Gorillaz Introduce New Member of Animated Band

"The Evangelist"

Jamie Hewlett/ Gorillaz.com

The Gorillaz have embraced one of the unique advantages of being a cartoon band — by making up a brand new band member with the help of their fans.

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In November, Gorillaz masterminds Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett provided a vague description of the new character called the Evangelist and invited fans to submit their own designs. After over 5,000 submissions and five rounds of public voting, a design by a fan with the username jirouta was selected and redrawn by Hewlett.

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The final design for the Evangelist by Hewlett is perhaps best described as a surreal nightmare creature. It has an emaciated, elongated, bloodshot androgynous humanoid figure, enormous clawed hands, cyclops octopuses attached to its arms, and a fishbowl full of eyes and tentacles for a head. It's not as cute as other members of the animated band, but it's definitely the one most likely to impress — or freak out — a little kid.

Gorillaz Add New Cartoon Member [Pitchfork]

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Song Stories

“Push It”

Salt-N-Pepa | 1987

Originating as a B side to their cover of the Stax classic “Tramp,” Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandi “Pepa” Denton and Dee Dee “DJ Spinderella” Roper came up with the goods on this career-making, Grammy-nominated platinum single about working it on the dancefloor. “Push It” has been sampled and spliced to death since it debuted in 1987, yet the original track is as fresh and fly as when SNP — among the few original women of hip-hop — debuted it. “Most men will never believe ‘Push It’ was never about sex,” said James. “And that’s why the record went to Number One,” said Denton. “Everybody thought it was about sex.”

More Song Stories entries »

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