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 Blur drummer Dave Rowntree's black plastic glasses and pleasant demeanor hide a man who's not afraid to offend, disgust or scandalize - all of which he does during the debut of his animated TV show Empire Square.
"I love being extremely offensive and funny simultaneously," says Rowntree, who studied animation in college and directs the show. "People find it hard to take offence if you're doing both."
Starring three delinquents - referred to as "school leavers" - living in an apartment complex, the premiere episode airs this Tuesday on Fuse, skewers cyber sex, Asian mail-order brides, CIA brainwashing, Cameron Diaz, hicks, Thai "lady boys" and gay marriage. It's all capped off with an emo musical number.
WARNING LABEL
Given America's delicate sensibilities, there's got to be something in that list that'll outrage just about everybody in the US. However, a pre-show disclaimer does warn , "the cartoon is not recommended for children, pets and/or old people."
Interesting, considering Rowntree initially wanted to make a kids show.
"It turned out that was no fun at all," he admits. "So now we try and make mini horror films. The situations our characters are in are so awful, so terrible, that they're like your worst nightmare."
BAFTA NOMINATION
When Empire Square debuted in the U.K. as a series of three-minute shorts - first on the Web and then on TV - it garnered a BAFTA nomination. Fans hailed it as Britain's even sicker answer to The Simpsons and South Park.
"It's inevitable because those shows kind of defined the genre," Rowntree says. "But we're really nothing like them, except that we're a cartoon for grown-ups and we push the boundaries somewhat."
Comparisons to Blur bandmate Damon Albarn's side project Gorillaz, the animated virtual band, are mostly unwarranted as well.
"Damon doesn't do the animation, he does the music," Rowntree says. "I don't do any of the music on 'Empire Square' at all.
"So that way," he adds with a chuckle, "we keep out of each other's hair."
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