| Noodle | |
|---|---|
 Noodle's "Phase Two" look
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | unknown |
| Born | October 31st, 1990 (age 17)[1] |
| Origin | Osaka, Japan |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Guitar |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Label(s) | Parlophone Virgin Records |
| Associated acts |
Gorillaz |
| Website | Official website |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Fender Telecaster Gibson Les Paul |
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Noodle (born in Osaka, Japan) is a fictional member of the virtual band Gorillaz. She provides the guitar 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.
Contents |
Character Biography
At age 10, Noodle arrived on the Gorillaz' doorstep in a FedEx crate, in response to the ad they placed for a guitarist in the NME. She could not speak any English beyond the word "Noodle", thus earning her the alias. She quickly got settled in England and with the Gorillaz, and was accepted as the fourth member of the band. In Rise of the Ogre, it is revealed that during the band's hiatus in November, 2003, Noodle went back to Japan to find out the truth about her past after being haunted by strange nightmares while on tour. Upon her return to Japan, Noodle regained her memory after hearing the code-phrase 'ocean bacon' at a restaurant. There she coincidentally met with her creator/mentor, Mr. Kyuzo, who was working as the head chef in the restaurant, and who explained the memories she had regained. It turned out that she was one of the test subjects in a secret government super soldier project, but she was trained specially as a musician. As a result, she is a master of many weapons, languages, and musical instruments, but her specialty is the guitar. Out of the 23 children created for the project, Noodle was the only one to survive; the others were all destroyed by the government. Mr. Kyuzo had smuggled her to safety in England after reading the aforementioned ad placed by the other three Gorillaz members in the NME; he had specifically chosen the Gorillaz because he was aware of the usual international success of English bands and he believed that Noodle could enjoy success in relative obscurity. The other two code-words (one to erase her memory and the other to turn her into a frenzied killing machine) are known only to Noodle and, presumably, Mr. Kyuzo, though Murdoc has a very keen interest in finding out what they are. Noodle regained the ability to speak English, along with her memories, and was the first member of Gorillaz to return to Kong Studios. She was alone at Kong studios for nearly six months, during that time she was composing the majority of the Demon Days album. Her composition of the album crafted a specific message, which would explain the more 'crafted' sound to that album, as opposed to the debut which was composed by Murdoc and 2D, which had a grimier, more spontaneous sound. She is probably the least vocal of the band, but became the most vocal of the band when it came to describing the album, its themes, and what it means.
Noodle's "Death"
In March 2006, a series of events surrounding the release of the Gorillaz video "El Mañana" led some fans to believe the video depicted her actual death. In the days preceding the release of the video, cardboard boxes were found in the Kong Studios lobby. The boxes soon moved to Noodle's room, and each day, her room was shown to be more and more packed away until eventually the room was almost entirely barren. At the same time, the windmill island from the "Feel Good Inc." music video appeared outside of Kong Studios on the website's splash page. Shortly before the release of "El Mañana", the windmill was seen flying away. The windmill can now be seen as a silhouette on the horizon, although why it is still intact after El Mañana is a mystery. The video is somewhat of a continuation of the "Feel Good Inc." video, once again depicting Noodle on the windmill island. The two helicopters seen pursuing the island in the "Feel Good Inc." video finally reach the island and open fire on it, soon sending it crashing into a deep chasm with Noodle still inside. The video then concludes with the helicopters bombing the crashed windmill. Two days after the video's release, cracks appeared on the walls of Noodle's room on the website (which spread to the ground floor lobby) and the clock on her wall labeled "Armageddon" (the only piece of furniture left behind) gained a fourth hand, and has currently fallen to the floor. Since then, the cracks have been growing to the point that part of the roof has collapsed, exposing the outdoor sky. In late March, more boxes were found in the Kong Studios lobby, one of which was labeled "DedEx", apparently as some sort of reference to Noodle, who had arrived in a FedEx crate. They disappeared after the lobby was destroyed. Interestingly in the landfill outside Kong Studios one can see the ruins of the windmill and what appears to be noodles arm reaching out of a tire. Many fans were shocked at the video, which, coupled with the bizarre, unexplained events in her room before and after the release, seemed to imply that events portrayed in the music video were in fact "real" rather than staged. These events sparked much speculation and debate over Noodle's fate, including over whether or not she had survived the attack to whether the video was even "real" in the first place. In the book Rise of the Ogre, Murdoc reveals that the "El Mañana" video was indeed "staged" and that Noodle is still "alive" [1].
| “ | I guess you've waited long enough. Noodle's safe, she was just acting as planned… Jamie Hewlett gave Noodle the command, and she parachuted safely off the island. —Murdoc Niccals on the video for "El Mañana" |
” |
It was stated by Murdoc that Noodle had been planning to leave after Demon Days, although leaving what, the band or the country, was never answered. Though it had been planned for months (the packing boxes had begun showing up in Kong Studios the previous February), she had neglected to tell anyone of her plans (though Murdoc said it was obvious what she was doing). According to the bass player, Noodle is in the Maldives "chilling out". As of October 31, 2007, which is also her birthday, her location is still unknown. On November 8, 2007, the day of the live chat on fellow bandmate Murdoc Niccals Facebook page, Murdoc reveiled that Noodle has actually been taken in place of Russel Hobbs, to Hell by the demons invading the Kong Studios building. Murdoc is currently attempting to rescue her.
| “ | Noodle been dragged to Hell. She can look after her self, but this one's too big for her on her own. I'm helping her out of there. In fact I only stopped by here to pick up a can of mace, when I noticed that someone had left the door open an let you gonks in.... —Murdoc Niccals on a live Facebook chat" |
” |
He later explained:
| “ | Well…It’s funny. After the first album Russel had this big mad breakdown. He had the spirit of Del exorcised out of him by the Grim Reaper. Which kind of sent him mental. He tried to record a solo album but then he was saying that all these demons were flying out the speakers trying to eat him. Everyone thought he’d just gone loopy. “Living in a basement with Ike Turner”. Turns out tho he was right. The Demons were real! You couldn’t really make it up. So next thing we know is after Noodle disappeared after The El Manana video incident, we hear this voice coming out of the basin basement room of Kong. Out of a radio. Turns out that when these demons couldn’t get hold of Russ, they grabbed Noodle instead. Dragged her downstairs, to Hades! So of course it fell to muggings here, (that’s me), to go on some epic Odysseus type journey into The Underworld to try and rescue her. It’s all tied up with contract I signed with Beelzebub that shoe-horned Gorillaz up the charts in the first place. He was cocked off about some late payment of my eternal soul, or something stupid. He as well as anyone should know that these type of payments take time to come through. I mean, well, everyone’s got their demons to battle. It’s just that mine take on a more physical form and have names like “Alichino”, “Lilith”, “Baphomet” “Sidragasum”, “Xitragupten” and so on….I guess that’s what you get if you’re born in a mental asylum named after a demon called Belphegor. Still I was never bored as a child. Yup…never bored.
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” |
The Message
Deep within the bowel of Kong Studios, inside the Room of Brians, a radio distress transmission from Noodle can be heard. Some of the graffiti in the 1st floor corridor toilets matches the description of what is said here. The toilet is inhabited by a demon.
| “ | 'Murdoc!!!!! Russel... Is anybody there??!!! It's me, Noodle...... Is there anybody there!!!! You need to reply...... Helllloooo!!! Come In..... It's Noodle ... I've found the missing...... they're coming!!!! ..... (quieter) the reception here is really terrible ... (Back to normal volume) MURDOC!!!!!! ...... Murdoc, you got to get the combin..!!!! Come in!!!! They know where you......... Mur ....You must get out! .... It's coming from BENEATH the building! You have to get out! .......... Murdoc, hurry before it's too late. MAYDAY ...MAYDAY ... Murdoc!!!!! COME IN GORILLAZZZZ!!!!!' —Transmission from Noodle (In the epilogue of Rise of the Ogre) |
” |
The message that is currently playing in the Room Of Brian's on Gorillaz official site seems to say something slightly different from this, whereas on their Phase 2 DVD 'Slow Boat To Hades', it is similar to the message in the book. But if inspected closely Noodle seems to be screaming "The demon boy! It's the demon boy! You must get out!!" which implies that the thing coming from under Kong might be the black skinned demon boy mentioned in "Rise of the Ogre" that Murdoc had released during the Gorillaz first tour (though Murdoc claims that the Demon Boy is "alright once you get to know him"). If also One Travels to one of the "corridors" in Kong Studios, a high pitched, rather evil sounding laugh is heard, and, if you look up when you first hear the laugh, red eyes can be seen behind a loose panel of the ceiling, and the panel is replaced. However, it may just be one of the numerous creatures in Kong Studios, such as the one in the toilets, and the one who runs the lobby desk (which are both identical). There have also been scuffling sounds coming from somewhere in the Hellhole, though the source cannot be seen. What follows is the actual transmission, supposedly from Noodle in the Room of Brians. There are some parts where the reception is poor and the static is louder than the signal, so there is part of the message missing.
| “ | 'The plague! The Plague! Murdoc, er, you need to bring them out. Er, can you hear me? Murdoc! (Static) Murdoc! (Something Unintelligible) hear you!help!!!!!you need to get out!!!! (Static) Hurry before its too late! 遅くなる前に急いで！ Mayday! Mayday! You need to(Something Unintelligible) The demon boy! It's the demon boy! You must get out!! Hurry!! Murdoc!! Its the building, its coming apart, its right beneath the building, you have to get out! Murdoc, you've got to get the combination わかる？ COMBINATION!!! ' —Transmission from Noodle (In the Room of Brians) |
” |
It is quite likely that this transmission refers to the hell hole beneath the building, which has a locked door. Since then, a countdown taking place there on a giant timer in the room ended on June 6th, with Murdoc rising out of the hole, as "I want your souls" is repeated over and over, overlapping, the voice that says this is partially Murdoc's, but the last time it is said, there is no overlapping, and it is in an extremely deep voice. This is reminiscent of the same incident in 2006, where he was "reborn" in the same place, inciting that this is a technical error. Unlike last year, however, the timer has not restarted, and people can still go there to see Murdoc become reborn. As of December 2007, the locked door in the Hellhole is still not unlocked.
Character Appearance
For the Demon Days album, Noodle was seen with a notably different look, no longer sporting her trademark radio hat as well as having a noticeably more feminine fashion style and lighter skin tone. This is likely an effort on the parts of Albarn and Hewlett to make her seem more of a "real person" by reflecting adolescent development through her "maturing" fashion sense (and to avoid assumptions that Noodle is male). She was also noticeably taller with shapely legs, and occasionally seen sporting a monkey named Mike. It is revealed in the video for "El Mañana" that Noodle has green eyes, which is contradicted by such previous videos as "19/2000" and "DARE" that depict her eyes as completely black or brown with no irises (much like those of bandmate 2-D.) In Phase One, her hair was completely black, and she was always wearing her helmet, except for select live performances (Mainly ones using a big screen) where she had bald spots (see picture). During Phase Two, Noodle's hair became purple and longer. According to the original promotional booklet, Noodle was 14 as of January 2006. But, there seems to be quite a bit of confusion about it, even for Noodle herself. She has repeatedly referred to herself as '13' during 2005. She stated she was '15' during a (live) Habbo Hotel interview, and in direct interviews (for example, her 2005 NME interview). Noodle's multiple and varied assertions of her age could be attributed to errors by various people doing promotional work, such as magazine editors.
Character Personality
Noodle is the only member of Gorillaz, besides 2D, who demonstrated any type of vocal talent (though in Rise of the Ogre, many of Murdoc's statements show that he believes he can sing and that nobody appreciates his vocal talents, but it is implied that he has a terrible singing voice). During Phase One of the Gorillaz, Noodle can only speak Japanese, with the exceptions of her bandmates' names and small words such as "duh" or "yeah," and Russel had translated for her; but she had done vocals in English: the chorus for 19-2000 and backup in several tracks in the first album. It was not until Phase Two with the Demon Days album that anyone actually heard her fluently speak English conversationally. Noodle is still one of the most talented members of the band, as recognized by other members, and still has vocal talent and is a notably good dancer. She went on to sing the entire track for DARE and to be the only band member to star in two music videos by herself ("DARE" and "El Mañana").
- Noodle is a fan of Miyazaki movies. She enjoyed Spirited Away and got inspiration for the Feel Good Inc video from Castle in the Sky.
- According the bio presented on Gorillaz appearance on Cribs, her listed interests are Johnny Thunders and Richie Sambora.
Voice Actors
There are several people who make up the identity of Noodle, they include former Cibo Matto vocalist Miho Hatori and Talking Heads' Tina Weymouth, who both had provided singing vocals for Noodle on the first album; Haruka Kuroda, an actress who provides Noodle's speaking voice (i.e in interviews, etc) ; Rosie Wilson, who performs Noodle's lead vocal in "DARE"; and Simon Katz, Simon Tong, and Damon Albarn himself, who have all played guitar for Gorillaz at some point.
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| Band Members | 2D · Murdoc Niccals · Noodle · Russel Hobbs |
| Studio albums and EPs | Tomorrow Comes Today EP · Gorillaz · Demon Days |
| Remix and compliation albums | G-Sides · Laika Come Home · D-Sides |
| DVDs | Phase One: Celebrity Take Down · Demon Days Live · Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades |
| Singles | "Clint Eastwood" · "19-2000" · "Rock the House" · "911" · "Tomorrow Comes Today" · "Lil' Dub Chefin'" · "Feel Good Inc." · "Dare" · "Dirty Harry" · "Kids with Guns" / "El Mañana" · |
| Collaborators | Damon Albarn · Jamie Hewlett · Dan the Automator · Danger Mouse · Del tha Funkee Homosapien · Nelson De Freitas · Phil Cornwell · Haruka Kuroda · Remi Kabaka · Shaun Ryder · MF DOOM · Roots Manuva · Spacemonkeyz |
| Related articles | Discography · Blur · The Good, the Bad and the Queen · Monkey: Journey to the West · Passion Pictures · Untitled Gorillaz project (movie) · Gorilla Bitez · Rise of the Ogre · Bananaz · Kong Studios |
