Gorillaz fans are only now discovering the true origins of the band's name, 28 years after the virtual group was formed. The band, created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, comprises fictional characters 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs, and Noodle.
The inspiration for Gorillaz came when Albarn and Hewlett watched MTV and were unimpressed. Hewlett said: "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."
Despite their success with hits like Clint Eastwood and Feel Good Inc, many fans have puzzled over the name. One Reddit user suggested: "The name of the band Gorillaz is a pun because a group of gorillas is called a band." Another claimed the name stems from a comment by Oasis's Liam Gallagher, who compared Blur to the Monkees. Albarn allegedly named his next project Gorillaz in response.
Radio X offers another explanation: the name was chosen to preserve anonymity. The word 'Gorilla' may be a play on 'guerrilla', referring to guerrilla warfare tactics. Albarn told The Guardian in 2017: "People weren't meant to know it was me."
