2-D

**Stuart Pot** (also known as **2-D**, **Stu-Pot**, or **Pot**) is the lead vocalist and pianist of the idol group Gorillaz.

## Background

2-D was born on May 23, 1978, to David and Rachel Pot. His real name is Stuart Pot (his last name was often thought to be Tusspot, though his father changed his name to "Pot" shortly before Stuart was born to avoid him from getting bullied at school), but is often shortened to Stu-Pot.

He was born in Hertfordshire, England and was raised in Crawley, being educated at St. Wilfred's School (the same school that educated the members of The Cure).

His father, David Tusspot, worked as a mechanic and owner of the Tusspot's Fairground. His mother, Rachel Tusspot, was a nurse who supplied Stuart with headache pills from his tree accident.

While Stuart wasn't a very intelligent boy, he was known as a kind person and had a general love of music.

His parents recall a little ten-year-old Stuart bouncing around in his room listening to The Clash, Agustus Pablo, The Human League (this band was his favorite) and many other musicians of the sort. He hit his head when falling from a tree at the age of eleven, causing all of his hair to fall out. When it came back it was a deep 'azure blue'.

When he was 19, the drama in his life began, as hooligan Murdoc Niccals, age 31, purposefully crashed his Vauxhall Astra through the wall of Uncle Norm's Organ Emporium, where Stuart had been working, in an attempt to ram-raid it and steal the synths. Murdoc's bumper crashed into Stuart's face[1], landing him with an 8-ball fracture also known as 'hyphema', although he could still see through his injured eye. Murdoc was arrested and sentenced to carry out 30,000 hours (1,250 days) of community service as well as care for the vegetablized Stuart for 10 hours every week.

One year later, in a poor attempt to impress some women, Murdoc performed a 360 in a Tesco car park in Nottingham with his vehicle. This sent Stuart crashing through the windscreen, hitting his head on the curb, fracturing his other eye. When Stuart awoke after sliding through the cement for about a mile, he turned to look at Murdoc. This was the moment when Murdoc knew he had his front man. "A blue-haired, black-eyed god", Murdoc recalls. Murdoc nicknamed Stuart '2-D', which stands for the "Two Dents" in his head. Rather amusingly, Stuart adored his new nickname, dropping the use of his birth name completely and even signing formal letters with the first name "Two" and surname "D". 2-D would appear to have a chronic history of violent blows to the head, coupled with a complete lack of natural intelligence. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett commented on this, saying that he has a blank sheet of paper where a brain should be. Despite this, he serves as Gorillaz's lead vocalist.

## Gorillaz Phase 1 - 1998-2002

In 1998, 2-D and Murdoc moved into Kong Studios and assembled Russel Hobbs to join them. 2-D's girlfriend, Paula Cracker, was originally the group's first guitar player but was soon fired after Russel caught her and Murdoc in the studio toilets making out. 2-D was upset about this and he and Paula broke up. Later, 2-D began dating Rachel Stevens, a former member of S-Club 7 and invited her to the band's first gig at the Camden Brownhouse.

After Gorillaz attended the record label signing party, Paula broke up with 2-D the next day, after Murdoc spent most of the evening hitting on her to get her attention.

After Gorillaz played their last gig at the Isle of MTV in Portugal, Gorillaz moved to Los Angeles to write a film and tension began to grow between the band members. After suggesting many crazy ideas for the film, Murdoc snapped and attacked 2-D, almost getting himself choked. Luckily, Russel saved him, but after that fight, the band split up.

## Post-Phase 1 to Pre-Phase 2: 2003-2004

During the Gorillaz hiatus, 2-D stayed in Los Angeles. He spent a couple of nights at Britt Ekland's flat, but he left because of her habit of running around naked, banging on the walls and never getting any sleep. 2-D finally left L.A to work on his father's funfair in Eastbourne. He used to collect money for a ride called 'The Switchback Ride', and there he met Shane Lynch, a former member of Boyzone, and they became good friends. By the time they met, 2-D adopted a teddy boy style and used to stroll the city along with Shane. 2-D didn't really think about Gorillaz until a couple years later, when he received a text message from Noodle and, with that, he decided to return to Kong with fully restored confidence after he realized he was responsible for the Gorillaz success.

## Gorillaz Phase 2: 2005-2007

After the El Mañana conspiracy, 2-D and Russel were frantic about Noodle's supposed death. It was a hoax, however, and the band has once again gone separate ways but not for long (so promised Murdoc in the autobiography *Rise of the Ogre*; their biggest project to date is apparently being planned) and the singer was, according to Murdoc, "...poncing off somewhere. He's probably gonna try and become an actor or a model or whatever..."

According to an official mail-out from October 31, 2007, Murdoc says that "2-D is away on a vacation at a Jamaican beach." On November 13, however, the *D-Sides* text in the G-Shop stated that 2-D was currently completing a law degree.

## Gorillaz Phase 3: 2008-2012

Murdoc had revealed that he had kidnapped 2-D and was holding him against his will on Plastic Beach, enlisting 2-D's vocal talents for use on the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach. It was revealed through various media on the trailer in which this kidnapping was revealed that 2-D was in a small flat in Beirut at the time, for reasons which are currently unknown. On the Gorillaz website, it was recently stated by 2-D, in the Plastic Beach adventure game, that Murdoc had "kindly" gassed 2-D and shipped him to Plastic Beach, where he was being forced to sing for his new demos. His room was located on floor B2, and when you enter his room he would be found trembling on his bed. When you would talk to him he would ask who you are and that he didn't think anyone else was on the island. He stated that Murdoc has been gassing various people and forcing them to be on the album.

Throughout an interview, *Gorillaz - iTunes Session*, 2-D deliberately insults Murdoc just to spite him for the horrible things he has done to him, and physically attacked him when Murdoc brought up the Paula Cracker incident, which is obviously a sore subject for 2-D.

> *I only really joined the band to make music, and now, I'm being held captive by a bastard bass player in an underwater submarine, being attacked by sodding pirates who are trying to take over this rotten piece of broken plastic in the ocean that Gorillaz call 'home'. All this, just to make a video. It's making me want to die!*[2]
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During the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour, 2-D wrote his Gorillaz album The Fall which, apparently Murdoc knew nothing about. Recently, a new character had appeared on Plastic Beach. His name is Big Rick, and he owned the record shop on the beach. It had been reported that the shop (previously locked) would open in time for The Fall's release.

During the special XFM radio show to promote the Gorillaz's The Singles Collection 2001-2011 on the 27th of November 2011, Murdoc said that the last he'd seen of 2-D was when the whale Massive Dick bit a chunk out of the island. This included 2-D's room which he was in at the time ("Rhinestone Eyes" Storyboard Video) and thus he was presumed to have been eaten alive. However, there are various hints that 2-D may have possibly escaped from the bunker.

It was later shown that 2-D was rescued by Russel and Noodle after their arrival on Plastic Beach who then traveled with them to find Murdoc after it was found out he faked his death. The three found him in a run down house at 212 Wobble Street, London after finding his new broadcasting location. Although it is not known what happened next the four band members are shown living together again during the "DoYaThing" music video.

## Gorillaz Phase 4 - 2016-Present

After the events of Plastic Beach, such as being raided by the Black Cloud, and with many events happening at the Rhinestone Eyes music video, 2-D was eaten by a Great White Whale and presumed dead. After years of eating trash and having a living body in his stomach, the whale's life was done and washed up on the shore.

2-D was free from the whale's mouth, and he was stuck on a deserted island. With poor survival skills, he is forced to eat rotten whale blubber for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Months passed on the deserted island, and 2-D saw a plane passing by for a Spanish Festival. He saw this as a chance to escape the island, but the plane did not see him. 23 Minutes later, he was in the middle of a beach rave. He was never marooned at all, in fact in the middle of Guadalupe, Mexico. It was finally time to return home to Murdoc.

At Heathrow, a man comes to 2-D and offers a drive to West London. To the house of Murdoc, Russel, and Noodle.