The reception of this video has been unreal! Thank you guys! If you want more Gorillaz, check out the phase one lore explained here! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/grB4e5ugl823oYU.html

"Why did Murdoc make 2-D dig so many holes?" Probably because he thought it would be funny because Murdoc is Murdoc

Russel just in his own little world is so funny

love how murdoc's literally out here selling his gamer boy bath water

If the rumors of Alex Hirsch working with Damon and Jamie for the Netflix Gorillaz movie were true, I feel like it would've been all about this cult-ish shenanigans. Alex knows how to do weird especially with proof from Gravity Falls (sadly been cancelled though...) :(

I hope Russel getting possessed means Del is coming back, but it'd be just as funny if he got possessed by a different ghost

I like how Noodle's eyes opened as she got older lol

very enjoyable video, you did a good job explaining the story of phase 7 :) though, recently, murdoc sent out a forwarded email to those who subscribed to his personal newsletter. the email is from moon flower and it explains that 1: she is lady hollodown (and her first name is eleanor) 2: she was intending on saving 2d by giving clues to the rest of the band before the events of silent running, and 3: this is why she was given a few more days of mortality after her death, the band continue to keep her in an urn seen in a new-ish magazine cover

I thought Russel getting up near the end of the Cracker island video was him snapping out of whatever trance he was in, not him getting possessed. I could be wrong of course, but that's the way I interpreted it.

Damon Albarn definitely exists in the Gorillaz Universe, as he was 2-D's vocal coach between the self-titled Gorillaz album and Demon Dayz, as well as being part of the Gorillaz tribute band. The tribute band got renamed to The Gorillaz Live Band and consisted of a bunch of people that would've showed up during the Rhinestone Eyes music video because The Boogeyman came to get his end of the bargain with Murdoc. Damon Albarn is certified Gorillaz canon.

Murdoc almost killing 2d because he rizzed mayflower is hilarious

I bought my 1st Gorillaz cd when I was 34, I'm 56 now and still listening, thank you Gorillaz for walking beside me thru these last 2 decades...I look forward to more ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Something that you missed out was possession element with 'Possession Island' and that is also connected in 'Skinny Ape'. Originally, before watching your video, my interpretation of the story was that Murdoc was trying to sell 2-D's soul to Hollywood, a.k.a the Forever Cult, and try to make profit off Gorillaz as an IP. The Forever Cult could then make a whole franchise with 2-D: cartoon TV shows, a live action movie, video games, theme park rides, toy figurines, merch, etc. That is why 2-D is wearing a Mickey Mouse-esque hat in all the music video. 'Skinny Ape', in my interpretation, is 2-D singing as he is going through a Hollywood IP exorcism ritual, where he becomes self aware of the very idea of himself and that he is just a piece of fiction. He literally becomes an Intellectual Property and nothing else. 'Possession Island' is the aftermath of the ritual, where 2-D sings about not existing anymore, but not quite dying. Like he is no longer a being but an idea of one.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking everything has a purpose or will be explained. It could happen, but it's also possible they're there for neorealist reasons of expressing reality "just because it's something that character would do." Murdoc making 2D dig holes could be metaphorical, have a purpose, or just as much be just bc lol.

So now that we got the full album and Del made his return. And he's the ghost that possessed Russ originally. Do you think he's possessing Russ again?

Skinny ape lyrics might suggest it’s 2-D spewing about him being the chosen one given the repeat of “bringing in a new age so don’t feel bad for me”

Somehow, I think we are getting that long wanted Gorillaz movie after all.... just in piecewise form🤔 maybe even better that way. Love putting the pieces together across multimedia. Also.... KUDOS for thanking Jamie first--- doesn't get nearly enough credit!🙌🙌🙌🙌

How does people understand Gorillaz' lore without watching detailed videos like this one explaining everything?

I think the fact everyone that disappeared in the cult was wearing masks is connected, maybe the masks had the power of the moster. (You can see Noodle with a book about masks in 3:59) And also think somehow Murdoc knew about some entity being underground and asked 2D to dig holes so they could find it

Isn't there any relationship between the monster in silent running and the monster who destroyed Plastic Beach? I thought that they were one and the same when I saw the video the first time, but I haven't heard anyone else make the comparison. I hope I'm right in this theory, as it would connect the last two phases and give some weight to the relatively poor depth of lore that was presented during the song machine. At least it would imply that some events of phase 6 had an impact on the development of the characters instead of only being an episodic collection of unrelated stories.

It was 2000 I was 7 and I first heard Gorillaz. I fell in love with them. Now I'm 30 and they are still making music, amazing. I'll love them forever

this deserves more views!

You really did a good job explaining their lore, it's often very complicated and thanks to you I explain a bit more. As a writer, the lore and storytelling of Gorillaz surprises me often.

Thank you for uploading this. I’ve been a little confused about the lore of this phase but now I know! 👍

2 quick things I noticed in the Cracker Island video that I'm not sure if are Things: at 1:35, the police officer slightly blocking 2D from the camera curls her hand around her gun (she takes it out later when Murdoc comes in), and then later at 3:06 Noodle mouths something to Murdoc/the camera that I can't make out. Did anyone else catch these/ make sense of them?

You only get art like this once in a lifetime baby. Hope the story never ends.

Ah, I needed this video!! Now I get everything. I have listened to them since I was young, but never followed the lore, haha. Hope to see more of your theories, man!!

always brings a smile to my face when i see lore for gorillaz, i went to the concert live when the albums first release came out and it was an absolute blast

thank you for keeping up on this and sharing with us! I can tstill remember the first time i saw the video for clint eastwood and it blew my little mind. i really enjoy you taking me through the new lore :)

Great breakdown! Me and my best friend are Gorillaz fans and have had our own theories for Cracker Island. Your video really helped pieced some stuff together for us!

Thank you for makeing this I love the stories of the albums

very well made and so easy to follow! wonderful video!! i enjoyed every second !!!!! can't wait for more !!!! :)

Holy crap this is insane. Thank you for compiling this.

Great summary and very entertaining. You’re so well informed!

The false profit/prophet thing is hilarious 😂😂

Why does Noodle look SO drastically different between the pink hair and black hair versions??? Is there something lore wise that covers these 2 versions?

Great video! At 3:44 you said her obelisk was taller and freakier, but in the Stuart Potcast I remember him saying it was taller and creepier

Thank you for explaining this! This phase confused me even more than the previous ones ^^"

Thank you so much for your service! My respect.

Yo fantastic video, hope you get more attention, you are great!

This video is great I like how he put so much time into this! Sub worthy!

Hehehehe great content fellow gorillaz fan. Thanks to summarize the new lore! Gotta stay up to date 🤓

Yes!!! I love all the gorillaz arcs, so im glad you made this

dude, awesome video, keep up the hard work!

I just found your channel via this video but I’d totally love a series where you explain like you did with this one for all of the phases! A large undertaking but it would be really cool!

Woah, even for Gorillaz Lore Standards this is quite out there. Like Gorillaz were on Jersey Shore during a Black Mirror episode holy fook

thanks i had no idea what the lore was for this phase

The sound was low until the end where my ears were treated to a nice lil yell through my headphones 🥲 great video other than that part (I was like really vibing and coasting on a low frequency throughout the video)

Fun fact in case you missed it, the head logo for the last cult looks like the same head from the Dsides album cover and the rockit music video, a statue of the thing can also be seen in the rhinestone eyes music video storyboard

Great video man!

Thanks man. I have not been keeping up with the lore this phase at all. I gotta catch up

Thanks so much for doing this. It filled in some gaps for me. Cracker island is obviously the end of the story, and the trope of stories that begin with the final scene and then spend the rest of the time getting there is pretty common. Silent running is therefore the "end" of the story, as it details events immediately preceding the "beginning". If you see what I mean. The song "Fools Gold", which I've been listening to on a loop, also seems to tie into the events before "Silent Running" and ties in to the 'made up paradise' of "Cracker Island". When you look at the lyrics from the "Cracker Island" video, I think they are about the monster in "Silent Running", as well as being a metaphor (the monster is a consistent metaphor, which tells a deeper story underneath the Gorillaz story). The monster was born on cracker Island, to the collective of the dawn (forever cult), and it will die there (because it swallowed essence of Murdoch). And its sadness 2D consumed, into his formats every day. Of course the Lyrics are also what 2D is telling the police, and he's an unreliable narrator because he's still totally high/tripping. It's a genius construction when you think about it. You could also see from the videos that Moonflower/the high priestess in "Silent Running" is the same woman (same actress) in the "Cracker Island" video, reverting to her true age. Russ confused me, because I don't follow the whole story closely so I did not know about the Static Channel. His whole deal makes a lot more sense now. Noodle shaking her head at Murdoch at the end of the video also makes more sense. I mean, Noodle is always shaking her head at Murdoch, but specifically here he's infatuated with the leader of the cult that nearly sacrificed 2D, who is literally about to die of accelerated old age. WTF is wrong with him?

i love your videos man keep up the good work!

Great video man

Yeah do more of this stuff brother you hit it out of the park :)

Great video Dude :D

Just got into this phase and I love the theme and how fits with my other fave band ghost

excellent video. Much gratitude

Great vid bro.😺

Did you notice the similarities to some scenes from the animated "Anastasia" movie in the Silent Running video? Probably in tribute to the animation studio head and to mark the 25th anniversary of that movie. They were pictured in Mels Diner in West Hollywood. That could be honoring the 50th anniversary of "American Graffiti" though it was filmed at a different diner location. Some songs on the Cracker Island album could be referencing history associated with the Silver Lake area, including Harry Hay, the Cove Avenue Staircase and the Radical Faeries.

Great video!

Great job! I’ve semi kept up with lore this phase, but having it laid out in a understandable way is so great, I don’t know if this phase is truly over yet, but I’m already excited for phase 8

Would love to watch more of these from all phases!!!

Very nice video! Thank you!

The last 3 albums (Cracker Island, Song Machine S1 and The Now Now) are so amazing!! This is coming from a 3 week old Gorillaz fan lol. I became an instant fan when my little brother recommended them to me. Only songs I knew from them before were Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry, On Melancholy Hill and Feel Good Inc. I guess Plastic Beach is undoubtedly they're greatest album.

Gorillaz for me represents music that makes me dance and smile at the same time. So honestly that is story enough for me. But it is fun on the side to watch the story as they have been creating it. I hope to see the movie one day!

Dayum, thanks. Now it all makes sense

omg i cant wait for more

Here’s my guess, Murdoc created the last cult, just to promote the album, to make money and ego. lol Other things just happen to fall into place like with Russ and the static channel, which did end up being a prophecy to happen of them stopping the Forever Cult. Like if you watch the KZfaq shorts or Instagram shorts and the discord there are times that you can take Murdoc is just doing this for ego and fun, and doesn’t believe his his own crap, and that’s why he doesn’t get the Static Channel that Russel is seeing. Even in one of the Interviews I saw Noodle thinks Murdoc is full of it, as she is trying to actually make the cult good. I also thing the face you see in the cracker island music video is the ones you see on that art piece of their home you should, it was on a cover of a magazine Noodle had near her, as it says like “Masks” and is probably symbolism of a mask or façade as MoonFloor isn’t who she says she is cause she isn’t really that young, but is much much older, and the face is the dark mask she and forever cult hide behind. Also I don’t think Russel gets posted at the end, I think he just finally snaps out of it from the static channel and is back to normal. And lastly I think MoonFloor turns into dust at the end as Murdoc kisses her, but we don’t see, but I’m not sure. In the end I think it’s a fun story and they didn’t take themselves too seriously. Great video by the way.

THANK YOU

I genuinely LOVED the MatPat reference! XD

That was cool :) you dont happen to have videos of the other albums..? Thank you for putting this together ✌️🤘

Fully agree with that rant 👍🏿💯

Brilliant

I hope the story isn't over

EXTRA DETAIL ABOUT STORY: moon flower crumbled up into dust 2 days after she was brought back to life. Murdoc keeps her ashes in an urn now

This is what happens when you give Murdoc a redemption arc

in the commentary for Humility Murdoc says that ace is stockpiling and has moved to the desert, the fact that he's become a preper right before the band went on their whole cult thing have to be related

Cool I was always wondering cuz I always miss out on so much. I remember like a long time ago my brother had the DVD set to one of the album's. I don't remember which one but I've always liked the Gorillaz

Please do more phases!

unrelated, but I'm your 900th sub :)

❤❤❤❤❤❤ Ty 😊

Awww I love Gorillaz lore!!✨

Ok, well done

I hope New Gold and Skinny Ape will have a music video cause it’d be cool to see how their songs look like in a music video format. I’d absolutely want to see really over the top bright colours in a Skinny Ape music video

with Del showing back up on the deluxe edition i'd not be surprised if Russel is possessed by him again and the static channel was Del calling out to him to get back to the human world.

there has to be more there are so many unanswered questions

I just ordered cracker island and its coming in 16 days i cant wait!!!!

Yay, I only missed a few things.

This is the darkness story to Gorillaz

We’re just not gonna talk about the fact that moonflower called murdoc a pickle? Ok

murdoc needs 2D to dig holes to hide his bodys TwT

It’s official 2D sip wock

I think that Murdoc (unconsciously) knew about the monster and wanted to kill it before Silent Running events, so 2d needed to dig holes and find the monsters cave sorry if it has some english errors, i am Brazilian

You forgot the biggest loose end: what are the lore implications of Del coming back for Captain Chicken?

Noo not them saying that pickle is no leader 😂😂

No matter what. Russel and noodle were always the loveable and caring members. I genuinely think 2-D loves everyone but.... Due to the murdoc-induced dents I his head... He's wrapped around murdoc and moon flowers fingers. Murdoc... Has always been.... Kinda two faced ... But deep down we all know he loves everyone too. He just has a hard time honestly expressing it..

I was wondering where is the rest of the plot, and you reminded me that I use little to no social media. It's so difficult to follow the lore when it's spread across five different platforms

Idk if you had the emails from the great leader but they had some lore

Thanks so much for the video! Dumb question, but I dont have any social media, so where do all of the 1rst part infos come from? I didnt hear from that