The cartoon band phenomenon known as Gorillaz has remained a cultural monolith for nearly 30 years, constantly shattering the boundaries, rules, and expectations of music, art, and pop culture.
When Gorillaz was first created, the media brushed it off as a one-off side project for the Britpop sensation. As years went on, it has proven to be so much more than that. They’ve released more than 10 albums, headlined Coachella, won countless music accolades, and have collaborated with some of the most innovative voices in music from every corner of the world.
They’re certainly not slowing down with their latest album, The Mountain, set for release on February 27. The creators have said that it is one of their most rewarding and innovative projects to date.
What many listeners don’t realize, though, is that the cartoon band members (2-D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel) have evolved right alongside the music. Albarn and Hewlett have masterfully crafted a deep, overarching story within the music videos, art, songs, and all other Gorillaz media. It’s a story that is intricate and complex, entangled within the lives of the 4 band members, unfolding continuously over the past 20 years. From inception to global fame, 2-D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel have embarked on their own journeys to become the band they are known as today.
The message is loud and clear: Gorillaz are here, and they’re here to stay.
Phase 1: Celebrity Takedown (1998-2001)
Gorillaz begins in the slums of London on June 6, 1966, with the birth of Murdoc Niccals. A geen-skinned satanist with dreams of being the frontman of the greatest band to ever live. Making a deal with the devil to ensure it came true, selling his soul and receive the devil’s bass, “El Diablo”, in return. The next order of business would be finding a lead singer.
The blue-haired, painkiller-addicted, keyboard-enthusiast Stuart Pot (who the creators have now confirmed in a recent interview to identify as non-binary, so we’ll be using he/they pronouns for them in this article) never wanted to pursue music. He found himself working at Uncle Norm’s Organ Emporium on August 15, 1997, when Murdoc’s Vauxhall Astra flew right through the shop’s front window, shattering it and fracturing Stuart’s eye.
Murdoc was promptly given court order for “30,000 hours of community service, plus 10 hours every week of caring for the injured Stu-Pot.” While in Murdoc’s car, Stuart launched out of his windshield at 90 miles per hour while Murdoc did donuts in an empty parking lot. They skidded across the pavement, but eventually stood up, now with 2 completely black eyes. After that, Murdoc knew Stuart was the man for the job, nicknaming him “2-D” because of the two dents in his head from the incidents.
The next thing the greatest band in the world needed was a proper HQ and studio space. In September of 1998, Murdoc scrolled through “GiganticDisusedHauntedStudiosInTheMiddleOfNowhere.com” and stumbled on the perfect one. A sprawling property built atop both a cemetery and a landfill, complete with its very own portal to hell, everything a growing band needed. When Murdoc arrived to tour the property, the owners threw the keys at his face, and ran away screaming. The place was theirs, and Murdoc and 2-D lovingly giving it the iconic name we all know today, Kong Studios.
Murdoc found (and by “found,” I mean “kidnaped”) their drummer, Russel Hobbs, not long after. Russel is a native New Yorker hailing from Brooklyn with a deep love of hip-hop. When he was younger, he witnessed many of his friends, including his best friend Dell, get murdered in a drive-by shooting, Russel being the only survivor. The violent incident led to the spirits of Russel’s dead friends being syphoned into his head, giving him his impressive hip-hop-making talents After many other traumatic events, including but not limited to getting kicked out of school, entering a 4-year coma, and undergoing an exorcism, Russel’s parents sent him to the United Kingdom to keep him safe. Murdoc eventually found him, put a bag over his head, and took him to Kong Studios. Russel said that the music was good enough to make him stay.
The band was still missing a guitarist. They went with Paula Cracker, 2-D’s girlfriend at the time. With her added, “Gorilla” was formed (a few other names were also considered, such as Satan’s Scrotum, Thor’s Raw, Number Of The Beats, Meatus, and Asterix, but Gorilla was the one the band liked the most). This wouldn’t last long, though, because Russel discovered Murdoc and Paula doing the forbidden horizontal tango (ifykwim) in a bathroom stall at Kong. Russel, enraged, punches Murdoc square in the face, shatters his nose 5 times, and kicks Paula out of the band. So, they were still down a guitar player.
In an effort to fill the new opening, Murdoc put out a flyer in NME Magazine that read “Global phenomenon seeks guitarist for world domination – No Hippies.” Not long after, a FedEx box arrived at Kong Studios, and out of it leapt a 10-year-old Japanese child. She immediately played a sick guitar riff, ending it by saying only one word: “Noodle”. The band concluded that she suffered from amnesia, since she couldn’t remember her real name, where she came from, or her life before arriving at the steps of Kong Studios in this FedEx crate. Even so, Noodle‘s love of music, her optimistic outlook, and her jokes at Murdoc’s expense made her a perfect fit for the band.
Murdoc names the new band “Gorillaz” and sends some disposable camera photos and a demo of their first song, “Ghost Train,” to record labels across the UK. They went on to play their first show at the Camdon Brownhouse, that ended abruptly after a fight broke out.
The making of the album starts with Murdoc’s demos, and collaborators like Dan the Automator, take it to a whole new level. Dan suggests adding a rap verse into “Clint Eastwood,” which causes Dell (voiced and preformed by the rapper Dell The Funky Homosapien) to be summoned from Russel’s head to give the iconic rap performance on the song. When shooting the promotional material in the cemetery at Kong Studios, They enlisted Jamie Hewlett and Mat Wakeham to direct the music video for “Tomorrow Comes Today.” Jamie Hewlett would go on to manage all creative aspects of Gorillaz. “Clint Eastwood” turned out to be their breakthrough, winning dozens of awards worldwide. They released their self-titled album, Gorillaz, on March 26, 2001.
The band then travels to Japan to play some shows; however, upon arrival, Noodle feels like an outsider despite the roars and cheers from fans. The band release their album G-Sides, go on tour in the UK, create some video sketches about band life called ‘G-Bites’, got investigated by a news reporter, and finally embarked on a North American Tour ending in Mexico.
Afterwards, the band returned to LA and trying, and failing, to get a Gorillaz movie off the ground. The task of drafting a script for the movie that satisfied everyone, would always end in bickering and arguing. One fight gets especially heated and escalates Murdoc to nearly strangling 2-D to death, and walking out on his bandmates.
Phase 2: Slowboat to Hades (2004 – 2008)
Murdoc then lets off some steam on vacation in Mexico, but was quickly caught giving fake checks to a brothel and promptly thrown in jail. Befriending 2 crooks who help him survive prison, as well as his now-beloved companion from hell, Cortez the Raven.
Back at their LA property, Russel sat alone, wasting away and let anyone come through the studio as they please. After yet another sighting of the Grim Reaper and the ghost of Dell, Russel passes out. He awakens to find Ike Turner, an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, and talent scout, standing above him. He took him in and cared for him, letting Russel sleep for a very long time. Meanwhile, 2-D crashes at their dad’s place and worked as an operator for a bumper-car ride at a traveling carnival. With no Murdoc to bully him, 2-D regains his confidence.
Noodle goes her own way and returns to Japan to find answers about her past. Not knowing where to begin, so she wanders the streets for a year. Stumbling into a steamed fish shop, she hears the words “Ocean Bacon” and her whole life flashes back to her.
The chef at the fish shop revealed himself to be Mr. Kyuzo, her army general and previous mentor. Before arriving in London in a FedEx crate, Noodle was one of 23 other children trained for an elite militia as part of a top-secret project led by the Japanese Secret Military Compound. She was raised this way from birth and lived under strict orders, being taught every martial art and every language. Under this program, each subject was also given an exceptional talent, and Noodle was taught to play the guitar. This project made these children dangerous attack weapons, causing significant damage to Tokyo. Every student had a password to wipe their memory if the enemy caught them. They also had a password to activate them, and Ocean Bacon was Noodle’s. The government forced the project to shut down, but Mr. Kyuzo saw promise in Noodle. So, he wiped her memory of everything except her guitar skills and shipped her off to London in a FedEx crate after seeing Murdoc’s ad.
When Noodle returns to Kong Studios for the first time in almost 2 years, she discovers a vile infestation of rotted-flesh zombies overtaking the studio. After months of work, she got the studio sparkling clean, free of zombie goo. After an eventful stay with Ike Turner, Russel returns to Kong Studios as well. Murdoc escapes the Mexican prison by making a papier-mâché version of himself to get the guards to leave him alone. He keeps using counterfeit money, getting himself on a plane to London to return to Kong. After receiving a persuasive text from Noodle, 2-D returns to Kong Studios as well to sing on the new demos. The band officially back together to create their new masterpeice.
After thousands of hours of careful creation, Demon Days was finally finished. The band designs the album to represent a journey through the night, with each song representing a demon that humanity faces. They then begin production on a music video for their upcoming single, “Feel Good Inc.” One of the most iconic props from that video being the flying windmill island, which is hollowed out and filled with helium so it would float properly. Later that same summer, Gorillaz head off to the Namib Desert to shoot the music video for the fan-favorite track “Dirty Harry“. In December, MTV Cribs releases an episode that features a lengthy, fully animated tour of Kong Studios, led by Murdoc Niccals himself.
Around this time, Noodle plans on leave the band after this album was complete, her final send-off happeningx in the last music video, “El Mañana.” While shooting the video, things go horribly wrong.
Originally, the video intended to be of 2 helicopters gunning down the island. At the same time, Noodle sits on the floating island and parachutes off. However, in the chaos, the island was destroyed. The island is in shambles, riddled with bullet holes, and nothing left at the scene but an unused parachute. The band witnessed this, and came to the awful conclusion that Noodle died in the crash.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the band, it’s a part of Murdoc’s master plan. He set this elaborate trap as part of his plan to get rid of a man named Wee Jimmy Manson. A hippie who auditioned to be the guitarist for Gorillaz, but rejected once Noodle joins. This rejection causes him to hold a deep grudge against the band, constantly stalking them and wanting nothing more than to kill them and take over the band. He makes the mistake of telling Murdoc this plan, and Murdoc agrees to go along with it.
Murdoc instructed Jimmy to sneak onto the floating island, armed. However, Jimmy soon realized that Murdoc double-crossed him, locking him in the windmill with no guns. So, in actuality, Noodle did parachute off safely, and Jimmy burned to death in the crash. But to the rest of the band, Noodle is still missing, and the members begin their search for her.
Phase 3: Escape to Plastic Beach (2008-2013)
Murdoc is alone, flat broke, and fearing capture by a group of pirates named The Black Clouds during his worldly travels. He decides to do what the situation calls for, in his view. On July 25, 2008, Murdoc burns the ruins of Kong Studios to ashes, and cashes in on the hefty insurance money. He takes off running, searching the world for a new Gorillaz HQ. Murdoc then comes across an island at Point Nemo, the point in the ocean the furthest from human civilization. The island is built from a towering pile of landfill, all amalgamated together. He spraypaints it pink and proudly named it Plastic Beach. He ships all of the band’s belongings there and begins plans for a third Gorillaz album.
The next time we hear from 2-D, they’re alone in an apartment in Beirut, and then suddenly gassed and shipped to Plastic Beach in a suitcase. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Murdoc who kidnaps him, but rather a new mysterious assailant: a gas-mask-wearing villain and the embodiment of all evil, known only as The Boogeyman.
Noodle is still thought to be either dead or missing, with Murdoc saying that he searched the crash site of the “El Mañana” video, only finding bits of hair and skin samples. He uses these DNA pieces to create a robot clone of Noodle, which he names Cyborg Noodle. Cyborg Noodle doesn’t speak, is experienced with firearms. She would be their guitarist for their new album, and also be Murdoc’s bodyguard. Russel is nowhere to be found, despite numerous contact attempts from Murdoc. Leaving him no choice but to build a drum set from Russel’s scraps to perform percussion for the album.
With Cyborg Noodle, a battered and bruised 2-D, and Murdoc at the wheel, the band sets off to Plastic Beach in a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS in the music video for “Stylo”. On their journey, they manage to narrowly dodge the police, but find themselves in hot persuit by a bounty hunter, Bruce Willis, on the outskirts of the California desert. Murdoc careens the car off a cliff, straight into the Pacific Ocean. The car then transforms into a shark submarine as the band journeys through the dark sea.
In the music video for “On Melancholy Hill,” a nearby ocean liner is under attack by The Black Clouds, with a masked woman sitting in the cabin. The woman reveals herself to be none other than Noodle, the first time she’s seen alive in nearly 4 years. Noodle grabs a machine gun and tries to shoot the planes down. One of the planes drops a bomb on the ship, and it floods and begins to sink. Noodle narrowly escapes to a lifeboat with nothing but her guitar.
Back to the band, the Stylo-shark-submarine rises to the ocean’s surface as Murdoc spots The Boogeyman atop a tall plateau, and orders Cyborg Noodle to open fire on him. The Boogeyman falls into the endless ocean, swimming away as the fog clears, to reaveal Plastic Beach in all it’s glory.
Noodle wakes up in her lifeboat and sees a gigantic version of Russel swimming in the water below. Russel had swum across the ocean and ingested so many pollutants and chemicals that he had become transformed into a gigantic version of himself.
The Battle of Rhinestone Eyes begins within the music video for “Rhinestone Eyes” as The Black Clouds send in fleets of military planes to fire on the island, as Murdoc escapes, terrified. Underwater, a gigantic whale is about to destroy the foundation of Plastic Beach, along with 2-D’s room. Until giant Russel grabs its tail and whips it right back at the island, destroying a Black Cloud plane in the process. The battle is won, and Russel opens his mouth to reveal Noodle, with battle scars from the “El Mañana” disaster.
During the intense battle, another whale breaks through the wall of 2-D’s underwater room, swallowing them whole. Meanwhile, Cyborg Noodle malfunctions and gets powered off by the real Noodle before it tries to kill Murdoc. Cyborg Noodle and Murdoc escape from The Boogeyman in a rowboat by leaving poorly put-together versions of themselves behind to trick him. Russel, still giant, escapes into the open ocean with the real Noodle in his mouth. They travel for miles, until Russel gets mistaken for a whale, and is harpooned off the coast of Japan. The two get separated, and Russel ends up on a North Korean beach. Russel is then captured and made a spectacle of in North Korea as a giant, mythical monster. Eventually shrinking back down to normal due to the food rations. Meanwhile Noodle washes up somewhere in costal Japan. There, she spends her time as a pearl diver’s apprentice, she also escapes some demons, before shipping herself back to England in a FedEx crate.
As for 2-D, him and the whale they got trapped in are beached, left on a deserted island. After months of being stranded, he spots a plane. Desperate for rescue, they run down the beach to try and chase it down. About 20 minutes later, he realizes he’s on anything but a deserted island. He’s actually in Guadalupe, Mexico, in the middle of a beach rave. After he takes a gap year to find himself, and gets fired from his job as a camp counselor, he flies back to West London.
Phase 4: We Are Still Humanz (2014-2018)
While Murdoc was journeying back from Plastic Beach, he was caught by the Battleship Ringo, gets imprisoned for another 3 years. He hatches a deal with his captors, promising to write the next Gorillaz album in exchange for being freed. His captors take him up on his offer and they let him go. Once the band was back together, they began working on Humanz.
Humanz was the band’s first new album in over 7 years, so it was a big milestone. To celebrate, the band plans to to throw a giant party: as Murdoc calls it, “the party to end all parties,” but needed a place to host it. They stumble upon a dilapidated, abandoned house in Detroit called The Spirit House, as seen in the music video for “Saturnz Barz.” There, the band encounters 3 demons. One is a giant, one-eyed blue serpent that traps Noodle; the other is a grey, multi-limbed monster that haunts Russel; and the last is a demon with a pizza slice for a face that torments 2-D.
Later on, in the video for “Strobelite” that takes place at a lively nightclub, Noodle and 2-D dance the night away, while Russel dozes off. Murdoc, though, is busy making some shady-looking deals with a shady-looking guy.
When Gorillaz won the Brit Award for “Best British Band”, the winning speech had to be broadcast from none other than Murdoc Niccals, live from Wormwood Scrubs Prison.
Phase 5: No More Unicorns Anymore (2018–2019)
With Murdoc was in jail, again, and the high energy from Humanz’s success, 2-D found is the most inspired version of himself he’s ever been. To act as Murdoc’s replacement, they hire Ace. D. Copular, another green dude. Who is better known as being the head of the Gangrene Gang in the popular cartoon series, “The Powerpuff Girls.”
2-D is finally the one calling the shots, and hits the ground running to record The Now Now. The first single for the album is “Humility,” that releases alongside an accompanying video shot on the streets of the famous Venice Beach in LA. The video stars Jack Black of all people, and features 2-D rollerskating around and in very good spirits.
Once the band decides to go on tour for the album, Murdoc takes it upon himself to plan his escape from Wormwood Scrubs Prison. According to Murdoc, the shady man that he made a deal with in the “Strobelite” music video is named “El Mierda” a demon crime lord who framed him. Murdoc was desperate to be freed in order to catch him, but wasn’t able to bribe his way out of prison. In an attempt to gather information, he befriends Vlad the Inhaler, a friend of El Mierda. Murdoc also instructs thousands of real-life Gorillaz fans to catfish and chat with Vlad to help him gather clues and information from him. His plan works flawlessy, and successfully obtains the coordinates to El Mierda’s hideout.
Meanwhile, Noodle gets suspicious of 2-D’s very sudden cheery nature, and decides to look into it further. When she finally answers one of Murdoc’s many missed calls and hears him describe El Mierda, she realizes he might also be a soul harvester. Afraid he had stolen 2-D’s soul, Noodle sets off to El Mierda’s coordinates for 2-D’s sake, not Murdoc’s. Murdoc did attempt to escape prison, but almost drowns in the sewers doing so.
Once Noodle arrived at the coordinates, she discovers that El Mierda’s secret hideout is actually a health center. El Mierda said he stopped doing evil years ago, and has never heard of Murdoc. Upon doing some more digging, Noodle finds out that Murdoc actually went to jail for unpaid parking tickets. She continues to unravel his entire web of lies, coming to the conclusion that Murdoc has completely lied about everything regarding his imprisonment.
Days went by before Murdoc greets the band on the back of a yak, promising them that he’s changed for the better. He admits that the lies were purely for attention, and feels terrible about putting Noodle in danger. With Murdoc back, they kick Ace out of the band and embark on the final leg of The Now Now tour.
Noodle eventually learned that 2-D was simply happier because Murdoc wasn’t there to push him around. Murdoc convinces himself that 2-D really did miss him while he was stuck in prison, an assumption that had some truth to it. A major underlying theme throughout all of The Now Now is the feeling of missing someone who is no longer in your life; In 2-D’s life, that person was Murdoc. We see this inner turmoil for 2-D in-depth through the lyric book for The Now Now: Deluxe, which is designed to look like pages from their journal (the full journal pages can be found here).
Their complicated connection with each other links all the way back to when Murdoc crashed his car into 2-D’s head. 2-D saw Murdoc as a merciful rescuer who saved his life during the crash. As the years went on, 2-D experienced repeated bullying, ridicule, and trauma at the hands of Murdoc. Despite it all, 2-D never viewed Murdoc as a villain or an abuser, but rather a dear friend.
After taking a brief hiatus, the band set their sights on their most ambitious project yet, The Machine.
Phase 6: Wish You Wear Ear (2019–2021)
Noodle sends a panicked postcard, asking if The Machine had been fully completed yet. 2-D, back in Beirut, responds with another postcard, saying that he has been gathering parts for it. Russel replies with a postcard from Mexico mainly about his love for the local hot sauce, but also ensures that The Machine is almost ready. Murdoc replies with his own postcard, but he just says he’s on a booze cruise in Ibiza. The band regroups back in Studio 13, nicknamed by the band as The New Kong Studios. Together once more, they can finally activate the machine, The Song Machine, a machine that runs off pure chaos and uncertainty. Once it’s powered on, a portal suddenly opens, allowing them to travel and collaborate with musicians and artists from around the world.
2-D, Noodle, and Russel traveled through a portal to Lake Cuomo and record “Désolé,” leaving Murdoc behind. Back at the sudio, Murdoc was lonely and jealous, and had convinced himself that 2-D was the one controlling the portals and excluding him on purpose. Murdoc Drugged 2-D with truth serum on a motorcycle ride in the music video for “Aries,” in an attempt to find out if he was right. Once Noodle and Russel caught wind of this, they chased them down in a street race. The band gets into a fight, and are seen with their battered faces in the music video for “Friday the 13th.”
Murdoc then locks himself in the basement to begin work on his own secret project. Being revealed in the “Pac-Man” music video to be his own Argon Accumulator. The Argon Accumulator is designed to be a box that replaces traumatic energy with healing energy, and Murdoc finally opened his own portal in the process. Meanwhile, 2-D is too preoccupied with his new haunted Pac-Man machine to even notice or care. As the video goes on, Murdoc is seen contentedly sitting in his creation, which he views as an act of jealousy and defiance toward the band, specifically 2-D.
While building The Song Machine, the band converted their old Winnebago into a spaceship. They flew themselves to the moon in the video for “Strange Timez” and got up to some shenanigans on the surface. While there, Noodle destroyed the billboard that was referenced in the song “Magic City” and Russel carved the words “Be The Change’ on the moon’s surface. In the video for “The Pink Phantom,” while 2-D sings with Elton John, Murdoc tries to capture The Pink Phantom, a pink, ghost-like embodiment of negative energy of uncertain origin.
Afterward, during the video for “Valley of the Pagans,” the band drive through LA, The Pink Phantom stuck in the trunk. When car then unexpectedly flies through another portal, the band is brought back to the place they loathed the most: Plastic Beach.
10 years have passed since the band last found themselves there, and relive all the trauma they experienced in the music video for “The Lost Chord”. Russel becomes a giant again, Noodle’s old mask washes up onshore, 2-D vomits up a huge whale, and Murdoc is wearing The Boogeyman’s old mask. Cyborg Noodle is deactivated, wasting away ashore in a submarine.
Once The Pink Phantom escapes, a sea monster torches the island, completely destroying it. Cyborg Noodle unexpectedly powers on as the submarine sinks to the bottom of the ocean. The band escapes onto the lighthouse atop Plastic Beach and a portal opens, waiting for them. 2-D, Noodle, and Russel all jump through, but Murdoc is left behind on the collapsing island. In an unexpected stroke of kindness, 2-D offers Murdoc his hand, pulling him through the portal at the last second. An olive branch that symbolizes 2-D forgiving Murdoc for all he had done to him during their time at Plastic Beach.
Phase 7: The Static Channel (2022–2024)
After another hiatus, the band settles into a mansion in Silverlake, LA, to start recording their latest album. Murdoc has other things on his mind, though. He’s been thinking a lot about “The Prophecy,” and having delusions that he should start a cult, and be their glorious leader. He’s also busy crushing on one of their new neighbors, a lady named Moon Flower. Murdoc even buys a massive obelisk, that he asks 2-D to paint bright pink, and places it on their front lawn to impress her, but she didn’t notice.
Noodle and Russel, naturally, are slightly skeptical. Still, Murdoc reassures them that this is simply a “Nice cult for nice people,” so the 2 of them agree to join with the hopes of bringing about togetherness in the world.
So, The Last Cult is born, Murdoc acting as their valiant leader. Russel would take on the role of ‘The Seeker of Truth,’ tasked with exploring secrets, and spends his time engrossed in a TV station called “The Static Channel.” It’s a station that Russel is convinced is littered with deep, encoded secret messages. Noodle is “The Scholar,” who specializes in analyzing ancient texts, and 2-D becomes “The Chosen One,” meaning he was really ‘chosen’ to do petty chores for the cult, like washing their sacred robes and digging holes for some odd reason.
One night, 2-D hears a knock at their door. Expecting it to be the pizza they ordered, he opens it, only to find Moon Flower standing at the door. Moon Flower says she came by to ask Murdoc to stop ogling her from their balcony. 2-D goes next door to visit Moon Flower for some peppermint tea and learns that she’s also in a cult called “The Forever Cult.” Moon Flower thinks 2-D is charming and tells him that he’s welcome back any time and even invites him to join her cult instead.
Meanwhile, Russel is still obsessing over the The Static Channel, frantically writing notes on a whiteboard and all over the walls. After a year of doing so, he concludes that a portal to “The Promised Land” will open above the Hollywood Sign at New Year’s. Still, after going there to witness it, nothing happens. After this, Russel is so engrossed in The Static Channel that he enters a trance-like state, not responding to any of his band members.
After some time, Moon Flower convinces 2-D that Murdoc is a false prophet, angering Murdoc, who calls 2-D a non-believer. 2-D keeps coming back to Moon Flower’s house for the delicious peppermint tea that she gives him, and one day, he never returns to Gorillaz HQ. Noodle goes to investigate, but finds the house empty with nothing but a cryptic message, realizing the cult might have kidnapped him.
Russel is still glued to The Static Channel. He realizes that The Forever Cult plans to sacrifice 2-D to stay forever young. In the music video for “Silent Running,” 2-D is being lowered onto the sacred wheel by the cult to be eaten by a giant monster. The rest of the band comes to his rescue, and even Moon Flower decides to have mercy on him and helps save him. After the monster eats the toxic “Essence of Murdoc” he explodes, killing the rest of the cult as the rest of the band members are saved.
Suddenly, the cops surround the scene and take the band away in handcuffs, except for Murdoc, who sneaks away. In the video for “Cracker Island,” the 3 of them get taken to a Los Angeles hospital, where they are medically examined and questioned. Noodle is on a payphone, handcuffed, desperately trying to get everything under control. In the video, Murdoc reunites with Moon Flower, they share a kiss, and she then turns to dust. She turned to ash after spending a night with Murdoc watching her old film “The Hills Are Hungry”, and he keeps her ashes in an urn to remember her. 2-D turns to the camera and sings along with the song, “Nothing More To Say.”
After the events of Cracker Island, the Los Angeles Police Department arrived at the band’s Silver Lake Mansion, search warrant in hand. The band members were forced to flee to New York, picked up fake passports, and skipped town, en route to Mumbai.
Phase 8: The Mountain – 2026 – Present
The band decides to start their new musical journey within the majestic backdrop of India. An anonymous user hacked into Kong Studios’ old internet server, obtained many once-private files, and posted a video titled NOSTALGIAZ. This kick-started their 25th anniversary campaign.
Which leads us to the present day! The rest of the lore for The Mountain is unfolding as the album gets closer to release, with more to be revealed soon.
Author’s Note: This article is, by no means, a comprehensive accounting of every detail of the lore of Gorillaz. If you’re interested in hearing the entire story, no details spared, please take a look at the Backstory on The Gorillaz Wiki, which has countless helpful contributions from hundreds of members of the Gorillaz fan community and details that I had to omit to avoid this article being 10,000 words (or more!).
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