Former BLUR frontman DAMON ALBARN formed his virtual band GORILLAZ because he was growing bored of the music industry.
Visual artist Jamie Hewlett and Albarn were so fed up with the state of the music industry in the late 1990s they decided to create an animated music group.
Hewlett explains, "We'd spend hours watching MTV and wondering why everything was so terrible. "I think Damon was tired of being the frontman for Blur, and I was aghast at how boring most pop groups are when they're interviewed.
"(We thought:) 'Look at them, on television, all sat on the couch with nothing to say.' So we said, 'Let's make up a fake band.'" (PAW/WNSOBS/LJ) WENN - SECOND - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 22 JULY 2008