Damon Albarn Assesses Kanye, Taylor, Drake, & Rihanna
It’s been the subject of rumor and conjecture for a while, but now it’s confirmed: Damon Albarn’s simian supergroup Gorillaz, once thought to be extinct, are coming back next year with new music. And in a new Rolling Stone interview, Albarn had some not-that-illuminating things to say about the next Gorillaz record. He says the album is in the early stages right now, adding, “So far, it’s really fast, and it’s got quite a lot of energy. I’ve been stuck on piano, somewhere off Broadway, for years now. I want to go somewhere completely opposite of that.” In the same interview, Albarn also had a lot more to say, and the best part came when the magazine asked him to give his quick takes on the world’s current reigning pop stars.
On Kanye West: “I think he’s pretty unique.”
On Taylor Swift: “Remarkable, but not unique.”
On Drake: “He’s not as consistent as he could be.”
On Future: “Really interesting, and sometimes exhilarating.”
On Rihanna: “Well, she’s on the cover of NME, so she must be cool.”
Also, on hanging out with Noel Gallagher: “I always enjoy his company. He’s hilarious.”
On playing with Blur: “I still try to avoid it like the plague, to be honest with you. But something weird happens once I’ve stepped onstage: I just have the best time. And then as soon as we get off, I say, ‘Never again.’ It’s very strange.”
He also says that he tried to get Mike Myers, in character as Austin Powers, to sing “Parklife” with Blur at their forthcoming Madison Square Garden show but that Myers couldn’t do it. Read the whole interview here.