Editing Gorillaz (section)

===Creation (1998–2000)===
{{multiple image
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| image1            = Damon Albarn Performing.jpg
| image2            = Jamie Hewlett in 2014 signing copies of "The Cream of Tank Girl" at a Tank Girl lecture at the British Library- 2014-07-03 08-13.jpg
| footer            = Musician [[Damon Albarn]] and artist [[Jamie Hewlett]], the co-creators of Gorillaz
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Musician [[Damon Albarn]] and comic artist [[Jamie Hewlett]] met in 1990 when guitarist [[Graham Coxon]], a fan of Hewlett's work, asked him to interview [[Blur (band)|Blur]], which Albarn and Coxon had recently formed.<ref name="Elliot">{{cite journal|last=Elliot|first=Paul|date=August 2001|title=FEATURE: Damon and Jamie Interview. HEY HEY WE'RE THE MONKEYS!|url=http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/11140.html|journal=[[Q magazine|Q]]|access-date=24 April 2017|archive-date=6 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606151746/http://gorillaz-news.livejournal.com/11140.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The interview was published in [[Deadline (magazine)|''Deadline'']], home of Hewlett's comic strip ''[[Tank Girl]]''. Hewlett initially thought Albarn was "arsey, a wanker". Though Hewlett became acquaintances with the band, he and Albarn often clashed, especially after Hewlett began seeing Coxon's ex-girlfriend Jane Oliver.<ref name=Elliot /> Despite this, Albarn and Hewlett started sharing a flat on [[Westbourne Grove]] in London in 1997.<ref>{{cite journal |first = Chris |last = Heath |author-link = Chris Heath |date = November 2007 |url = http://www.vblurpage.com/articles/stories/q_07.htm |title = The 21 People Who Changed Music: Damon Albarn |journal = [[Q (magazine)|Q]] |page = 87 |access-date = 24 April 2017 |archive-date = 25 April 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170425121737/http://www.vblurpage.com/articles/stories/q_07.htm |url-status = dead }}</ref> Hewlett had recently broken up with Oliver and Albarn was at the end of his highly publicised relationship with [[Justine Frischmann]] of [[Elastica]].<ref name=Elliot />

The idea to create Gorillaz came about when Albarn and Hewlett were watching [[MTV]]. Hewlett said, "If you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell&nbsp;– there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a virtual band, something that would be a comment on that."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.07/gorillaz.html |title=Keeping It (Un)real|access-date=5 October 2008|first=Neil|last=Gaiman|author-link=Neil Gaiman|date=July 2005|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105225835/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.07/gorillaz.html|archive-date=5 January 2010|url-status=live}}<!-- Page 2 archive URL: https://www.webcitation.org/5mqkDI6O2?url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.07/gorillaz.html?pg%3D2%26topic%3Dgorillaz%26topic_set%3D --></ref> Albarn said: "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."<ref>{{Cite AV media|author=Hot 97|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gogOkQ2GsuI|title=Gorillaz Share The Secret Behind Their Animations, Friction & New Album|type=video|via=YouTube|time=1:42|access-date=24 August 2022|date=28 April 2017|archive-date=13 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713103845/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gogOkQ2GsuI&t=132s|url-status=live}}</ref>

The band originally identified themselves as "Gorilla" and the first song they recorded was "Ghost Train",<ref>{{cite news|last=Macnie|first=Jim|date=9 June 2005|title=Gorillaz: Who Can It Be Now?|publisher=[[VH1]]|url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1503836/060905/gorillaz.jhtml|url-status=dead|access-date=10 October 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506223813/http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1503836/060905/gorillaz.jhtml|archive-date=6 May 2009}}</ref> which was later released as a [[B-side]] on their single "[[Rock the House (Gorillaz song)|Rock the House]]". The band's visual style is thought to have evolved from ''The 16s'', a rejected comic strip Hewlett conceived with ''Tank Girl'' co-creator [[Alan Martin (writer)|Alan Martin]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Where Tank Girl meets Snoopy |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7529278.stm |access-date=20 December 2021 |agency=BBC |archive-date=20 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220141319/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7529278.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although not released under the Gorillaz name, Albarn has said that "one of the first ever Gorillaz tunes" was Blur's 1997 single "[[On Your Own (Blur song)|On Your Own]]", which was released for their fifth studio album ''[[Blur (Blur album)|Blur]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/media/s2854145.htm|last1=McDougall|first1=Lindsay|title=Gorillaz's Damon Albarn interview (part 2)|date=23 March 2010|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=12 May 2015|archive-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518214436/http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/media/s2854145.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>