word that he said.
Who was the producer of this album?
Dan the Automator.
The album is very pop while it has rather some dark texture in it. Is this pop feel there for tactical reasons to some extent, or is it just a natural result of four people playing together?
Russel: Our music doesn't brainwash as it's a pure expression but it can stimulate intelligent minds and there are more of those than the public is given credit for.
How would you describe the sound that the Gorillaz pursuing?
Murdoc: Here's the sound bites- we like to call it Dark Pop, Zombie Hip-Hop, and sometimes Low-Fi Thriller.
There are various guests from the third dimension world taking part in this upcoming album, including Damon Albarn, Dan The Automator” Nakamura, Miho Hatori, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Tina Franz, Ibrahim Ferrer. Tell us how come you guys hooked on each of them.
Murdoc: We already knew Damon from a long time ago. We used to be enemies with him, but through a bizarre twist of fate, we became close friends. He's done a lot of work with us on our album. We found Damon walking around Leicester Square, he seemed a little confused so we took him for a cup of coffee and a doughnut, got on like a house without a conservatory, and decided to work together.
Noodle (translated from Japanese): I met Miho in a dream. I was standing on the platform waiting for the next Bullet train to take me to Kingston Jamaica, and Miho was there with a ticket for the same trip.
Russel: I met Dan on the Million Man Left Hand March which congregated at the White House. It was here that we discovered that not only did we have a shared love of Hip-Hop, but that we were both left-handed. Del’s the spirit of my dear departed high school pal who now lives inside of me. He keeps playing the album again and again inside of my head.
We are especially interested to hear how you brought in Ibrahim Ferrer, the great vocalist from Cuba who is now very popular around the globe because of the film Buena Vista Social Club. What was his reaction like when you first asked him to take part? Did he show any surprise?
Murdoc: We invited Ibrahim over, gave him some J-B, and off he went. 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 puke, man.
Do you have any confidence that the Gorillaz could fulfill the listeners who are feeling that something's missing in the current music scene?
Murdoc: We hope to be able to remind people of what it is they have been missing out on. The charts have become a playground for talentless, uninspiring freeloaders with one party trick up their sleeves. Being able to do a backflip and having a floppy fringe doesn't make a pop star if you ask me.
Your band is based in England. How do you find the current British music scene and youth culture?
Noodle: We are .com, not co.uk.
What kind of music do you find it worth listening to now?
Russel: I'm listening to Deltron 3030. Del's the spirit of my dear departed high school pal who now lives inside of me. He keeps playing the album again and again inside of my head. Also, I can't stop playing Gang Starr Full Clip, there are some serious beats on this album.
Murdoc: I'm well into Dinosaur Junior, Freak Scene on Bug still rocks my world, and Buckcherry; Lit Up is cool. Other than that I've been listening to Raging Speedhorn, let me assure you, these boys are very heavy.
2D: I've been watching Rockers on my portable DVD, and I've left Augustus Pablo's King; Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown, Tom Tom Club, and Simian; Watch It Glow on my C.D player for ages, all of them make me feel happy and I like that.
Noodle: I've got Cornelius and Graham Coxon; The Big D on my MP3 player. I'm in love with Graham and with an artist named Takashi Murakami.
The Gorillaz is a cosmopolitan male/female band and each member belongs to a different age group. What's the secret of keeping the band tightly together?
Murdoc: Beach buggies, Chuck Jones, sweets, and dead arm competitions.
2D: Yeah, and regularly sitting down together to watch George Romero zombie movies.
There are not too many bands out there that contain such a variety of personnel, but do you think that it's the best way if you wish to make colourful and interesting music?
2D: When I cook or make sandwiches I always make sure that I like all of the stuff that I put in, and it’s the same with the band and our music.
Besides music, what is the inspirational source for the Gorillaz?
2D: I really like tomato sauce but Noodle gave me some wasabi the other day, and I don’t know if that’s a sauce or not but it certainly made my chips interesting.
Murdoc, do you feel it is possible that your twisted dark self would somehow disappear by the success this band would achieve (and the feeling of fulfillment granted by it)?
Murdoc: Look pal, Hello magazine can come round my gaff any time. I've got me pentagram pinny and I can cook a wicked Toad In The Hole. Kate Moss can be in the pictures. I know she's up for a shag. This band, mostly down to me, are the bollocks of the gods. Who else is there? Oasis? Boring old wank. U2? Tuna fish snoggers! Fred Durst? Fred West more like. And I've seen plumber's arses that are better looking than Five. We are our own independent state. We do not recognize Camden. Official. We do not recognize Oldham. We are virtual crack for the stereo! And the sooner twats like you realize it the better. So can we do the photos now? My arse is ready for its close-up. Err... what was the question again?
Noodle is still only ten years old, but do other members find her personality as a child has a place of its own in the band?
Russel: I sometimes wonder if she is secretly older than the rest of us. I’ve never seen her lose her cool or be unable to deal with a situation. She can kick ass while banging out a mind-blowing riff on her little pig-nose guitar and still have time to tell the rest of us what the hell is going on around us. I’d definitely want her in my foxhole.
We assume that Noodle might be introducing various Japanese cultural substances like music, art, Anime, and/or food to other members of the band, but what do each of you think are the three greatest products made in Japan?
Russel: I love anything by Beat Takashi, PlayStation still rocks, and the comic book work of Katsuhiro Otomo is timeless and classic.
Murdoc: I like Saki, Sapporo Beer, and I have an amazing issue of Studio Voice magazine from February 1996 dedicated to Charles Bronson that is a constant source of wisdom for me.
2D: I’ve always wondered what a Japanese typewriter would look like, other than that I like the mobile phone camera that Noodle has and my Suzuki Omni Chord is one of my most treasured possessions, we wouldn’t have been able to make Clint Eastwood without it.
We could get in touch with you through the Internet by accessing your homepage, but what kind of tool is the Internet to you?
2D: Everybody is really nice to us on the internet, I get cool e-mails from people all around the world, although I got a very strange one the other day with a picture of Leonardo Di Caprio with no pants on.
What is your plan for the next gig/tour?
Murdoc: We are playing our first gig since The Camden Brown House incident on March 22nd in the Scala Club in Kings Cross. Dan’s gonna come over and DJ on that night, as well as Ed Case and a live P.A from Sweetie Irie. Dark Pop will reign supreme.
Unlike most of the other bands, the Gorillaz has infinite possibilities. You could even conquer the universe - what's your ultimate ambition?
Murdoc: I want to be as big as Mighty Joe Young.