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Because of the nature of the site, an official fansite,, was created to hold the standard band website information, including news, a discography and the band's touring schedules. Each member also had his or her own computer which contained pictures, samples used in various Gorillaz songs, their favorite websites and their e-mail inboxes. Each room also had bonus surprises and games to play: for example, the lobby had a remix machine, the cafeteria contained the message board on the wall and Murdoc's Winnebago (accessible only by using the enhanced section of the Gorillaz album) contained a voodoo doll of 2D. Inside, you could browse through each member's bedroom, their recording environment and even the hallways and bathrooms. The band's official website,, was a virtual representation of Kong Studios, the band's fictional studio and home. Promo outlets circulated a promotional booklet to promote the fictional backstory behind the cartoon band. The Gorillaz were very well received in the UK underground music scene and generated a lot of word-of-mouth advertising, as well as a large shroud of mystery over who was behind Gorillaz and what could be expected from the band in the months to come. The trio of musicians behind Gorillaz' first incarnation included Damon Albarn, Del the Funky Homosapien and Dan the Automator. 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" and the B-side compilation G Sides. So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that," Hewlett has said. The idea to create Gorillaz came about when the two were watching MTV: "If you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell – there's nothing of substance there. Albarn and Hewlett started sharing a flat on Westbourne Grove in London in 1997. The interview was published in Deadline magazine, home of Hewlett's comic series, Tank Girl. Phase One: Celebrity Take Down (1999-2003)ĭamon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett first met in 1990 when Graham Coxon, a fan of Hewlett's work, asked him to interview Blur, which was a band both Albarn and Coxon and had recently formed.