The Gorillaz are a virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. They are composed of four animated characters - 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs - who are completely fictional. The Gorillaz sample and reference various other songs and artists in their music, and their animated music videos contain intertextual references to other films and their own videos. They release music, videos, and games on their website to engage with fans in a virtual space.

1. POST MODERNISM AND
THE ‘GORILLAZ’
KRISHNA CHAUHAN

2. WHO ARE THEY?
• The Gorillaz are an English virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Alban and Jamie Hewlett.
• Jamie Hewlett previously drew animations for the comic, Tank Girl, which is based on post apocalyptic Australia.
• The band is fronted by four animated characters: 2D (lead vocals, keyboard, and melodica), Murdoc Niccals (bass
guitar), Noodle (guitar, keyboard, and backing vocals) and Russel Hobbs (drums and percussion).
• These members are completely fictional and are not personas of any ‘real life’ musicians involved in the project.
Their fictional universe is explored through the band’s website and music videos, as well as other media (such as
short cartoons).

3. HOMAGE
• The Gorillaz have sampled their song, ‘Feel Good Inc.’, from ‘I Wanna Rock’ by Luke (1992), which appears at 2:14
and throughout. It is evident by comparing these two songs, that Gorillaz have incorporated the beat from the song
in ‘I Wanna Rock’ (0:01 and 2:03).
• Luke sampled ‘I Wanna Rock’ (0:04 and throughout) by Icey Jaye ‘It Takes A Real Man’ (0:05).

4. • Icey Jaye sampled ‘It Takes A Real Man’ (0:02) from Anquette ‘Shake It (Do The 61st)’ (0:06)
• Anquette ‘Shake It (Do The 61st)’ (0:25, 0:32, 0:39 and throughout) from James Brown ‘Get Up, Get
On It, Get Involved’ (0:04, 0:06, 0:08).

5. BRICOLAGE
• The style of animation is very heavily influenced by anime.
• The fact that the music is being linked and mixed with art is known as a cultural bricolage.
• There is a mixture between high and popular culture, they combine popular music with high culture in the form of art.
• An amalgamation of genres with influences including: rock, alternative, Britpop, trip hop, hip hop, electronica, indie,
dub, reggae and pop.

6. INTERTEXTUAL REFERENCES
• “A text’s unity lies not in its origin but its destination” Barthes.
• The main portion of the music video that people recognise is the car chase scene has been compared to the one in
the 2005 Australian Horror film Wolf Creek.
• There are references to other videos that they previously have done. As he is being run of off the road, the officer
crashes through and wrecks a billboard poster of ‘Superfast Jellyfish’.

7. • There is a sign labelled ‘Sweepstakes’ that can be seen when the scene of the police officer’s wrecked car is
returned to.
• At the end of the video, the submerged car that was occupied by the animated members of the Gorillaz transforms
into a shark-shaped submarine; which was also seen in the music video for ‘On Melancholy Hill’.
• The intertextuality present in Gorillaz' music video highlights the bricolage of components, genres and ideologies
present in the video which allows both Gorillaz and Willis to sell as a brand. Not only does the genre conform to
the intertextuality but so does the structure and form.

8. PERFORMANCE
• Although there are ‘real’ people singing within the band, The Gorillaz always appear as fully animated characters;
whether it is in a music or when they perform on stage in the form of 2D.
SIMULACRUM
• Regarding performance, the Gorillaz play live behind a giant projector screen which covered the whole stage, on
which projected various visuals created by Hewlett.
• The Gorillaz always appear as fully animated characters, conforming to all the conventions of the medium,
including scenes where they are playing instruments and others where they are acting out a story.
• The artists collaborating with The Gorillaz, however, are often 'disembodied' in the music videos. De La Soul
appears on screens
(0:55)

9. CONSUMPTION
• Many of the audience can access their music through EPs. The Gorillaz released their first, Tomorrow Comes Today,
in 2000. A free download was available for their latest album in 2010, The Fall, before it was physically released in
2011.
• A DVD was released in November 2002 titled Phase One: Celebrity Take Down, giving the phase it’s name. The
DVD compiles the videos and animatics related to the release of the bands first album. It came with an extra CD
ROM including desktop wallpapers, screensavers and other such special features. The DVD is mostly animated,
containing some 3D animation as well.

10. • They have their own website which allows the consumer to play animated games, watch various amount of video
and listen to full albums. This could reduces the online streaming and illegal downloading the consumer may have
to go through to access the music.

11. CREATION• The Gorillaz make their music by: lead vocals, keyboard, melodica (2D), bass guitar, guitar, backing vocals, drums
and percussion.
• The music is a collaboration between various musicians, with Albarn being the only permanent musical contributor.
• An amalgamation of genres with influences including: rock, alternative, Britpop, trip hop, hip hop, electronica, indie,
dub, reggae and pop.
• Many artists have sampled a numerous amounts of The Gorillaz’s singles.
• Feel Good Inc has been sampled: "I Heard It Through The Grapevine vs Feel Good Inc" by Marvin Gaye and
Gorillaz (2009), "Polkarama!" by Weird Al" Yankovic (2006), "Happy Industries" by Lupe Fiasco (2006), "Hollaback
Girl vs Feel Good Inc" by Gwen Stefani and Gorillaz (2009) and "LSD Came Falling Down" by Quadra (2007), “Feel
Good Inc. (Harmonimix)” by James Blake (2014), “Windmills” by Pete Graham and Chris Lorenzo (2013), “Feel
Good Inc.” by Amerigo Gazaway (2011), “LAUGH” by Millennial Dream Corp (2014), “Fixies&Ferraris” by Super
Mash Bros. (2009) and “Pumped Up Wonderwall” by Southern Gentlemen (2012).