Gorillaz: Rise of the Ogre (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "'The best thing about being a celebrity is that you can bore the crap out of people and they think it's their fault..." (more)
Key Phrases: chart position, bonus track, radio edit, Kong Studios, Good Inc, Jamie Hewlett (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

How do you write a fake biography of a fake band? With style, writer and Gorillaz touring drummer Browne and comic book illustrator Jamie Hewlett, along with the design collective Zombie Fresh Eaters, answer back lustily. Gorillaz are a music/art hybrid masterminded by Hewlett and Blur frontman Damon Albarn, a veritable cartoon supergroup made up of mountainous B-boy Russel Hobbs, Japanese girl guitarist Noodle, metal-worshipping bassist Murdoc, and hollow-eyed, angular vocalist 2D. They are a genuine pop sensation, with millions of albums of dub/hip-hop/punk sold and concerts mixing animation and live musicians. Rise covers all that but from the "perspective" of the band, with the human creators cast as bit players and the focus squarely on the rise, fall, and rise of four scrappy toonz. The book is equal parts graphic novel, design catalog, and spoof of Steven Davis's Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga, characteristics that easily make it the best-in-the-moment biography of snobs, and devotees of great British art pranks alike will devour it whole. Recommended for libraries of all stripes. -- Library Journal, November 15, 2006

Product Description

"I tell you what, right, I can guarantee you're going to get some real juicy bits of Gorillaz info. I'll probably slag off loads of people, too. It'll be packed full of great shots from the sets of our videos, gigs, rehearsals, interviews...you name it. It's all in there. So place your order up front kids, this book going to be a scorcher!" - Gorillaz bass-slayer Murdoc Nicalls. This stunning, full-colour hardback will be the most unique rock autobiography ever published. Gorillaz have always been as much about the visuals as they are about the music, and the autobiography will be a feast for the eyes. Featuring brand new art from and designed by Jamie Hewlett, this is the full story of Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel Hobbs for the first time. Included will be their emailing with their motley crew of collaborators, from Ike Turner to Sean Ryder, and accounts of the gigs, the movie (for the first time), the videos and the website - including the low down on Kong Studios, their legendary HQ. It is an essential purchase for a legion of fans.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (November 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594489319
• ISBN-13: 978-1594489310
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #111,465 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead or Alive the G-band will live forever!, November 13, 2006

By	Seyton "Chaotic Soul" (Chicaaawgaa!) - See all my reviews

There's really two ways of looking at this "biography". One from a pre-production, writing and illustrative standpoint. It's an amazing piece of work put together for what some call a "fictional band".

The second way is reading this as if it were all true. And believe me you will think it is. The band is so well written, you start to think, "Oh Murdoc is a great lyricist!" But then you think, wait, it's really Albarn who did the writing. Bits like this help you enjoy this book twice as much as if you would only see it as one or the other.

And I have to say this is quite a bio. While they could have gone and made a quick small book with existing artwork, they laboured in creating a genesis of a band showcasing every little minute detail in their lives to the present. And I love it. I love little details like these. You fall in love with the band even more.

The book explores their origins, their loves and hates, they're issues, victories, writing lyrics, creating videos, collaborating (with the ppl that actually took part in creating the band), photo shoots, romances, affairs, hauntings etc, arguing and discussing every thing while showing pictures of them every step of the way.

And they really are meant as "photos" of them. They've taken this to a new level. Where once one could easily turn themselves into a cartoon for the sake of a video, a cartoon here has literally become real, solid, tangible. Do you really want to know that 3 people played the part of Russel? Not including his voice? Or that 3 or 4 ladies did the voice and vocals for Noodle while others played the guitar parts? I certainly really don't. While I know most of the "real" background info on them, I much rather prefer to believe them as real people.

But it's easy to see the underlying notes throughout the book give little hints and glimpses of the real story, with the real people that brought it together, but it's so subtle you'll kindly smile because they did this so well it doesn't interrupt the pacing of the book at all.

But remember you love Kermit the Frog and Gonzo for them, not because it's Jim Henson and Frank Oz moving them.

So if you're a fan of the Gorillaz, this is a must have. If you're a fan of great pop art, great storytelling, and great music this is a must have as well. The Gorillaz can't be considered the "best" animated band, because technically they really are the only animated band. But at the same time, they shouldn't be considered that either.

They're really just another band. They put on shows, they do interviews, they do photo shoots they get drunk, they get beat up etc. Because in the end the music is what it's all about. And watching them live and create is a luxury all fans and spectators get to have.

*Get the accompanying DVD Slowboat to Hades and the new vinyl figures from Kid Robot out now as well if you're a die hard fan like meself!*

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Rise' Above, November 12, 2006

By	Rita Lippman "Gorillazbuffalo" (Kong Studios) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gorillaz, the best animated band in the multicolor world, have released an awesome hardcover, 300 page, thick-enough-to-kill-someone-if-you-knocked-them-over-the-head book, written, of course, by themselves. 2D, Murdoc, Russel, and Noodle all have stuff to say, and they don't hold back on saying it (what do you expect? They're cartoons.) This lavishlly illustrated... er... photographed book is amazing. The drawings... er... photos show parts of Gorillaz you've never seen, and they all have wonderful things to show, tell, and elaborate on. It's a wonderful book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!, November 2, 2006

By	D. Krug "Super-Rad!" (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is so amazing! It has some of the best illustrations I have ever seen in any book, even comics. It also has some of the best stories and written material I have seen in a book in a long time. I am amazed at the rich backgrounds that the creators have made up for these characters. The first page in the book is about Murdoc when he was a little kid and his dad forced him to act like Pinnochio and sing "I've Got No Strings". This book is absolutely amazing! It's a must have.