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Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett interview - August 2008 |
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Damon Syson talks to Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett about the BBC's new Olympics trail.
Former Blur frontman Damon Albarn shows a sportsman's stubbornness when
asked about the relevance of the BBC's new animated Olympics trail. "It's something that's intelligent and breaks the mould," he offers with a frustrated sigh.
Mould-breaking it certainly is. Gone are the more traditional - and, yes, predictable - images of sporting perfection, replaced with, well, a trio of characters inspired by Buddhist mythology: a monkey called Monkey, a river-dwelling monster called Sandy and a half-human, half-pig known as Pigsy.
For viewers of a certain age, the trail might revive fond memories of cult 1970s TV series Monkey. But while they admit to being fans, trail creators Albarn and his collaborator Jamie Hewlett say their inspiration predates 1978 by many centuries. "It's China's oldest classic story," insists Albarn. "The text we drew on mainly was the 16th-century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, but the basic story gets used all the time, like Beowulf or King Arthur."
Albarn and illustrator Hewlett, who first came to prominence in the early 1990s with his Tank Girl cartoon strip, have worked together for eight years, initially on two award-winning albums by the high-concept band, Gorillaz, and more recently on an opera, Monkey: Journey to the West - which has just ended a seven-show run at the Royal Opera House in London.
"We spent three years working on the opera," says Hewlett. "We totally immersed ourselves in Chinese culture. The opera is a serious project, whereas the Olympics animation is much more light-hearted and easy to digest, and should appeal to kids."
Radio Times meets up with Albarn and Hewlett at their shared HQ - a three-storey building in west London. Albarn's floor boasts a table tennis table (he's a ping-pong obsessive) while Hewlett's office is crammed with comics, memorabilia and a shelf groaning with awards.
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Monkeys…Gorillaz…what's with the simian obsession?
Hewlett: Yes, there is a bit of simian vibe going on, which I think will probably continue. We were both born in 1968, which was the year of the monkey. We take great pride in that.
What's the basic premise of the BBC's Olympics trailer?
Hewlett: We set out to tell the story of Journey to the West in two minutes. Just a very, very simplified version, from Monkey's birth to his meeting up with Pigsy and Sandy, and their journey to the Bird's Nest stadium.
With a bit of sport thrown in?
Hewlett: Yeah, basically. The BBC wanted a minimum of five sports covered and we managed to get nine in, so they're very happy. There's hammer, hurdling, sprinting, javelin, gymnastics, swimming, diving, tae kwon do and pole vault.
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Will the combination leave people scratching their heads?
Hewlett: Yes, but hopefully scratching their heads in a way that makes them want to find out more about it. The alternative is a bunch of people running about in slow motion with Olympic torches - boring.
Albarn: To be honest, I don't really care. I certainly don't think there will be any children scratching their heads; they'll just love it and think it's great there's a cartoon on.
So it isn't trivialising the Games?
Albarn: Trivialising? Well what are you going to do instead? Heroic slow-motion poses? That's not real life either. This will hopefully bring in a whole new generation who live on cartoons and don't watch anything else. Why do you think
I'm working with him? [Gesturing mock-dismissively towards Hewlett]
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Will you both be watching the Olympics?
Hewlett: Not every day, but I will definitely be watching it. I really want to see the inside of the Bird's Nest stadium.
Albarn: I usually only watch the sprinting - because it's amazing. And of course I'll be watching the table tennis avidly. A few months ago I had the chance to go to train with the Olympic British youth team. They've got some fantastic players. I don't know if any of them are going to make it this Olympics, but they are aiming for medals in 2012.
How good are you?
Hewlett: [Nodding] He's good.
Albarn: Well, I get thrashed by the Olympic team. I might take two points off them if I'm lucky.
Is it true, Damon, you always have a table tennis table with you on tour?
Albarn: Yeah, everywhere I go I have to have a table tennis table. I love it; it's a brilliant way to relax when you're working. I'm playing at the Lyon festival tomorrow and they wanted a slightly longer set, so I said, "If you give us a table tennis table then you'll get a longer set."
Back in 1994, when Blur's album Parklife was released and Tank Girl was being turned into a film, could you have imagined that one day you'd be working together for the BBC's Olympics coverage?
Albarn: And putting on a show at the Royal Opera House? Never. But that's what makes life exciting - that sense of the unknown.
**
Now take a look at our full guide to the Olympic Games.
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