Gorillaz have been producing chart-topping hits since the late 1990s, yet many fans are only now discovering the fascinating origins of the band's distinctive name. The virtual group, created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, consists of four fictional characters: 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, and Noodle.
The Birth of an Idea
The concept for the iconic band emerged while Albarn and Hewlett were watching MTV. Disenchanted with the programming, Hewlett remarked: "If you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell – there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a virtual band, something that would be a comment on that." Albarn added: "This was the beginning of the boy band sort of explosion and it just felt so manufactured. And we were like, well let's make a manufactured band but make it kind of interesting."
The duo went on to release a string of beloved tracks, including Clint Eastwood, Feel Good Inc, DARE, Rock the House, Momentary Bliss, 19-2000, Kids With Guns, Tomorrow Comes Today, and On Melancholy Hill.
Uncovering the Name's Origins
Now, 28 years after the band first formed in London in 1998, fans have been debating the story behind their name, with several theories circulating online.
One Reddit user suggested: "The name of the band Gorillaz is a pun because a group of gorillas is called a band." Another user responded: "From what I've been told, the name 'Gorillaz' comes from a comment Liam Gallagher of Oasis made. Damon Albarn, the musical force behind Gorillaz, used to be in another band called Blur, who were major competitors with Oasis back in the 90s at the peak of Britpop. An interviewer compared the feud to the battle between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the 60s, and asked Liam whether Oasis were The Beatles or the Stones. Liam responded, 'We're the Beatles and the Stones, and [Blur are] the f***ing Monkees.' Albarn apparently named his next group Gorillaz to poke fun at this comment."
Interestingly, some believe the name stems from the fact that both Hewlett and Albarn were born in 1968, the year of the monkey.
Another Explanation
Radio X, meanwhile, offers yet another explanation, suggesting the name was chosen to preserve their anonymity. They said: "The band originally identified themselves as 'Gorilla', which could be a play on the word 'guerrilla,' coming from the words guerrilla warfare - which is a term used to describe underhand and un-open warfare tactics. This makes sense when you consider we were never really meant to know who was behind the project..."
Damon Albarn is now almost as synonymous with the hugely successful animated band as he is with Blur, but it wasn't meant to be that way. "People weren't meant to know it was me," Albarn told The Guardian back in 2017. "Even now I think, during the gigs, I'm going to be able to go off, go backstage and make myself a drink and a hologram will take my place for a couple of songs."
