Idea for virtual band

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 – there’s nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a virtual band, something that would be a comment on that.” 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.” The band originally identified themselves as “Gorilla” and the first song they recorded was “Ghost Train”, which was later released as a B-side on their single ” Rock the House “. The band’s visual style is thought to have evolved from The 16s , a rejected comic strip Hewlett conceived with the Tank Girl co-creator Alan Martin . 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 “, which was released for their fifth studio album Blur .