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Line 1: {{~~work~~creator}} [[File:gorillaz2.jpg\|frame]] {{quote\|''"'Always be wary of people who use quotes.' I don't know who said that."''\|'''Murdoc Niccals'''}} [[Gorillaz]] is a virtual Trip-Hop band created by Damon Albarn of the alternative band [[Blur (~~Music~~band)\|Blur]] and ''[[Tank Girl]]'' creator Jamie Hewlett, who are the only two constant contributors to the project. The band itself is made up of four fictional characters, 2D/ Stuart Pot (speaking voice Nelson de Freitas; singing voice Damon himself), Murdoc Niccals (Phil Cornwell), Russel Hobbs (Remi Kabaka) and Noodle (speaking voice Haruka Kuroda; singing voice on the first album by Miho Hatori and [[Talking Heads (~~Music~~band)\|Tina]] [[Tom Tom Club\|Weymouth]]). The real people behind Gorillaz stay behind the scenes, and the characters appear to be the real band, acting in music videos and giving interviews. The virtual band was created as a commentary on [[MTV]]; on how there is often more of an emphasis on the musician than the music itself. So in creating a detailed fictional backstory and putting so much emphasis on the cartoons, they are proving their point. The band is essentially a Trip-Hop band, but their music also [[Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly\|combines other genres]] such as [[Alternative Rock]], [[Hip Hop]], [[Reggae]], [[Electronic Music]], [[Punk Rock]] and [[Pop]]. Some of their more well known songs include "Clint Eastwood," "19/2000,", "Feel Good Inc.", "Dare" and "Stylo". So far, the band has released three albums: 2001's ''Gorillaz'', 2005's ''Demon Days'' and 2010's ''Plastic Beach'', along with the B-sides of "Gorillaz" and "Demon Days", named "G-Sides" and "D-Sides" respectively. A fourth album, ''The Fall'', [[And the Fandom Rejoiced\|was released on Christmas Day 2010]], and can be streamed for free [https://web.archive.org/web/20130902191119/http://thefall.gorillaz.com/?src=yt here]. The story of Gorillaz was largely pieced together from interviews and promo materials until it was brought together in their biography, ''Rise of the Ogre''. So now that we've got their story straight, we can begin to rip it apart for tropes. As the most successful virtual band, they have a lot of awesome music. See their Awesome Music Page '''[[Gorillaz ~~(Music)~~/Awesome Music\|here]]'''. The Gorillaz have become the most recognizable and well known Trip-Hop group, all without ever existing. An [http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/07/damon-albarn-gorillaz-heroin-blur?newsfeed=true interview] with Damon Albarn in April 2012 states that he and Jamie Hewlett are done with the project. ~~Only time will tell if this will~~ [[Flip-Flop of God\|~~stick~~It ~~for~~didn't ~~once~~stick]] - they were back together in 2015, and are still performing as of 2024. Now with a [[Gorillaz ~~(Music)~~/Characters\|Character Sheet]]! ----▼ ~~=== Gorillaz provides examples of: ===~~ ▲---- {{creatortropes}} * [[Abandoned Area]]: Both Plastic Beach and Kong Studios, while it was still standing, that is. * [[Abusive Parents]]: According to the backstory, Murdoc's father forced him to participate in embarrassing talent contests for money. Line 32: * [[Animated Music Video]]: [[Logical Extreme]]; every single music video is animated due to the nature of the band. * [[Arc Number]]: 23 (2D's birthday, his tattoo, Noodle's obsession with it, her number in the [[Super Soldier]] project, ect). * [[Art Evolution]]: The art has become more complex and is now occasionally in [[Roger Rabbit Effect\|3D on a live action background.]] To really drive this home, compare [~~http~~https://~~www~~web.archive.org/web/20120303230549/http://gorillaz-unofficial.com/biography/2dbiopic.jpg what 2D looked like back in Phase One] to [https://web.archive.org/web/20130701060217/http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/images/uploaded/the_fall_gorillaz_01.jpg what he looks like today]. * [[Art Major Biology]]: Apparently, in the Gorillaz universe, brain damage turns your hair blue. Possibly crosses over with [[It Runs Onon Nonsensoleum]]. * [[Ascended Extra]]: Noodle * [[Ascended Fanon]]: [[wikipedia:El Mañana (song)\|Wikpedia's article]] on the song "El Mañana" noted that the helicopters in the video didn't match the ones from "Feel Good, Inc.", and proposed an explanation for it. This article was quoted in ''Rise of the Ogre'', with Murdoc replying, "Er... yeah. That sounds about right." * [[Aside Glance]]: {{spoiler\|[[Bruce Willis ~~(Creator)~~]]}} in the "Stylo" music video looks right into the camera twice. * [[Ax Crazy]]: Cyborg Noodle seems to enjoy combat an awful lot for a robot. * [[Bare Your Midriff]] Line 60: ** From June 2010 onwards each member of the band {{spoiler\|(including both the real and the cyborg Noodle)}} has his/her own twitter page. * [[Cerebus Syndrome]]: At the start, Gorillaz was more lighthearted; it had the funny Gorillabitez cartoons, 2D was far happier, Russel still had Del and the band generally seemed to be more at peace with each other. Then came Phase 2, which had Del taken away from Russel and [[Darker and Edgier\|El Manana's video]] in which [[Moe\|Noodle]] was {{spoiler\|apparently KILLED}}. The following Phase 3 took things down an even darker route, having Murdoc {{spoiler\|make a pretty sinister robot version of Noodle}} and [[Break the Cutie\|push the formerly cheerful 2D to the edge of his sanity]] by kidnapping him and treating him in the way that only a [[Complete Monster]] would. * [[Comically Missing the Point]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20140108013541/http://gorillaz.com/profile/2d 2D really doesn't get Sudoku]. * [[Comically Small Bribe]]: The prize for the humiliating talent contest Murdoc's father made him perform in as a child was "£2.50 and the chance to humiliate yourself further in the biannual county finals". * [[Concept Album]]: More like a concept ''band.'' That being said, ''Plastic Beach'' is probably the most clear-cut example of a concept album in their discography. Line 69: * [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: Murdoc's sentence for running over 2D and putting him in a coma involved having to look after him. * [[Cool Car]] The [[Bland-Name Product\|"Geep"]] in "19-2000" certainly qualifies. [https://web.archive.org/web/20131111074421/http://gorillaz.com/geep/finaldrive.htm You can drive it too.] The "Stylo" car may count as well. * [[Cool Mask]] Line 80: * [[Cute Bruiser]]: Noodle * [[Cute Mute]]: Noodle, at first. Though, she could speak -- but none of the other band members knew Japanese. * [[A Day in ~~The~~the Limelight]] "DARE" and "El Mañana" feature Noodle, and Noodle only. The other three made only cameos; Murdoc was the only one with lines and spoke less than a sentence. Though, it should be noted the other Gorillaz are seen WTFing in the "DARE" video at the music going on above. Noodle says in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnBEZ2QvMwY this] interview that the reason all the other members are WTFing during the video is because she didn't warn any of them that she was going to record the clip. As well as [[All Just a Dream]] of Murdoc having a nightmare of sleeping with Shaun Ryder who had the nightmare of "DARE". Also "Rock The House", which included the band members but was focused on and sung completely by Del. Line 86: * [[The Dead Can Dance]]: The "Clint Eastwood" video features the band (or possibly [[Groin Attack\|just Murdoc]]) being attacked by ''[[Michael Jackson\|Thriller]]''-dancing zombie apes. * [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Weirdly enough, 2D during the Phase 3 iTunes Sessions. * [[Deal ~~With~~with the Devil]]: By Murdoc, the cause of the band's success. {{spoiler\|Recent backstory, and the flashback in "Rhinestone Eyes", imply that he made said deal with the Boogieman.}} * [[Death Glare]]: In the ''Plastic Beach'' online game, seeing Murdoc's, erm, happy face isn't exactly worth what it took to rescue him.... * [[Demonic Possession]] * [[Depraved Bisexual]]: Not outright stated, but [[Ho Yay\|heavily and repeatedly implied]] in Murdoc's case. There's this gem from the Gorillaz official forums: {{quote\| '''Fan:''' have you picked up a nice boy with a pair of chopsticks yet?~~<br />~~ '''Noodle:''' That is very funny. Murdoc says that he can pick up boys with chopsticks but he has used his dictaphone. I do not understand this. }} * [[Determinator]]: Russell is swimming to Plastic Beach and he is pissed. Line 98: ** Pelican from ''Plastic Beach'' is like this even more than 2D, much to [[Deadpan Snarker\|Seagull's]] chagrin. * [[The Dog Bites Back]]: After years of torment and harassment, 2D finally lashes out at Murdoc in the iTunes interview, which he would have never done before. * [[Donut Mess ~~With~~with a Cop]]: An incompetent cop shows up in the Stylo video, and naturally he has coffee and a box of donuts. He's even {{spoiler\|overtaken by the Boogieman}} while reaching for them. * [[Door Step Baby]]: Murdoc, and technically Noodle. * [[Dream Within a Dream]]: The "DARE" video. Line 104: * [[Dysfunction Junction]]: ''Nobody'' in this band seems to be mentally stable. * [[Early-Bird Cameo]]: The Superfast Jellyfish logo appears on a billboard in the video for Stylo. * [[Eldritch Abomination]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20130329124945/http://gorillaz.com/evangelist The Evangelist] sure is... tentacle-y. * [[Elmuh Fudd Syndwome]]: 2D's got a mild case of this. It goes away completely when he sings, for obvious reasons. * [[Enforced Method Acting]]: ''Rise of the Ogre'' reveals that the band wasn't told about the [[Attack of the 50 -Foot Whatever\|300-foot elk]] at the end of the "19/2000" video so they'd react to it authentically. Also, {{spoiler\|Noodle did know the island was going to be shot down in "El Mañana", but the stunt helicopters didn't show up; the ones depicted are actually trying to kill her, and everyone thought it was [[All Part of the Show]] until too late}}. * [[Epic Fail]]: In the short "Game Of Death," Murdoc {{spoiler\|loses a fighting game... to 2D.}} * [[Even Evil Has Loved Ones]]: Debatable, but Murdoc seemed genuinely distressed when finding out {{spoiler\|the real Noodle was under attack by pirates, and he immediately rushed to help her -- it can't be simply for the sake of the album because he still has the cyborg}}. * [[Everything's Better ~~With~~with Monkeys]]: Self-explanatory. * [[Everything Is an Instrument]]: "We Are Happy Landfill" has, among other things, car horns screeching throughout the track. * [[Evil Laugh]]: The repeated laughter in "Feel Good Inc." Line 144: * [[Giftedly Bad]]: Originally, Murdoc's singing voice was described as sounding like a strangled crow. He insisted in RoTO that "Technically, my voice is a lot better than 2D's." This, however, suffers from [[Flip-Flop of God]]. In RoTO they also say that he sung the song "White Light", while closer to rapping than really singing, which wasn't an awful singing voice, and in his "Session Obsession" interview he sang along with a song and was pretty damn good. That said, Phil Cornwell (the voice of Murdoc) may have forgotten he wasn't supposed to sing well. Or, if you prefer an [[Watsonian Versus Doylist\|in-character explanation]], maybe he just sounds worse if he's trying too hard. ** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdP6-NiRoPw According to a recent Pirate Radio interview], he did the (heavily distorted) vocals on "Detroit". * [[Girl in Aa Box]]: Noodle, who was shipped to the other band members in a ~~[[Fed Ex]]~~FedEx crate not long after they placed an ad for a new band member in the NME magazine. Gender-switched in 2D's ident. * [[Girl ~~With~~with Psycho Weapon]]: {{spoiler\|Both Noodles}} have some pretty cool guns. * [[Gory Discretion Shot]]: "On Melancholy Hill" has two. {{spoiler\|First when Real Noodle kills one of the pirates pilots we see some blood on the canopy of his plane but nothing else. Secondly, we see the jellyfish blood but we don't see them actually see them going through the propeller of one of the submersibles. Also averted when Cyborg Noodle pukes up a live squid in the same video in close up.}} * [[Green Eyes]]: Noodle in the video for "El Mañana". Line 159: Russel and Del, the spirit who lived inside him. Described by Russ as his "life-long soul-brother". In a much, much more [[Vitriolic Best Buds\|twisted]] way, 2D and Murdoc could count as well. Though the "heterosexual" part is ambiguous in their case, given the fact that there are quite [[Ho Yay\|many implications]] in their relationship, if the [[Foe Yay\|violence]] is excluded. Especially because it's ''[[Depraved Bisexual\|Murdoc]]''. ~~<!-- %% HighOctaneNightmareFuel: this go in the YMMV tab. -->~~ * [[Hilariously Abusive Childhood]]: Murdoc and the talent contests. * [[Homoerotic Dream]]: Murdoc's nightmare in the "DARE" video, in which he wakes up next to Shaun Ryder. Line 191 ⟶ 190: * [[Literary Agent Hypothesis]]: ''Rise of the Ogre'' maintains that Damon and Jamie are the band's mentor/producer and video director, respectively. * [[Literal Metaphor]]: In ''We are the Dury'': {{quote\| '''Murdoc:''' I'm speaking metaphorically, D. I'm using the analogy of the chimney flue to describe the, um, passageways of our flowing creativity. The zombies, in this case, are used as a metaphor for blockages to the airways, figuratively speaking.~~<br />~~ '''2D:''' Really?~~<br />~~ '''Murdoc:''' No. There really are about six undead carcasses stuck up the studio chimney. }} * [[Lyrical Dissonance]]: More than a few. Line 214 ⟶ 213: * [[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate]]: Murdoc received a baccalaureate in Anti-Social Anthropology from Sodsworth Comprehensive school in his youth and took an open university course during his stay in Mexico, earning him a degree in "Amateur Administration of Pharmaceutical Medicine" and the title Doctor Niccals -- "legally entitled to experiment on monkeys", apparently. See [[Mad Scientist]] above. * [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Deliberately invoked with 2D. His original bio included the words "Voice like an angel, arse like a satsuma." Murdoc even admits this is why he picked 2D to join the band in ''Rise of the Ogre''. "Girls would go crazy for his looks!" From the iTunes Sessions: {{quote\| '''Murdoc:''' What an image. Tall, pretty, blue, spikey hair...~~<br />~~ '''2D:''' [[Deadpan Snarker\|No eyeballs...]]<br /> '''Murdoc:''' No eyeballs... I knew that he had to be the frontman. }} * [[The Name Is Bond, James Bond]]: {{quote\| '''2D:''' I know there's a rumour going round that my real name is Stuart Tusspot, but that's not true. It's Pot. Stuart Pot.}} ** Apparently only half-true; it was "Tusspot" when he was very young, but his father decided he didn't want Stuart to suffer the same teasing he did, so he changed the family name to "Pot" to head it off at the pass somewhat. {{quote\| '''David Pot:''' But deep down both myself and Stu are still Tusspots.}} * [[Name's the Same]]: Murdoc's playground nemesis, [[One Piece\|Tony Chopper]]. * [[Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly]]: Nothing sounds quite like them; a good approximation of their sound is "alternative hip-hop electronica". There's also a bit of [[Genre Roulette]] from song to song. Line 233 ⟶ 232: * [[Noodle People]]: 2D and, to a lesser extent, [[Stealth Pun\|teen Noodle.]] * [[No One Could Survive That]]: The ending to the "El Mañana" video. * [[Not Allowed to Grow Up]]: Averted; the characters age in real time. Noodle is visibly older, Russel has grown and then shaved off a beard, and Murdoc's hair has started to turn grey and he's gained a noticeable beer gut. ** 2D has also gained a more lined texture to his face, though these may be stress lines considering [[Trauma Conga Line\|Phase 3]]. * [[Oh Crap]]: The reaction of Murdoc, 2-D and Noodle in the "Stylo" video upon the realisation that they are being chased by {{spoiler\|Bruce Willis}}. And gets worse when they see the [[Hand Cannon]] {{spoiler\|Bruce}} has in hand. * [[Old Shame]]: In ''Rise of the Ogre'' the characters reveal that they're very unhappy that they included ''Rock the House'' on their debut album, feeling that it doesn't fit their style at all, and are even more unhappy that they chose it for one of Phase 1's singles/videos at the urging of their label. Line 247 ⟶ 244: * [[Overly Long Gag]] Your travel down the stairs to Murdoc's secret lair in the ''Plastic Beach'' online adventure game. It takes a good four to five minutes of unskippable spiral staircase animation to get there the first time through. At least you opt to have an entertaining conversation with Murdoc while you gallivant your way to him. {{quote\| '''Murdoc:''' You can't have a secret lair and pop it right next to the door, can you?... People would hear your secret chair scraping around on your secret floor, now wouldn't they?}} ::: Strangely enough, it doesn't take any time at all to make the trip back up... But M.C. Escher apparently designed the stairs, so who knows. There's also the bathroom gag in their MTV cribs, which is almost an entire minute of watching Murdoc pee. * [[Overly Long Tongue]]: Murdoc * [[Overshadowed Byby Awesome]]: "Broken" was the best received of the ''Plastic Beach'' demos, but when the album was released the fans gravitated to "Rhinestone Eyes" and "Empire Ants" and the singles chosen were "Stylo", "Superfast Jellyfish", and "On Melancholy Hill". "Broken" doesn't really get a look-in anymore, despite being an improvement on the demo. * [[Papa Wolf]]: It's easy to imagine Russel being this as far as Noodle is concerned, especially since he's already said that he'd do anything to protect her. * [[Peace and Love Incorporated]]: "Feel Good Inc." Line 276 ⟶ 273: * [[Sanity Slippage]]: Quite evident with Murdoc in Phase 3. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phFPMUzH3wM Just] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRrV5C8-uVA listen] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jlkaez4dME to] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoQH0ogWZsM him] in these radio hijacks. Though for now, it's hard to tell if he's really cracked or if the rum's just gotten to his head. * [[Scatting]]: An entire verse in "Slow Country." Murdoc complains about this in ''Rise of the Ogre'': {{quote\| '''Murdoc:''' It was a pretty good song till you started with all that muppets "manamana" crap.~~<br />~~ '''2D:''' I was just singing along. I didn't know the mic was still on. }} * [[Sealed Room in ~~The~~the Middle of Nowhere]]: The room on Plastic Beach where 2D is being held captive. * [[Self-Backing Vocalist]]: Most noticeable in slower songs like "O Green World," "Empire Ants" and "Revolving Doors." * [[She Is's All Grown Up]]: Noodle went from an [[Ambiguous Gender]]-ed kid to a very obviously female young adult over the band's run. * [[Shirtless Scene]]: 2D in the "Dirty Harry" video. Murdoc is seen without a shirt more often than with one. * [[Shout-Out]] Line 295 ⟶ 292: * [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: Both "El Mañana" and "On Melancholy Hill" have an at least peaceful, if not upbeat melody, both of them have videos where {{spoiler\|Noodle is attacked with bombs and rockets}}. * [[Special Guest]] In the "Stylo" video, it's {{spoiler\|[[Bruce Willis ~~(Creator)~~]]!}} ''Plastic Beach'' also has quite a few. * [[Stealth Pun]] Line 322 ⟶ 319: * [[Vitriolic Best Buds]] 2D and Murdoc. Though at least for now, the "best buds" part is probably gone, what with the kidnapping and everything. {{quote\| '''2D:''' [Murdoc] sings like someone treading on a duck. Me vocals is way better, blud! So he just makes me sing. I hate that sod.}} Seagull and Pelican from the ''Plastic Beach'' game also fall into this trope. * [[Vocal Evolution]]: 2D's voice has gotten deeper as the phases went by. Line 329 ⟶ 326: * [[What Could Have Been]]: "Don't Get Lost in Heaven" was originally going to sound [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn6D0xYDRDA a lot different.] Paula was originally meant be guitarist, until Jamie redesigned her as a ten-year-old. There was also a Bongo-playing Ape involved.[http://media.photobucket.com/image/paula%20cracker/KaoruArika/Blur%20and%20Gorillaz%20related/WTF_happened_here_by_DantesDevil.jpg\] Not to mention [http://vimeo.com/22142291 the unfinished video for 5/4]{{Dead link}}... as well as the incomplete Phase 3. * [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]: 2D has a morbid fear of whales. Murdoc knows this and is using it to his benefit. In the animatics for the (sadly unreleased) video for "Rhinestone Eyes", the whale finally does try to kill 2D. Russel takes care of it for him. * [[Wife Husbandry]]: Not canon, but anytime fans [[Shipping\|ship]] Noodle with one of her band mates, it falls into this situation. Line 339 ⟶ 336: {{reflist}} [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] [[Category:Musicians]] [[Category:~~Turn~~Musicians of the ~~Millennium/Music~~1990s]] [[Category:Musicians of the 2000s]] [[Category:Musicians of the 2010s]] [[Category:Musicians of the 2020s]] [[Category:Toonami]] [[Category:~~Gorillaz~~Music]] [[Category:~~Music]][[Category:Pages with comment tags~~Rappers]] [[Category:Memetic Creators]]