Jamie Hewlett
A visual anarchist who fused punk comics with pop music to create the groundbreaking virtual band Gorillaz.
Born 1968 (age 58)·British comic book artist·Birthday: April 3·Generation X
Biography
Jamie Hewlett emerged from the British indie comics scene of the late 1980s, brandishing a kinetic, punk-inflected art style that was equal parts messy and masterful. His creation, Tank Girl, with writer Alan Martin, became a counterculture icon, a chaotic antidote to the era's superhero dominance. But his most seismic shift came through a shared London house with musician Damon Albarn. From their creative friction, Gorillaz was born in 1998: a virtual band of animated characters that served as a satirical lens on celebrity and a vessel for genre-defying music. Hewlett's distinctive, world-building artwork didn't just illustrate the band; it became its DNA, proving that visual art could drive a musical project to global stadium status and permanently blurring the lines between cartoons and pop culture.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jamie was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jamie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Jamie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-created the cult comic book series Tank Girl, which became a symbol of 1990s alternative culture.
- Co-founded the virtual band Gorillaz, whose innovative multimedia approach revolutionized the music industry.
- Won the 2006 Designer of the Year award at the Design Museum London for his work on Gorillaz.
- Directed the visually stunning stage production for Gorillaz's 2010 'Escape to Plastic Beach' world tour.
Did You Know?
He and Damon Albarn conceived Gorillaz while watching MTV and lamenting the state of popular music.
He designed the mascot for the 2012 London Summer Olympics closing ceremony, a giant octopus that drummed alongside the band.
His early artistic influences included French comic magazine Métal Hurlant and punk graphics.
“I've always been interested in the ugly side of things. I find it more attractive than the beautiful side.”
