Russel (Gorillaz)
Encyclopedia
Russel Hobbs is a member of the virtual band Gorillaz
. He provides the drums for the band. He, like all other Gorillaz members, was created by Damon Albarn
and Jamie Hewlett
.
, but was forcibly removed when he mauled several other students as a result of demonic possession
. After being expelled, the possession and the anxiety sent young Russel into a coma. He would not wake for another four years, at which time a man called Father Merrin exorcised
the demon inhabiting Russel's body.
Unable to return to the Xavier School, Russel was sent to a school in Brooklyn, in which many students were practised in the numerous fields of hip hop. Much of his hip hop prowess comes from a bizarre but violent incident involving a drive-by shooting
that killed all of his friends from the fictional Brooklyn High School in New York City. Following the shooting, the spirits of all of Russel's friends took residence in Russel's body and have possessed him at unpredictable moments ever since. The most prominent of these spirits was Russel's best friend, Del, who was based on and voiced by Del tha Funkee Homosapien. Del appears as a blue, rapping
ghost
in such videos as "Clint Eastwood
" and "Rock the House
." Russel believes the reason for his frequent spiritual inhabitations is because he "vibrates at that frequency."
During the tours after the release of Gorillaz' debut album
, Russel was the first and only band member to notice that Noodle
was acting strangely because she was having strange dreams involving her mysterious past.
During the band hiatus, Russel went through a terrible trauma in late 2003. Del's soul was ripped out of Russel by the Grim Reaper in late 2003 and Russel, a mere shell of his former self, took a year to recover. Shortly after the exorcism Russel took refuge in Ike Turner's
basement where he began making an album called: "The Seventh Heaven Hip Hop and Harmony Album." It was cancelled due to paranormal activities around the songs themselves. He was the last to return to Kong Studios. When he did return, the band was startled at the fact that his already large proportions had doubled or even tripled.
After the El Mañana conspiracy, 2-D
and Russel were frantic about their guitarist Noodle's
supposed death. It was a hoax, however, and the band has once again gone separate ways. It would not last too long, as it was promised by Murdoc in the autobiography Rise of the Ogre
that their biggest project to date is apparently being planned. Russel was, according to Murdoc, "all good, too. He's still stitching together his taxidermy army of undead animals and practising his drums, but I think he's getting into production. It's a great role for him because his knowledge of music's just too big for him to be stuck behind a drum kit."
On 31 October 2007, in an official mail-out, Murdoc said that, "Russel is exploring his inner demons somewhere in Brooklyn.”
Russel has not made many photo appearances since the initiation of Phase 3 and the announcement of Plastic Beach
. However, what these photos do show is that Russel appears to have grown to literally giant proportions, and has lost the hats he usually wore during Phase 2, but has otherwise not changed very much. Jamie Hewlett
explained in the Making of Plastic Beach DVD that his gigantic size was a result of eating massive amounts of polluted material while swimming to Plastic Beach, causing him to swell up into his giant state. A Phase 3 character identity was released before the release of Plastic Beach, depicting Russel stomping across a pier in rage and diving into the ocean, headed towards Plastic Beach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmqPaqRM8sw. It appears, from his remarkable absence in videos and pictures, that Murdoc did not intend to invite Russel back to Gorillaz for Plastic Beach. It was later revealed in a scrawled note by Russell that he believes demons (whether they are real or in his head is unknown) convinced him to jump into the sea.
In the music video On Melancholy Hill, Russel has grown extremely large (to the size of a whale) because of the pollution in the water, that he reportedly ate along the way to Plastic Beach. And is shown lifting Noodle's lifeboat with her in it on his head. Also he is seen bringing Noodle to Plastic Beach in the storyboard for the music video of Rhinestone Eyes.
On 9 March 2010, he was voted the third most sexy cartoon musician of all-time by Nerve.com.http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/2010/03/09/the-ten-sexiest-cartoon-musicians
, and traumatism, most likely Xanax; Murdoc (unsuccessfully) tries to calm down Russel during an interview in We Are the Dury by telling him to "Pop another Xanax" and later in the same interview, Russel talks about how his medication was wearing off during the recording of "White Light" on the album 'Demon Days
', resulting in the erratic and violent drumming heard during the track. Similar odd or funny stories are tied to other tracks on the two Gorillaz albums: for example, the "El Mañana" track's rhythm was apparently born from Russel sitting on a drum machine.
He is laid-back for the most part, almost melancholy most of the time, but has very little patience for Murdoc's antics and 2D's
idiocy. He is often the one who has to solve discrepancies between his bandmates, and has often been forced to stick up for his ridiculed and abused bandmate 2D (despite bullying 2D himself, on several occasions). When Russel discovered Murdoc having sex with 2D's girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend), Paula Cracker, he punched Murdoc in the face and fractured his nose. He also claims that he will do anything to protect Noodle
and the two have a close bond with each other. He is sensitive about his admittedly massive weight, which is apparently the result of a wheat allergy
. Russel often calls Murdoc "Mudz" and 2D "D".
Russel's hobbies include food, eating, cooking, taxidermy
and athletic shoe
. Russel is a noted expert on music, not just Hip Hop. He recently put his taxidermy skills to good use by creating "Animal Kwackers", in which the user creates his or her own hybrid animal using an assortment of body parts (the legs section includes wheels) and, if they desire, name it and add it to a worldwide gallery. The reason for this is explained in the last two thirds of the Intro, which mention helping Russel to create an army of beasts. Also, when Gorillaz was featured on MTV Cribs
, Russel was seen hammering something onto the "hot rod warthog" seen in the Animal Kwackers Intro. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mL19xFGkIo
Character appearance
Russel seems to be Murdoc's height (5'10') but is larger than him and 2D due to his weight. His eyes are a milky white which has resulted from his numerous possessions from demons and Del.
Russel became angry at Murdoc for not inviting him to help make the Plastic Beach album. In his furious state he wrote what seemed to be a suicide note stating that the demons have chased him down and had forced his heavy hip-hop hand, and that he needed to get to the calm of the brimy deep of the ocean. He even wrote down the code word 'Ocean Bacon' which was how Noodle got her memory back.
"This is it. The time has come. The demons have chased me down and now forced my heavyweight hip hop hand. I need to get there. The expanse, the calm of the eternal briny deep. The Ocean. . The ..Ocean..b.bacon. So this is it...... Throw myself into the sea. X Russel Hobbs...."
Russel's note on his profile page
In the 'On Melancholy Hill' music video he is shown rising up from the water with Noodle ending up on top of his head facing Point Nemo. In the 'Rhinestone Eyes' music video, he and Noodle reach Plastic Beach where there's a battle going on. At the end of it, Russel is shown leaning against the island looking down at everyone and he opens his mouth to reveal Noodle who steps out and lifts her mask up showing her face.
does Russel's speaking voice, Cass Browne
does his drum work.
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
. He provides the drums for the band. He, like all other Gorillaz members, was created by Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
and Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, on 3 June 1975, Russel Hobbs was a well-spoken, considerate and respectful child. However, trouble seemed to linger around him. Originally, Russel attended The Xavier School For Gifted YoungstersX-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
, but was forcibly removed when he mauled several other students as a result of demonic possession
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
. After being expelled, the possession and the anxiety sent young Russel into a coma. He would not wake for another four years, at which time a man called Father Merrin exorcised
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
the demon inhabiting Russel's body.
Unable to return to the Xavier School, Russel was sent to a school in Brooklyn, in which many students were practised in the numerous fields of hip hop. Much of his hip hop prowess comes from a bizarre but violent incident involving a drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
that killed all of his friends from the fictional Brooklyn High School in New York City. Following the shooting, the spirits of all of Russel's friends took residence in Russel's body and have possessed him at unpredictable moments ever since. The most prominent of these spirits was Russel's best friend, Del, who was based on and voiced by Del tha Funkee Homosapien. Del appears as a blue, rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
in such videos as "Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood (song)
"Clint Eastwood" is a song by Gorillaz. It was released as the first single from their debut album in March 2001. It peaked at #4 in the UK and #57 in the US on 11 September 2001. The single has sold 480,000 copies in the UK according to the Official UK Charts Company. The song is a mix of...
" and "Rock the House
Rock the House
"Rock the House" is a song from the Gorillaz self-titled debut album, Gorillaz. It was released as the third single from the album in October 2001. It peaked at #18 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is one of the more hip hop-oriented songs on the album, along with "Clint Eastwood"...
." Russel believes the reason for his frequent spiritual inhabitations is because he "vibrates at that frequency."
During the tours after the release of Gorillaz' debut album
Gorillaz (album)
Gorillaz is the debut album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released in March 2001. It includes the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House" and "Tomorrow Comes Today"...
, Russel was the first and only band member to notice that Noodle
Noodle (Gorillaz)
Noodle is a musician and member of the virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the guitar and keyboard, as well as some main and backing vocals for the band. She, like all other Gorillaz members, was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett...
was acting strangely because she was having strange dreams involving her mysterious past.
During the band hiatus, Russel went through a terrible trauma in late 2003. Del's soul was ripped out of Russel by the Grim Reaper in late 2003 and Russel, a mere shell of his former self, took a year to recover. Shortly after the exorcism Russel took refuge in Ike Turner's
Ike Turner
Isaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...
basement where he began making an album called: "The Seventh Heaven Hip Hop and Harmony Album." It was cancelled due to paranormal activities around the songs themselves. He was the last to return to Kong Studios. When he did return, the band was startled at the fact that his already large proportions had doubled or even tripled.
After the El Mañana conspiracy, 2-D
2D (Gorillaz)
The fictional character Stuart Pot , better known by his stage name 2-D, also simply spelled as 2D, is a member of the British virtual band Gorillaz...
and Russel were frantic about their guitarist Noodle's
Noodle (Gorillaz)
Noodle is a musician and member of the virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the guitar and keyboard, as well as some main and backing vocals for the band. She, like all other Gorillaz members, was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett...
supposed death. It was a hoax, however, and the band has once again gone separate ways. It would not last too long, as it was promised by Murdoc in the autobiography Rise of the Ogre
Rise of the Ogre
Rise of the Ogre is an autobiography about the virtual band Gorillaz. Ostensibly written by the four band-members in collaboration with Gorillaz musician and official scribe Cass Browne, the book is 304 pages long and is extensively illustrated. It was released in the UK on 26 October 2006 by...
that their biggest project to date is apparently being planned. Russel was, according to Murdoc, "all good, too. He's still stitching together his taxidermy army of undead animals and practising his drums, but I think he's getting into production. It's a great role for him because his knowledge of music's just too big for him to be stuck behind a drum kit."
On 31 October 2007, in an official mail-out, Murdoc said that, "Russel is exploring his inner demons somewhere in Brooklyn.”
Russel has not made many photo appearances since the initiation of Phase 3 and the announcement of Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band and alternative hip hop supergroup Gorillaz, released 3 March 2010 on Parlophone and Virgin Records. Conceived from an unfinished Gorillaz project called Carousel, the album was recorded during June 2008 to November 2009 and produced...
. However, what these photos do show is that Russel appears to have grown to literally giant proportions, and has lost the hats he usually wore during Phase 2, but has otherwise not changed very much. Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
explained in the Making of Plastic Beach DVD that his gigantic size was a result of eating massive amounts of polluted material while swimming to Plastic Beach, causing him to swell up into his giant state. A Phase 3 character identity was released before the release of Plastic Beach, depicting Russel stomping across a pier in rage and diving into the ocean, headed towards Plastic Beach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmqPaqRM8sw. It appears, from his remarkable absence in videos and pictures, that Murdoc did not intend to invite Russel back to Gorillaz for Plastic Beach. It was later revealed in a scrawled note by Russell that he believes demons (whether they are real or in his head is unknown) convinced him to jump into the sea.
In the music video On Melancholy Hill, Russel has grown extremely large (to the size of a whale) because of the pollution in the water, that he reportedly ate along the way to Plastic Beach. And is shown lifting Noodle's lifeboat with her in it on his head. Also he is seen bringing Noodle to Plastic Beach in the storyboard for the music video of Rhinestone Eyes.
On 9 March 2010, he was voted the third most sexy cartoon musician of all-time by Nerve.com.http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/2010/03/09/the-ten-sexiest-cartoon-musicians
Personality
As a calm and wise member, he is known as a Mountain of madness which means he is easily angered. This may be a result of his frequent trauma from numerous possessions. His mental state has deteriorated noticeably since Del's exorcism. Despite his mental status, Russel is known to be a very eloquent speaker, largely due to the private schooling he received in his youth. Russel has also seen the Grim Reaper twice. He is on medication for his depression, psychosisPsychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
, and traumatism, most likely Xanax; Murdoc (unsuccessfully) tries to calm down Russel during an interview in We Are the Dury by telling him to "Pop another Xanax" and later in the same interview, Russel talks about how his medication was wearing off during the recording of "White Light" on the album 'Demon Days
Demon Days
Demon Days is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released in May 2005. The album features contributions from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF DOOM, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of the Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, Dennis Hopper, the London Community Gospel...
', resulting in the erratic and violent drumming heard during the track. Similar odd or funny stories are tied to other tracks on the two Gorillaz albums: for example, the "El Mañana" track's rhythm was apparently born from Russel sitting on a drum machine.
He is laid-back for the most part, almost melancholy most of the time, but has very little patience for Murdoc's antics and 2D's
2D (Gorillaz)
The fictional character Stuart Pot , better known by his stage name 2-D, also simply spelled as 2D, is a member of the British virtual band Gorillaz...
idiocy. He is often the one who has to solve discrepancies between his bandmates, and has often been forced to stick up for his ridiculed and abused bandmate 2D (despite bullying 2D himself, on several occasions). When Russel discovered Murdoc having sex with 2D's girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend), Paula Cracker, he punched Murdoc in the face and fractured his nose. He also claims that he will do anything to protect Noodle
Noodle (Gorillaz)
Noodle is a musician and member of the virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the guitar and keyboard, as well as some main and backing vocals for the band. She, like all other Gorillaz members, was created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett...
and the two have a close bond with each other. He is sensitive about his admittedly massive weight, which is apparently the result of a wheat allergy
Wheat allergy
Wheat allergy is a food allergy, but can also be a contact allergy resulting from occupational exposure. Like all allergies wheat allergy involves IgE and mast cell response. Typically the allergy is limited to the seed storage proteins of wheat, some reactions are restricted to wheat proteins,...
. Russel often calls Murdoc "Mudz" and 2D "D".
Russel's hobbies include food, eating, cooking, taxidermy
Taxidermy
Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals, including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians...
and athletic shoe
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....
. Russel is a noted expert on music, not just Hip Hop. He recently put his taxidermy skills to good use by creating "Animal Kwackers", in which the user creates his or her own hybrid animal using an assortment of body parts (the legs section includes wheels) and, if they desire, name it and add it to a worldwide gallery. The reason for this is explained in the last two thirds of the Intro, which mention helping Russel to create an army of beasts. Also, when Gorillaz was featured on MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs
MTV Cribs and CMT Cribs, depending on which channel it airs, is a franchise reality television program that originated on the MTV Networks' MTV. It later aired on its CMT channel that features tours of the houses and mansions of celebrities. The first show aired September 2000...
, Russel was seen hammering something onto the "hot rod warthog" seen in the Animal Kwackers Intro. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mL19xFGkIo
Character appearance
Russel seems to be Murdoc's height (5'10') but is larger than him and 2D due to his weight. His eyes are a milky white which has resulted from his numerous possessions from demons and Del.
Russel became angry at Murdoc for not inviting him to help make the Plastic Beach album. In his furious state he wrote what seemed to be a suicide note stating that the demons have chased him down and had forced his heavy hip-hop hand, and that he needed to get to the calm of the brimy deep of the ocean. He even wrote down the code word 'Ocean Bacon' which was how Noodle got her memory back.
"This is it. The time has come. The demons have chased me down and now forced my heavyweight hip hop hand. I need to get there. The expanse, the calm of the eternal briny deep. The Ocean. . The ..Ocean..b.bacon. So this is it...... Throw myself into the sea. X Russel Hobbs...."
Russel's note on his profile page
In the 'On Melancholy Hill' music video he is shown rising up from the water with Noodle ending up on top of his head facing Point Nemo. In the 'Rhinestone Eyes' music video, he and Noodle reach Plastic Beach where there's a battle going on. At the end of it, Russel is shown leaning against the island looking down at everyone and he opens his mouth to reveal Noodle who steps out and lifts her mask up showing her face.
Performers
Remi Kabaka Jr.Remi Kabaka
Remi Kabaka is a Nigerian drummer who has performed with Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood, John Martyn, Hugh Masekela, on Rhythm of the Saints by Paul Simon, Short Cut Draw Blood by Jim Capaldi and on Band on the Run by Paul McCartney. His London-based son, also called Remi Kabaka, provided the voice of...
does Russel's speaking voice, Cass Browne
Cass Browne
Cass Browne was a member of the band The Psychotics who became the Senseless Things in 1986. The Senseless Things had a couple of top 20 hits and many other singles in their nine years together, they split up in 1995. Jamie Hewlett was a big fan of the band and designed many of their sleeves...
does his drum work.