Banksy Revealed? Artist Confirms Identify in Misplaced BBC Interview

Who’s Banksy? It is likely one of the artwork world’s, maybe even popular culture’s, most enduring mysteries for the reason that road artist burst onto the scene within the early 2000s. However we could also be one step nearer to the artist’s true identification following the current discovery of a misplaced BBC interview through which Banksy seems to substantiate his identify.

The BBC reported on Monday that it had unearthed a 2003 interview between the younger up-and-coming road artist Banksy and the previous BBC arts correspondent Nigel Wrench. The unique recording was edited for a spot on BBC radio which was then used as a part of the BBC podcast collection The Banksy Story which was launched in July. However Wrench, having listened to the podcast collection, was impressed to revisit the complete authentic recording and found much more buried details about the artist that was by no means used.

Within the found audio, Wrench speaks to Banksy, who was in his 20s on the time, forward of the artist’s Turf Warfare present in East London in the summertime of 2003. Banksy is requested by Wrench if his identify is “Robert Banks”, and the artist replies, “It’s Robbie.”

The identification of Banksy has lengthy intrigued the artwork world, and specifically, the feverish tabloid press within the U.Okay. The artist hardly ever provides interviews, and that has added to his mystique. In considered one of his few early interviews, the artist spoke to the Guardian in 2003, and he was described as “white, 28, scruffy informal – denims, T-shirt, a silver tooth, silver chain and silver earring. He appears to be like like a cross between Jimmy Nail and Mike Skinner of the Streets.”

During the last 20 years, varied folks have been recognized as Banksy, most notably Robert Del Naja, also referred to as 3D and a co-founder of the vastly influential trip-hop act Large Assault. The supposed proof that Del Naja was Banksy included that they had been each from the Bristol space, and the musician additionally dabbled in graffiti at a younger age. Jamie Hewlett, the artist and designer finest identified for co-creating the band Gorillaz and the comedian guide Tank Lady, has additionally up to now been prompt because the true identification of Banksy.

In 2008, The Each day Mail claimed {that a} Bristol-based man named Robin Gunningham was Banksy. The newspaper spoke to Gunningham’s faculty mates and friends to corroborate the story. The Mail stories that Gunningham began going by the identify Robin Banks, which went on to turn out to be Banksy. In October, The Sunday Occasions reported that Gunningham could also be pressured to disclose his identification on account of a defamation declare to settle whether or not he’s behind well-known murals.