In the Zoo with... Murdoc
Zoo Weekly, December 2010
Murdoc, welcome, will this tour be your first time to Australia or have you been out here before?
G’day mate! This will be the first time Gorillaz has been ‘down under’ to play live - it’s possible I’ve been here before during one of my ‘dark’ times and just don’t remember. I find cheap speed can rip huge holes in the fabric of memory… But our associate Jamie Hewlett has been on several research trips to this part of the world for some film he made years ago. He says look out for mutant kangaroos and don’t trust anyone.
Solid advice! Besides playing gigs, what else are you going to get up to while you’re out here?
Usual rockstar stuff: golf, ‘roo racing, BBQing, black masses. Maybe your readers have got some suggestions for good nights out while we’re here – you can tweet me up @murdocgorillaz. No timewasters please.
We hear your nose has been broken 8 times before...
After the first four breaks the nerves were severed so I couldn’t feel a thing. The one everyone knows about was the time Russel smacked me in the face for stealing 2D’s ‘girlfriend’ Paula Cracker, Gorillaz original guitarist. I did him a favour – she was mental. Also we replaced her with Noodle, who is a musical prodigy and a song-writing genius second only to me. So music was the real winner here!
So what can we expect from a Gorillaz live show?
Weeeellllll… let’s start from the other end. What CAN”T you expect from a Gorillaz live show? There will be no Autotune, no miming, no backing dancers (if you don’t count Mick n Paul’s shuffle-ball-change), no costume changes, no trapeze artists. What you will get is an eyeballmelting, brain-boggling, no-expense spared spectacular, the perfect fusion of sound and vision!!! Along with snippets of cinema verite based on Gorillaz’ amazing story so far, projected on screens 40 foot high.
Is that all!
We’ve got 60+ people on one stage – legends like Bobby Womack, De La Soul, half The Clash, Mos Def, and new talent such as Bashy and Kano and Daley – getting together to make the sweetest/loudest/bestest music you ever heard, all singing MY GORILLAZ TUNES!! We’ve been practicing hard – we’ve ridden this charabanc around Festivals, deserts, the Middle East, Camden Town… I’m telling you, until Moses parts the Red Sea again, until Barnum is resurrected to programme the Olympic opening ceremony 2012 this, my friends, is The Greatest Show on Earth!
Damn, sounds impressive. Doing such huge tours, the band must get on each others nerves right?
Damon Albarn likes to take all the credit for Gorillaz’ success, that’s pretty annoying. Our keyboard player Mike Smith sleeps with his eyes open and I HATE that. Mick Jones is just too cheerful, gets right on my tits. 2D plays Subbuteo constantly and keeps flicking the ball in my drink. I’m going to kill the over-medicated streak of piss one of these days and noone will blame me. De La Soul are […15 PAGES OF COMPLAINT LATER…] and Mark E Smith won’t share his crisps. But other than that, it’s all fine between us! We’re like a band of brothers from 67 mothers.
So lets get down to the serious stuff... drink of choice? And what’s the most trouble it’s ever gotten you into?
Rum. And ginger beer. The pirate’s choice! Most trouble it’s got me into: I was dealing with some very shady Russian ‘businessmen’ and made the mistake of sending back the shots of vodka they offered me in exchange for a tot of rum. Let’s just say I very nearly slept with the carp in the Volga that night…
What band gives you the shits?
There’s this one band called Vulcan Obituary, right, and they’ve actually pioneered the use of the elusive Brown Noise in their stage shows. You know what that is? It’s a noise so resonant it causes the listener to lose control of their bowels! So yeah, they give me the shits. Doesn’t happen on a walkman (RIP), you need the really big sub woofers to make that party trick work!! Don’t go to a Vulcan Obituary gig in a white boiler suit, that’s my tip.
If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be and why?
The common cold. Then I’d be rich beyond my wildest dreams! BWAHAHA! This is technically possible as I did once take a Mexican Open University course in the 'Amateur Administration of Pharmaceutical Medicines'.
You must get a lot of ladies right? What's your funniest groupie proposition?
Is this off the record? Well, there was this one time at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood… I was just minding my own business, sinking whiskey sours and chatting to Smokey, the singing barman. Anyway, I could hear a commotion by the bar and believe it or not it’s (withheld for legal reasons) and she’s giving it all that – turns out she’s 10cents short on her pint. So I flip her a dollar coin and she bats her eyelashes, saying she’s in bungalow No. 23 and do I want to join her? Of course I do, and when I get there she’s sharing it with (withheld for legal reasons), who’s sitting waiting for us, naked, and they’ve got a pile of (withheld for legal reasons) for us to dive into. I mean, who was I to say no? So I’m having a lovely evening but then they bring out the (withheld for legal reasons), by which time it’s all getting a bit weird. I say, ‘Look ladies, this is all very nice but even I’m not in to (withheld for legal reasons), this might be my cue to leave’. I try the door handle and it’s locked! So I do the only thing I can think of. I put Vulcan Obituary on the stereo, wait for the music to work its magic and then in the ensuing chaos I make my exit via the bedroom window! True story, that.
Good lord! That's intense. Is that the most evil thing you've ever done?
Er… yeah. Also once I tied 2D’s shoelaces together and he couldn’t get up off the floor for three days.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at a gig/festival?
Look, I’ve told you all about Vulcan Obituary and their bowel-moving music! How crazy do you want me to get?! Actually, it’s probably a Gorillaz gig: our shows defy logic, gravity and economics to produce the world’s best live experience. Crazy.
What’s the worst state you’ve ever left a hotel room in?
Arkansas.
If you could support any act in the world who would it be and why?
This is the moment where I’m supposed to get all humble and tell you that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the inspiration of blah and I’d love to support them if they reformed blah blah blah. Sorry to disappoint. I love music, I’m a fan as well as a rock god. But I’ve already got my idols playing my songs every night on stage: The Clash! Lou Reed! Bobby Womack! Why in the world would I want to take second billing? I’m Gorillaz!
G’day mate! This will be the first time Gorillaz has been ‘down under’ to play live - it’s possible I’ve been here before during one of my ‘dark’ times and just don’t remember. I find cheap speed can rip huge holes in the fabric of memory… But our associate Jamie Hewlett has been on several research trips to this part of the world for some film he made years ago. He says look out for mutant kangaroos and don’t trust anyone.
Solid advice! Besides playing gigs, what else are you going to get up to while you’re out here?
Usual rockstar stuff: golf, ‘roo racing, BBQing, black masses. Maybe your readers have got some suggestions for good nights out while we’re here – you can tweet me up @murdocgorillaz. No timewasters please.
We hear your nose has been broken 8 times before...
After the first four breaks the nerves were severed so I couldn’t feel a thing. The one everyone knows about was the time Russel smacked me in the face for stealing 2D’s ‘girlfriend’ Paula Cracker, Gorillaz original guitarist. I did him a favour – she was mental. Also we replaced her with Noodle, who is a musical prodigy and a song-writing genius second only to me. So music was the real winner here!
So what can we expect from a Gorillaz live show?
Weeeellllll… let’s start from the other end. What CAN”T you expect from a Gorillaz live show? There will be no Autotune, no miming, no backing dancers (if you don’t count Mick n Paul’s shuffle-ball-change), no costume changes, no trapeze artists. What you will get is an eyeballmelting, brain-boggling, no-expense spared spectacular, the perfect fusion of sound and vision!!! Along with snippets of cinema verite based on Gorillaz’ amazing story so far, projected on screens 40 foot high.
Is that all!
We’ve got 60+ people on one stage – legends like Bobby Womack, De La Soul, half The Clash, Mos Def, and new talent such as Bashy and Kano and Daley – getting together to make the sweetest/loudest/bestest music you ever heard, all singing MY GORILLAZ TUNES!! We’ve been practicing hard – we’ve ridden this charabanc around Festivals, deserts, the Middle East, Camden Town… I’m telling you, until Moses parts the Red Sea again, until Barnum is resurrected to programme the Olympic opening ceremony 2012 this, my friends, is The Greatest Show on Earth!
Damn, sounds impressive. Doing such huge tours, the band must get on each others nerves right?
Damon Albarn likes to take all the credit for Gorillaz’ success, that’s pretty annoying. Our keyboard player Mike Smith sleeps with his eyes open and I HATE that. Mick Jones is just too cheerful, gets right on my tits. 2D plays Subbuteo constantly and keeps flicking the ball in my drink. I’m going to kill the over-medicated streak of piss one of these days and noone will blame me. De La Soul are […15 PAGES OF COMPLAINT LATER…] and Mark E Smith won’t share his crisps. But other than that, it’s all fine between us! We’re like a band of brothers from 67 mothers.
So lets get down to the serious stuff... drink of choice? And what’s the most trouble it’s ever gotten you into?
Rum. And ginger beer. The pirate’s choice! Most trouble it’s got me into: I was dealing with some very shady Russian ‘businessmen’ and made the mistake of sending back the shots of vodka they offered me in exchange for a tot of rum. Let’s just say I very nearly slept with the carp in the Volga that night…
What band gives you the shits?
There’s this one band called Vulcan Obituary, right, and they’ve actually pioneered the use of the elusive Brown Noise in their stage shows. You know what that is? It’s a noise so resonant it causes the listener to lose control of their bowels! So yeah, they give me the shits. Doesn’t happen on a walkman (RIP), you need the really big sub woofers to make that party trick work!! Don’t go to a Vulcan Obituary gig in a white boiler suit, that’s my tip.
If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be and why?
The common cold. Then I’d be rich beyond my wildest dreams! BWAHAHA! This is technically possible as I did once take a Mexican Open University course in the 'Amateur Administration of Pharmaceutical Medicines'.
You must get a lot of ladies right? What's your funniest groupie proposition?
Is this off the record? Well, there was this one time at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood… I was just minding my own business, sinking whiskey sours and chatting to Smokey, the singing barman. Anyway, I could hear a commotion by the bar and believe it or not it’s (withheld for legal reasons) and she’s giving it all that – turns out she’s 10cents short on her pint. So I flip her a dollar coin and she bats her eyelashes, saying she’s in bungalow No. 23 and do I want to join her? Of course I do, and when I get there she’s sharing it with (withheld for legal reasons), who’s sitting waiting for us, naked, and they’ve got a pile of (withheld for legal reasons) for us to dive into. I mean, who was I to say no? So I’m having a lovely evening but then they bring out the (withheld for legal reasons), by which time it’s all getting a bit weird. I say, ‘Look ladies, this is all very nice but even I’m not in to (withheld for legal reasons), this might be my cue to leave’. I try the door handle and it’s locked! So I do the only thing I can think of. I put Vulcan Obituary on the stereo, wait for the music to work its magic and then in the ensuing chaos I make my exit via the bedroom window! True story, that.
Good lord! That's intense. Is that the most evil thing you've ever done?
Er… yeah. Also once I tied 2D’s shoelaces together and he couldn’t get up off the floor for three days.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at a gig/festival?
Look, I’ve told you all about Vulcan Obituary and their bowel-moving music! How crazy do you want me to get?! Actually, it’s probably a Gorillaz gig: our shows defy logic, gravity and economics to produce the world’s best live experience. Crazy.
What’s the worst state you’ve ever left a hotel room in?
Arkansas.
If you could support any act in the world who would it be and why?
This is the moment where I’m supposed to get all humble and tell you that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the inspiration of blah and I’d love to support them if they reformed blah blah blah. Sorry to disappoint. I love music, I’m a fan as well as a rock god. But I’ve already got my idols playing my songs every night on stage: The Clash! Lou Reed! Bobby Womack! Why in the world would I want to take second billing? I’m Gorillaz!