No Gorillaz for 'Glee,' says lead singer Damon Albarn

Not everyone is a fan of “Glee.” Coldplay eventually came around, but Gorillaz, the band behind tunes such as “Feel Good Inc.,” “Dare” and “Clint Eastwood,” won't be doing the same, lead singer Damon Albarn told the Associated Press recently.

“We wouldn't let that happen,” said Albarn of allowing the show to use the band's music. “And not that they've asked us because they haven't, and now they definitely won't.”

So why is Albarn so against the Fox hit? Albarn calls the song covers featured on the show “a very poor substitute for the real thing.” He also brushes off the show's recent accomplishment of surpassing the Beatles for the most appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by a non-solo act.

“Those songs won't last like the Beatles' by any stretch of their imagination,” he told the AP. “They'll be forgotten in a few years' time.”

Readers, do you agree with Albarn? Is there a Gorillaz song you would have liked to hear on “Glee”?

— Vlada Gelman (follow my TV musings on Twitter at @stayingin)

Photo: Damon Albarn in London on Sept. 7. Credit: Luke MacGregor / Reuters.

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Comments

[Shippy]

Good move. If I hear one more good song ruined by kidz bop for adults I may puke. And they beat out the Beatles? Sure, because they sing such original music. They're really making such a difference for our generation's music by covering every song ever made...poorly and the majority in acappella. Please spare me Glee.

[Amy Katz]

I agree with Damon that the Beatles will be remember for a lot longer and by more people than Glee will - on the other hand, Glee will be remembered for a lot longer and by more people than Damon and G0rillaz!!

[Gordy]

Never heard of this group but it sure sounds like sour lemons to me. They've never asked them to cover any of their songs so go to the media and cry about it.

[sophie]

Glee is over-hyped, top 40, mainstream drivel for the Grammy (granny) masses - very similar to Lady Gaga, actually. Gorillaz keep it real. I hope all my favorite artists do the same as Damon.

A fan

[T.moko]

I like Glee and Gorillaz. And YES, I agree with Damon 100 %!!

[Ted]

Who is GORILLZA?

[mg]

Too many of you are reacting as though he was seeking out a reporter to blurt out his opinion. Lets try to imagine there was probably a question posed to him about the show and if he would be interested. Afterall, at the moment, this is a popular question for reporters to ask real musicians.

[Dorothy]

I think he's missing the boat here. When they sing these songs on the show, they capture a whole new audience and that could sell Gorillaz tunes!

[Mrs. Damon Albarn]

To those of you who are questioning why Damon felt the need to share this information, I'm sure he was asked directly if he would allow Gorillaz songs to be used/if he'd like to see Gorillaz songs on Glee. Almost every musician is being asked that question these days. He definitely wouldn't bring this up out of the blue without being asked about it; he doesn't care enough about Glee to bring it up himself! His answer is just taken from a larger interview., which I'm hoping will show up sometime soon.

[Rabbitt777]

Dear Gorillaz - Thank you so much for informing the world that you're too important to be featured on ridiculous primetime musical melodrama TV. As a person who enjoys Glee because it's goofy and some of the covers are fun and updated, I completely see your point. How absolutely debasing it would be for your musical genius to be portrayed in such a manner. Perish the thought. But here's something important for you to chew on: since 2001, I've purchased exactly one (1) of your songs from iTunes. Since Sept. 2009, I've purchased twenty-three (23) of Glee's songs. I doubt I'm the exception to the rule.
Lesson to be learned here: if you can't say something nice, perhaps it's best to say nothing at all. Most Sincerely & Respectfully - A Person who Now Thinks Y'all are a Bunch of Wankers

[GleeSux]

I'm glad to here Gorillaz is selective in who can use their music. It would be different if the originals were being used not remakes. While they don't have the following of say U2, they still have a large audience and it's an audience that doesn't like their bands selling out to anyone. In a few years Glee will go away and Gorillaz tunes will still be played somewhere.

[Dave]

I liked the first half of season 1 of Glee. The show started with a strong sense of humor and a light-hearted, fun look at a high school glee club.
Then, the second half of Season 1 and Season 2 came along with a preachy, leftist, melodramatic feel, and completely lost me. I only see bits and pieces now because my wife is still a fan, but I can't handle the constant preaching and trite, simplistic points being made on tolerance, homophobia, and racism; without any clever, compelling, or even funny spin to make the points resonate.
I hope the show completely fails at this point, because it has no magic left, and is simply a vehicle for profiting off of the musical talents of others. How can the cast of Glee be credited with topping the Beatles?! They didn't write ANY of the songs! This is ridiculous!
Besides, the covers they perform aren't particularly inventive either. It's not like they're drastically re-arranging or enhancing any of these songs; they're just singing them. Big friggin deal. Get any high school choir, or Glee club for that matter, together and you could get the same product.
I can't believe I just wrote this much on Glee, but I was bored.

[Rosie]

What I find particularily amusing about this "story", is how the headlines get consecutively more sensationalized (but note: Not so with L.A. Times) as the day goes on, starting with something like, "Albarn wouldn't consider 'Glee' collaboration" to "Albarn and Hewlett dance The Tarantella on sitcom recording, while squealing with maniacal 'Glee'!"

Albarn has opinions--thoughtful opinions--about celebrity, war, music, the arts and the industries that try to play "puppet-master" over them. If a journalist asks for his opinion on something, he'll likely give it. "Gorillaz"--a very creative and original musical and art concept--is a direct challenge to a distorted system that makes and destroys celebrity, while attempting to claim sole control of and dictatorship over the creative output and concepts of artists. "Gorillaz" is a cheeky challenge to resource-powered tyranny, where market readers tell artists what they are allowed to create, based entirely on what they think will sell best. It's an attempt at claiming someone else's creativity or talents, by way of professional manipulation and domination. A "Svengali" relationship.

What "Gorillaz" proved, is that creative work can be original and representative of the artists that create it, marketed for what it is and still be popular. To those who say they've "never heard of 'em", you must've missed their recent "Plastic Beach" album releasing at #2 on U.S. charts. Maybe you don't know exactly who is behind the work, but their music and concept has already subconsciously reached you. "Gorillaz" are everywhere. And I can assure you, they are awesome.

And Albarn's right: "Glee" is unlikely to sustain listeners, just like a bag of cheese curls isn't a proper replacement for real food. They both have their own quirky appeal and there's a time and place for cheese curls, but "Glee"'s charm is in its unironic artiface and total reliance on someone else' original music (as one commentor put it elsewhere: "Glorified karaoke"). The fluffy tributes by 'Glee" might be fun, but are "no substitute for the real thing"-- the original music, created and developed by the original artists. He's not kicking "Glee" out of the club, he just doesn't seem to believe a manufactured program can replace the work that other people have made in a more personal, creative process. If "Glee" releases totally original music at some point and it becomes as popular as songs from "The Beatles", than he'd likely award them the same respect.

"Gorillaz" is a different animal from "Glee" and that's okay. The problem comes when people who want to make money from something, try to force creative work into the wrong "box" for the sake of turning a profit. Albarn won't do that and he's spent enough time in the industry and from the vantage point of celebrity, to understand how important it is to stand true to that conviction. If you don't challenge the "beast" (the manufactured-arts-industry-celeb-o-matic), it will consume you and become strong enough to devour all others who dare to challenge it.

[Andrew]

I'm seeing a lot of comments that Albarn is just trying to capitalize on the fame of the TV series with this statement, but we should all keep in mind is that the series itself has done nothing but capitalize on already established icons of the music industry.

[Lola]

Considering that Glee is boring and the acting is pathetic, I think that it's an insult to have your song on that show. I agree with Alburn, it's a poor substitution for real music and to have any song by the Gorillaz would be insulting. I'm not even sure why that show is popular, but I know I'm insulted just hearing them ruin good music.

[KZinCC]

If you hate glee, why are you reading a blog about it? Oh, and Mr. right wing? Wasamatta? Glee lost you when the naked guy stopped singing Journey in the shower ? Sorry, but someone's gotta preach the love and understanding because the other side is preaching hate and division.

[merryjoe]

"Those songs won't last like the Beatles' by any stretch of their imagination"

Uh, those "songs" have already lasted. Glee is doing mostly classic songs that have already been around 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years or more.

Maybe Mr. Gorillaz means those "covers" won't last like the originals. In which case no one would dispute the obvious. Duh.

[courtney showen]

i love the gorillaz & glee. but glee would of ruined gorillaz songs. straight up. :D

[Jacob]

I love Glee. I also love the Gorillaz. However I don't think the Gorillaz would work on Glee. I cant imagine ANY character from Glee singing say Feel Good Ink or Clint Eastwood. It just doesn't work. By the Way I saw the Gorillaz concert last sunday at the Target Center it was AWESOME!!!!

[Nicole]

Ilm also really curious why he felt the need to announce this if he was never asked. Who cares ig glee songs don't compare to the real thing. Gyess what?! They aren't supposed to! This show is an awesome way to share music while creating tv entertainment. These artists need to stop thinking that glee is tying to live up to them and get over themselves.