The Gorillaz are one of the most interesting and eclectic musical projects of their time. The virtual quartet of animated members have created some of the catchiest tunes and have attracted millions of followers. However, despite the fact that the Gorillaz have spent a considerable amount of time in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the public eye, there are still some things that many people don’t know. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about the Gorillaz. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: The Founding Members Didn’t Like Each Other at First. Founding members Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett were not BFF from the beginning. In fact, Hewlett first thought Albarn was “a wanker.”
Number Fourteen: They Got the Idea While Watching MTV. Hewlett and Albarn were watching MTV when they had a discussion about how disappointed they were with the lack of substance on the channel. They decided to form a cartoon band as a commentary on MTV’s lack of substance.
Number Thirteen: They Weren’t Always Gorillaz. In reality, when the band first formed, they went by “Gorilla,” not “Gorillaz.” The very first song they recorded as a band was “Ghost Train.”
Number Twelve: You Can Hear Them on Video Games. If you own or have ever played FIFA Football 2002, then you’ve probably heard Gorillaz on its soundtrack. Their song “19-2000” was used as the theme music for the game.
Number Eleven: They Have Their Own Autobiography. Gorillaz released an illustrated autobiography in 2006, and they called it Rise of the Ogre. The autobiography is available for purchase on Amazon for approximately $60.
Number Ten: They Also Have Their Own Documentary. In 2009, the band released a documentary online on the Babelgum website. The documentary is called Bananaz and was directed by Ceri Levy, and it documents the band members’ lives over the course of their journey as a musical group.
Number Nine: They Rejected Glee. Despite the fact that Glee producers never asked the Gorillaz to cover one of their songs, Damon Albarn released a statement in 2010 saying that he refused to have any Gorillaz songs covered on the hit television show. Stay tuned for part two of our list of 15 things you didn’t know about the Gorillaz, coming soon!