Trying To Explain The Gorillaz Lore

[@StormX6]

Gorillas needs an adult swim cartoon show. Like the lore is so unique, whacky, and hilarious, but it requires fans to piece together the story based off of animated shorts and music videos that are sometimes canon.

[@arkarmz589]

I hope the movie delivers on that if it ever ends up coming out

[@wavemediaincorperated892]

they used to have a shorts show on MTV i think, i know there is an episode of MTV cribs on them

[@faze_tallboiman7056]

@@wavemediaincorperated892 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJ6vYmyue6yef9E

[@TabledNaCl]

I mean Ace is from the Powerpuff Girls (literally look it up) so I mean its possible?

[@lorifischer6885]

@@arkarmz589 funny thing about that, the movie is actually coming out this year on netflix

[@davidholloway6950]

POV: Your friend is attempting to explain the entire plot of your 10th grade english book you neglected to read 8mins before you have to take the final test.

[@nicolastesta6769]

Lmao “and then he watched the marry go round with his sister” “…..whaaa”

[@BackToBackJames]

You know the story's going to be interesting when it starts off with a character becoming half blind during a keyboard store robbery.

[@huhyep5604]

Their imagination is wild!!

[@s3lf1shsyan1d3]

and then becomes full blind in a car crash (pretty sure he’s not actually fully blind his eyes are just like that now)

[@sunoosbff]

HELPP

[@ChrisTheClikkie]

😭 I love 2d

[@MangoVSC]

@@s3lf1shsyan1d3 yeah, blood clots fill his eyes when he gets hit, that's why at the end of 'Humility', after Ace kicks 2-D down his eyes go black.

[@charliedangerr]

The whole lore feels like when you're having a weird dream and just decided to go along with it.

[@zfreddy3916]

Musso, i know you are Reading this, u are NOT safe🤑

[@mussooo]

​@@zfreddy3916im NOT the only one who should worry about being touched tonight 😈😈😈😈🥶🥶🥶🥶

[@ablurida]

weed

[@charliedangerr]

@@ablurida cute boys don't need drugs

[@curtisleblanc5897]

It does tho

[@wouterburssens9644]

You forgot to mention that murdoc made the entire prison thing up. He got arrested for parking tickets and made the druglord thing up cuz he saw that the band was doing fine without him and he didnt wanna miss out on the attention.

[@arkarmz589]

You're right! I actually forgot about that whole plotline so thanks for filling it in

[@koolcatvalley]

@@arkarmz589 is that when Ace replaced him?

[@koolcatvalley]

@@arkarmz589 nvm lmfao

[@Theeditor2828]

If I had a nickel for every male group with a sole female member who’s Japanese and was made to be a killing machine and speaks little to no English, I’d have two nickels which isn’t a lot but it’s weird how it happened twice

[@Wyrm3]

Who's the other one?

[@Theeditor2828]

@@Wyrm3 kimiko or the female from the boys comics/tv show

[@Wyrm3]

@@Theeditor2828 thanks

[@metropunklitan]

its always japanese even though i swear to god the dude behind those show has never spoken to a japanese person, nor are they popular in japan 100 percent for the aesthetic plus noodle's backstory and related stuff are basically parody and stereotypes of japan soo arghh i hate token girl

[@vivianisdumb_]

phineas and ferb reference

[@ishipitlikefedex2610]

I can't believe this was only about 8 minutes long, you managed to fit in so much info it felt like a whole feature length movie lmao

[@cebolinhaagiota8674]

104 fm

[@Mastermind8908]

Well, when you talk as fast as Philip Defranco you get a lot done in a short amount of time.

[@Hugh_Jas]

There's so much missing, though. Like WTF is going on in Dirty Harry?

[@mukkah]

I've watched 30 minute summary videos of the gorillaz fictional history that left me more confused lol Agreed, great short vid packed with to the point arcs So many things go on throughout their career. Would be challenging to catalog and then trim down to most relevant moments that tell their story

[@chrish4439]

Are you fucking spun or a bot from of this kid? I don't think he said a single thing that was 100% correct. Fuck you KZbin for letting this exist

[@1nnominatum]

Imagine losing both eyes in two different car crashes, just to have the guy responsible try and recruit you into his band.

[@camilexifon4217]

u made it sound so simple, i applaud u for that cause this was actually real easy to understand with my pebble brain, well done

[@livetheender]

unfortunately it is Not That Simple /lhj

[@dailydoseofreality6070]

@@livetheender see this kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O8dmBuoLKSmbM

[@nakynie463]

Same

[@whegger4998]

This is not the lore of gorillaz

[@secretope7149]

@@livetheender but he won't seem to notice

[@xjojorez]

I once met a girl at an art camp back in '10, and she explained the entire lore to me up to that point. It was super hard to follow without being able to watch the videos themselves. Thank you for making this, I'm gonna send it to her.

[@aya-zi3qg]

This made me realize how little sense the Gorillaz lore makes, especially the song machine lore. Great vid.

[@DatBoiAntix]

It actually makes sense if you've gone through all the books from phase 1-6

[@jurusco]

It's full satanism.

[@g0thiicbr4tt]

it can make sense if you go through it all

[@halyketarrant]

@@DatBoiAntix what- books?!?

[@DatBoiAntix]

@@halyketarrant there are books. I think eBay is your best bet to find them

[@laylakindafruity]

Damn I thought they were just a band but that was A LOT of backstory... You did a good job at explaining it ty 😌

[@DanielDenoted]

Never explain this story to anyone. I've been stuck in this psych ward for the last 15yrs

[@Leongon]

Can't be too bad if you have internet there.

[@DanielDenoted]

stuff yes not bad. Got a guy here that thinks he is Patch Adams. Cant complain

[@pedrodevera6283]

WHAT😭

[@JosieLuv]

@@DanielDenoted WAIT FR-😭

[@DanielDenoted]

m somegme sometimes they give me peanut butter sandwiches

[@PatchesOnPaws]

Murdoc: Legitimate menace to society. He's also green. 2-D: Funni eyes. Russell: Possessed by his dead friends. Noodle: Amnesiac 7 year old who lived in a box and has a guitar (for some reason).

[@NovaKnight_]

fun fact since it wasn’t mentioned: ace is canonly the same ace that was a villain in the powerpuff girls.

[@Klopford]

Holy shit I knew he looked familiar!

[@raeisgay426]

that still haunts me lmao

[@ThreeProphets]

wut

[@NovaKnight_]

@@ThreeProphets they have connections with some cartoon network OGs lol

[@AJZulu]

Eyyyyy. Ace from Powerpuffgirls

[@pintofmil]

"Aw no i feel bad for murdoc" 2 secs later "nvm"

[@travisscott5422]

I remember reading something the artist for the band said about "I'm really sick and tired of drawing these characters." I didn't understand how He could feel that way until right now.

[@uuncoolguy6]

It would suck to just be the Gorillaz guy. U wanna be a world renowned artist but your characters overshadowed anything u could do

[@BloodyxNL]

@@uuncoolguy6 Except that the artist has been famous way before gorillaz, for a comic book called Tank Girl, up there in England.

[@inpoppunkwetrust]

@@uuncoolguy6 he's credited as co-creator and as a producer on all their songs and albums, meaning he gets paid mad revenue and royalties. yeah, jamie hewlett is mostly known for gorillaz but he's made fucking bank off of the band lol

[@uuncoolguy6]

@@inpoppunkwetrust not debating he's proud of his work.

[@ClankyOtter]

I think as time keeps treating Gorillaz well, Jamie will probably feel a little more pride that he got to be a part of something that brought so many people happiness

[@pope1666]

5:22 fun fact, that's ace from the gangrene gang. also fun fact the gorillaz and Powerpuff girls share the same world cause the animator for gorillaz and Powerpuff girls are friends.

[@pope1666]

also it was a good recap but u missed a lot (not including the massive amounts of retcons)

[@NostalgikProductions]

"I'm never doing something like this again." See you say that... But I think we both know when they put out a new album, you'll add to this video. You are officially the lore chronicler of the Gorillaz.

[@arkarmz589]

Unfortunately you're right

[@dailydoseofreality6070]

@@arkarmz589 see this kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O8dmBuoLKSmbM

[@simplyhuman3982]

Officially... They are great.

[@devoid840]

Especially under Stressure

[@Wil-c0r]

Subscribing just to see if that happens lol

[@alanstringer.]

I really have nothing to say other than this: 1.) You are a LEGEND for simply jumping right in to the subject matter. No "what's up guys, it's ya boi, today we're gonna blah blah blah" just straight to it. 2.) You got all the way through this without asking for subs, telling me to smash like, or one of the litany of other things tryhards put in ALL their videos. You are the bomb dude.

[@UATU.]

One day in 1988 I was in my college cafeteria listening to a guy two booths away explaining the plot of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in exquisite detail to someone who never interrupted. I stayed for the entire thing and never regretted it. Same goes here.

[@kparker2430]

geez that is a good story. :) i think it displays great intellect.

[@poilaaliop]

Hell yeah, Hitchhiker's Guide! Were you convinced to read it, or did you feel like you knew enough after that?

[@SquirtMac17]

How have they not made this a netflix series.. So much creativity its like a late 90's show that i'd love

[@jokerlyzermedia6603]

Flaw in the beginning. 2-D HAS eyes. What happened was the impacts made them fill with blood, turning them black 😁 This was stated in the beginning by the man himself lol

[@sorailuna4433]

Here was the source I think he used: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5bQYXh-etJlm7c

[@rowanvezeau5729]

Its apparently called an 8-ball fracture! The color of his eyes seem pretty in sync with how he's feeling, but theres also the more literal theory that Murdoc used him as a punching bag partly to keep 2Ds cool eyeless look (but also because he's a jerk). Russel sees 2Ds eyes healed up in humility and trips him because, having been possessed before, he thinks the white eyes are a posession that he's able to "knock out of him" somehow by injuring him and returning his eyes to the usual black. (Not my theory, just something I read once that made a lot of sense)

[@jokerlyzermedia6603]

@@rowanvezeau5729 YEAH THAT WAS THE NAME OF IT TY!!! I FORGOT WHAT IT WAS CALLED.

[@awesome346]

Jesus loves you!

[@Leongon]

Also Murdoc injects 2D with drugs, not truth serum. 2D was recovering from addiction, that's why the others were so mad at Murdoc, it was an incredibly evil thing to do.

[@anturktur]

You are probably the only person who explained the Gorillaz lore so understandable, thank you♡

[@SoupSoup11]

Does anyone else not understand how when the band first broke up, how noodle was able to go to Japan, go back, manage to live in Kong studios, make music, and generally just survive by her own? Like-she’s only 10😭

[@royliber3824]

Noodle definitely had a tough time doing everything by herself. Also, theres this interactive Gorillaz game online which covers some of the lore behind Gorillaz I believe... Takes place on Plastic Beach.

[@deadexcel9583]

i think once you get to the point where a 10 year old is not only an expert guitarist, but was delivered to the band in a fed-ex box randomly, you kinda have to ignore any logic in this story

[@bew5230]

Dont forget she's a killing machine from a secret project.

[@SoupSoup11]

@@bew5230 true, true

[@RosesTeaAndASD]

I did wonder, but after watching The Beatles Yellow Submarine, it takes a lot to surprise me now.

[@charliepea]

Never knew Gorillaz had actual lore until recently. I thought those fever dream music videos were just cool visualizations. Their animation is godly, their songs are bop, but their lore is so absurd like an acid trip lol. Still baffled that Murdoc just kidnapped some random guy doing his job and nearly killed him lotta times and that guy is just... "yeah"....

[@morgn1505]

Wow, I knew the lore was nuts but when you put it together like that. It's fairly consistent with the characters, thank you for making this.

[@pumpkin-soup]

just wanted to say thanks for this! I'm new to the fandom and it's been very confusing but this cleared a lot of things up for me and I now have a better understanding. thanks!😊

[@arkarmz589]

👍🏽

[@mallewi]

I'm so thoroughly impressed by this. Damn. Now I want a Gorillaz show.

[@arkarmz589]

Pretty sure there's a Netflix movie comin out in a few years

[@litpotat5601]

@@arkarmz589 I'd be hyped but this would be like the 3rd or 4th attempt at one so I won't hold my breath. Still gonna cross my fingers tho

[@royliber3824]

@@arkarmz589 Wait really? Lowkey im going to watch the sh8 out of it. Theres quite a lot of lore into Gorillaz, considering they are "sharing" in a way the universe as us performing with celebrities and what not. I hope if it really does become a movie, it will cover everything from the beginning where Murdoc crashed a Vauxhall Astra into 2-D's eye lol. Gorillaz always got so much to offer and the animated characters definitely deserve a good movie showing who they really are.

[@kingdrizzydre8365]

Netflix soon

[@alientooth9125]

@@royliber3824 yeah but we don’t even know a single thing about it yet.

[@Imtoobusyslayingrn111]

Im saddened how I missed Gorillaz being a part of my childhood, vocaloid was the main story of my childhood. But, It's never too late to be a fan.

[@dominique5686]

this is super underrated i finally understand all this now thank you

[@morbiusmale1235]

Where's the lamb sauce?

[@rebeccafree9755]

I love bands with depth and character build like this it's amazing to see concepts that haven't been played out. This is the part of art in music I live for.

[@misteruncanny]

Murdoc being physically abusive(and mentally, I think??) to 2D for like- 20 something years and having 2D forgive him after all that seems so unreal but so nice sometimes Also "after Murdoc tried to kill 2D for like *the fifth time* " made me laugh

[@alexmucci9188]

I think he forgot to mention how like in prison he pormised himself, he was going to be nicer to 2D and hoped 2D would accept his apology but I could be wrong not calling out the person who made this ofc!! you did amazing!

[@alexmucci9188]

but yea, it can be unreal but also VERy real,

[@feverprole]

Yeaaah, the relationship between these two characters is very abusive and very complicated, especially if you bother to read up on the books, and the blogs, and the old radio programms. For those who are interested, Murdoc is a fucked uo character who was raised in a fucked up way and lived a pretty fucked up life, he basically never had a chance to be anything but what he turned out to be. Gorillaz is 100% the best thing that ever happened to him, and he himself confirmed it multiple times. 2D on the other hand is just a very simple and forgiving guy. I wouldn't say he's a complete pushover OR an angel incarnate (he's kinda wild too), but ultimately him and Murdoc have enough common ground for 2D to always somehow forgive him. I think if some screenwriter wanted to, they could make a very interesting piece of media even just using this very weird dynamic alone.

[@EdwardEstacado]

It's been a rollercoaster being a fan of these guys since the beginning fucken hell

[@masterfarr8265]

it involves a lot of Murdoc's ramblings

[@valerieolivares5956]

I just like how noodles is like i know another green dude and from there becomes connected powerpuff girls

[@vokalox8616]

*new album releases* Ah shit, here we go again.

[@tormentorchick1755]

I first found out about this group when I was like 12 and I've always wanted them to make a show. I also wondered if there was a story to this group and I'm so glad I found this lol! It's just as wild as I imagined it'd be! Thanks for this!

[@itabee4980]

I've been hearing to Gorillaz since I was very little and like, two months ago a friend told me their animations were supposed to follow a story line and I was like "Seriously?" Thank goodness there's people like you who make this shit tons easier. Good vid!

[@nozrep]

yes!

[@fatchurrman]

damn right, I have exactly the same story lol

[@Ian_Somnia]

Wow that was actually a really nice ending to their story so far. Thanks for doing all the research to make this!

[@slotzoffuntrue]

Also there's that little bit in plastic beach that implies Murdoch is actually hundreds of years old and made a deal with death for immortality

[@mukkah]

Bro I've been a Gorillaz fan since their debut, and this is the best, most concise account of the crazy hard to summarize history of the fictional characters. Awesome job, ty!!

[@toxicstarcandy]

I didn't know any of this but it seems Gorillaz is just a huge fever dream with amazing music and I'm loving it still

[@JudsonRadio]

As someone who's only caught bits and pieces of the lore since Humanz, this makes me want to go back and find all the pieces I've missed. This was a great recap though, so maybe I don't need to. Also, I think Phase 2-3 is still my favorite era from a lore stand point. Maybe because it's when I really discovered what Gorillaz is outside of the hits you year on the radio, but I just think the story and world building feels SO top tier during that time.

[@davidwright1653]

I've known of Goriilaz for years only because the radio station I listen to plays "Feel Good Inc" regularly. It's only been recently I discovered "Clint Eastwood" because of Davie504. Did a little research on the history of the human side of the band. I've have to say your explanation of the animated characters was excellently done! Thank you. To throw your demographics out of whack, I'm 58 years young.

[@sam-dy2ho]

which station.

[@davidwright1653]

@@sam-dy2ho WXRT 93.1 FM in Chicago.

[@fobo3361]

This was ao awesome, i never fully knew the gorrillaz lore just bits and pieces but thanks for breaking it all down, it was like a friend just sitting there giving me a crash course

[@Emblem113]

As someone who grew up listening to them, I genuinely thank you for summarizing this. I spent 15 years trying to understand 20 years worth of Gorillaz lore... and you did it in 8 mins. Bravo!

[@Amogus-wc3nd]

4:42 ARE YOU ALLOWED TO SHOW THAT???

[@TheEaster_Bunny17]

LMAOOOO

[@ZephsArt]

I know I was about to comment on it

[@189bccIfYouGetItYouGetIt]

@@ZephsArt Sameee

[@chumplump]

What was it?

[@ZephsArt]

@@chumplump you can see murdocs umm lower part

[@truecrimereader8346]

“which…. *old habits die hard.* ” by far the best video i’ve seen at summarizing the lore tbh.

[@alienrat-z3g]

Damn, I knew maybe 3 of their songs. Now I'm intrigued

[@brianbread7698]

And this just scratches the surface lol

[@reneetmp]

I knew there were back stories for each band member but I had no idea how intricate the Gorillaz universe was until yesterday, going over each story on Wikipedia. Thanks for condensing it all here, in order, and so quickly. Great work!!!

[@johngordonp]

5:30 - don't ignore the fact that Ace was a former Powerpuff Girls nemesis

[@arkarmz589]

Bro you're like the 17th person to make this comment. I didn't mention it cause I didn't think it mattered enough

[@ericwood3709]

Thank you! I love the music and videos but have long been baffled by the apparent story going on behind the scenes.

[@royliber3824]

Im still surprised that after 20 something years in the making, Gorillaz still manages to surprise us with new song ideas and new sounds in general we haven't really listened to before in music. Song Machine by itself is genius type of art that really do works when you blend in fitting stuff together. Im not a big fan of the album but its definitely something to be inspired from.

[@Glitch-sg3lc]

"I'm never doing something like this again" Gorillaz: Here take this * produces Cracker island *

[@shane1718]

I love how it takes hours for someone to explain the lore, but only takes this guy 8 minutes

[@TheAbsoluteCYNical]

6:49 *“and becomes a sad boi.”* 💀

[@fuwafuwa4016]

It doesn't knock out his eyes, it fills them with blood. 8-ball fractures

[@theanonymousotaku6340]

I feel there should be an ultimate fan gathering to create a show or film for Gorillaz and the potential adventures and whackiness they'd get in to. Like their upbringings, how they met Ace, what happened in between albums, even one off things that can be interpreted as canon or non canon but all have that same vibe

[@redacted1707]

Thank you! I’ve always listened to their songs but I never knew there was actual lore. My older brother used to play some of the songs when I was little so watching the videos and looking at the art style never fails to give me some of that good o’ nostalgia.

[@charlizelanozo671]

0:09 yes stu IS an absolute hunk

[@staymad_lolzzzz]

He is lol

[@cantthinkofabettername6758]

well gawd damn, a lore explanation video that's up to date, doesn't drag on without missing any crucial information, and has good narration. big fan

[@Spacefan-s6m]

They should make a movie about this

[@deep-seapansexual8271]

it doesn't knock out his eye, he just has an 8-ball fracture, his eyes are both still there

[@stevenobrien7686]

2-D didn’t lose his eyes. He got an “eight ball fracture” in both of them which is why they look like that. In the 3D animated videos it’s easier to tell that there’s eyeballs there.

[@timtambigham9513]

I love this!!! Murdock gets some of the bullet points twisted. Russel actually knew where noodle was as she left and she told him the plans of her escape. She actually knew about the copter ambush and used it as an escape route to meet back up with Russel. Russel knew where to go when he left to go find her. And also Murdock knew 2D was at the store and knew he was a "genius pianist" and noise maker so he smashed into him on purpose and he had been to the store multiple times before the attack. The second time wasn't on purpose. There were several homes they lived in that played a role in their albums. Like the house haunted by Gorillas and how it connected them to the recording label and their obligations. There was a floating plastic island that served as sort of a vacation spot that they claimed was "unfindable". Many many other things. Love this.

[@angelicanavarro5311]

Thank you for giving me a new rabbit hole to go down.

[@pr.samueleich8721]

Look their music is great, but the lore is like they gave a bunch of 9 year olds crack and made them come up with something

[@Square1nes]

Also the other bassist Ace is the guy from powerpuff girls 💀

[@faiwyfloss]

great job putting this crazy hunk of story in an easy and short video that is also entertaining and fun to watch. my mind is blown

[@wisdomax2891]

i have only ever listened to two of their songs and yet i feel emotionally attached to these characters now

[@ashtmslf2315]

Replacing Russel with a drum machine is so realistic is hurts

[@tacitusmiscellaneus4432]

Russel not his muscles but percussion he provides

[@normalhuman1586]

If you space out on any part of the lore you'd think he's talking about something completely different "So this guy wants to start a band... Now he has the ghost of all his friends in his body but only... So this FedEx shipping container has a small girl inside... So the unknown horseman of the apocalypse named flatulence has summoned an army of pirates, crashed world war 2 planes, and a zombie whale on this island made of plastic."

[@certifiedghost4652]

omg THANK YOU 🙏 no matter how hard i try i cannot understand song machine

[@ChaoGardenLover]

This video is what got me to look into Gorillaz after months of being curious, now I’m obsessed with them lol. Thanks for this video🔥

[@Footwater]

I love the commentary, it feels like a friend is just talking about something they really like

[@PENGYSWAREHOUSEOFFICIAL]

People: if you get hit by a car you won’t survive! *2-D survives just with one eye knocked out*

[@sighm4382]

Give this man some kind of award for being able of doing this video, wow

[@imsocutiepie]

loved gorillaz since i was 10

[@TheEaster_Bunny17]

Same

[@Lunrbatzz]

I’ve literally just gotten into Gorrilaz and wasn’t about to sit through hours of music videos I don’t even know the order to so this was very much needed thank you

[@JP_IN_TX]

Loved the coverage and your personality made the video. Excellent job.

[@RamChop451]

You forgot to add that Ace is a member of the gangreen gang from power puff girls, officially placing Gorillaz in the puff universe, which also exists within Samurai Jack

[@buh3746]

you just got someone with adhd to stare at the screen for 8 minutes straight without looking away for a second

[@tiiye]

also that murdoc did a pact with the devil so he's band would be popular and thats why whe has a red nail and eye ;) **btw man u explained everything so clearly wow

[@ChrisTheClikkie]

I would hug noodle tho😭 i need a friend like her

[@jessaminemanchester]

Thank you so much for this, I've seen a lot of videos explaining the lore for the earlier albums but this is the first video that included the now now and song machine!

[@ch3m1c4l_c0ff1n]

Thank u so much😭 I've loved gorillaz music and fanbase for a while but I never knew the lore until now :)

[@DUSKvsDAWN]

been a gorillaz fan for a few years or so so i kinda knew the lore, but you explained it so much easier than anyone else. and in such a short amount of time too. well done.

[@CalebCard7]

Bro, you’re a hero for this 😩

[@tomasschumat3479]

For a small channel, I say you did a good job

[@isaacdanoob2434]

As an incredibly casual Gorillaz listener who wasn’t even aware there was lore, this was all a confusing experience

[@Frostgiantbutsmall]

Bro you got straight to the point and actually just explained it, big props

[@AltJGirl]

This sounds like an acid trip mixed with fun vibey music.

[@tot3mpted]

on some anniversary shit they should make a movie for their story line while also continuing it with music

[@CSCSounds]

Please! Please do something like this again. Phenomenal!

[@2dense967]

WAIT DESOLÈ WAS FILMED ON COMO LAKE?! I LIVE THERE THAT JUST MAKES ME SO HAPPY

[@PaolaMercado-q2s]

“Thank u Arkarmz589” we all say in union

[@purplesam2609]

"I know another green guy" bruh that's exactly what happened

[@sockomo7149]

When 2D came back for Murdoc I started to tear up 😅 they’ve just been through so much together, like murdoc was the villian of the story but forgiven in the end