Gorillaz Damon Albarn Doesn’t Like ‘X Factor’ Either

“It’s not good because, though from time to time they may stumble across a beautiful voice, they put them through a food processor and make them fast food,” Albarn told The Sun in an interview posted today.

“A cow is definitely a more beautiful thing before it hits the hamburger factory.”

Albarn added that he’s concerned about the show’s contestants.

“They do things to these kids. They play with their bodies and their faces. They just bleach and sanitise everything about them and that’s a very potent aspirational aspect of our society.”

The musician also pointed a finger at celebrity culture’s affect on the music industry.

“I think music would be totally fine and in a healthy state if people weren’t so preoccupied with celebrity,” he said. “There is potential for insane cross-fertilisation but there’s this sort of malignant tumour that keeps growing, very much based on a few TV and record executives practising this dark art of the television show.”

Last month Damon Albarn made it quite clear that he’s not a fan of “Glee.” In an interview with the Associated Press he said he had no desire to see Gorillaz songs featured on the Fox TV show.

“We wouldn’t let that happen. And not that they’ve asked us because they haven’t, and now they definitely won’t,” Albarn said.

The show’s album sales recently beat a chart record previously held by the Beatles for most appearances by a non-solo act – but Albarn said he wasn’t impressed.

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

Albarn told Australia’s Stuff that he’s working on a new project with Flea and Nigerian drummer Tony Allen.

[It’s] “another band with Tony Allen; centred around what he does. But this time it’s him and me and Flea from the [Red Hot] Chili Peppers and some of my favourite African musicians will be involved also. Flea of course is an anagram for Fela and Flea is so into this music – so that’s been great.”

He explained the new untitled band’s debut album is “three-quarters of the way through. I need to get this finished, but there’s also another Gorillaz record I’m finishing up too. I’ve actually taken a mobile studio with me on this tour, because it’s the longest I’ve been out on the road since, as I say, the days of Blur at its peak, so I have that luxury now of recording as I go.”

Gorillaz perform tonight at KeyArena At Seattle Center, followed by Wednesday’s show at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. European shows are booked through late November. In December the band has shows booked in China, Australia and New Zealand.

Click here for The Sun story.

Click here for the Stuff interview.