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King Robbo Exclusive Interview: My Graffiti War With Banksy

by Jo Fuertes-Knight
3 October 2013 368 Comments

Graffiti spotted last week in Mayfair suggest the King Robbo vs Banksy feud is alive and well. Here Robbo speaks out about his long running feud with Banksy which is transforming the face of London as the two artists compete to ‘improve’ each other’s work.

The crisp December morning of 2009, where a graffiti legend came out of retirement, donned a wetsuit, scooted across Regents Canal on a blow-up lilo and calmly reclaimed his territory from Banksy has become legend in itself. It was the day Robbo became ‘King Robbo’.

The UK’s notoriously heavy-handed approach to graffiti, has seen hefty prison terms and obscene amounts of funding poured into re-painting walls and cleaning trains, rather than say, making sure they run on time and don’t smell of crotch. That in mind, Robbo’s enduring presence as one of the pioneers of old school graffiti in London has long established him as one of the greats of both the UK and international scene. Having initially got into it he admits purely “for selfish reasons and the buzz of seeing your name everywhere” he immersed himself in it just as graffiti was filtering from New York into major cities, unknowingly becoming one of the defining sub-cultures of the 1980s.

“For me it was escapism, I’m creative but I come from a family where you either worked or went into crime so I had no-one pushing me in that direction. They couldn’t understand why I’d work then go out and illegally paint when there’s no money in it. To me graff’s always been rock’n’roll, a way to rebel and be creative”. His prolific and relentless love-affair with graffiti, which he prefers to call “a passion rather than obsession” has earned him a coveted spot in graffiti’s hall of fame. But having settled into relative retirement it was a spat between him and street-art darling Banksy painting over one of his oldest pieces, a 25 year old Robbo legacy on the Camden stretch of Regents Canal, that was to propel him back into the spotlight.

Earlier this year, I’d been sent to a press screening of Banksy’s film ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ with the expected outcome that I write a sparkling review. However it was after that hour and a half that I went from being ambivalent to hating Banksy. Not for his lack of technical skill, depthless political jibes or righteous rants against consumerism- it was because of the cinema full of idiots that were completely romanced by him. People who answered their phones mid-way to exclaim they were watching the Banksy film, people who clapped and snort-laughed at his thicko, shock-jock stunts and stencils. So naturally, when the opportunity to get hold of Robbo came up I was keen to meet him.

Come that day and I’m running forty minutes late from shuffling there in the snow. Reaching the pub and planning on getting five lagers to myself convinced he’s left already, I’m greeted by a man-mountain in jogging bottoms. Straight out of a Cockney vaudeville, it’s clear if Robbo had not gone into painting walls he would’ve become a showman in another arena. So begins an evening of insulting each other, him gently taking the piss out of my arts degree, watching drunk Russian men wrestle, discussing the merits of shaved balls, occasionally, graffiti and significantly that Banksy rift.

Banksy decided to get cocky and say “I’ve never heard of you”, so I gave him a swift backhand

The much told story goes, that having met at a party through mutual friends in the late 90s, a then unknown, bespectacled and apparently Ben Elton lookalike Banksy had been on the receiving end of a backhander. “I was courteous, I even lied and said I’d heard of him but when he saw his mates saying it was a pleasure to meet me he decided to get cocky and say “I’ve never heard of you”, so I gave him a swift backhand and said “you may never have heard of me but you’ll never forget me” and that was that. Years later and my friend is doing a book on graffiti, London Handstyles, it was just as people were getting fired up about street art and so I was asked about that fall out. I’d been out the loop so unknown to me that story had become graff folklore. It wasn’t long after that book came out, that he went over the piece on Regents Canal.” The alteration was a distinctively Banksy-esque workman wallpapering up the now ancient original, Robbo’s riposte was simply to have the workman painting ‘King Robbo’, “it was actually pretty sloppy, I’d gone out Christmas morning, done it quickly and just thought ‘fuck it’. I didn’t even know how to post it on the Internet afterwards let alone think it would cause the fuss it did”.

Broaching the subject of the infamous ‘King Robbo’ comeback, I’m relieved to see that he’s fairly amused by it all. “He broke a graff code of conduct and for a lawless community we have a lot of laws, so I had to come back. What people don’t realise is that he’d already gone over loads of my stuff before and I hadn’t bothered retaliating but this time it was just so deliberate, so cowardly. If you’ve got the hump about something, you send a message and discuss it like gentlemen, you don’t wipe out a piece of graffiti history. But that’s what he does, never expresses his own opinion, he puts something out and lets people fool themselves, he’s smart in that respect”.

But Banksy, keeping noticeably quiet in the feud yet targeting what had been the oldest piece in London seemed like a rookie mistake, a publicity stunt gone wrong as it was greeted with scorn from the graffiti world and a bevvy of new fans in the media for Robbo. “If anything it backfired and showed just how little respect he has within our community. It also gave me the opportunity to shine a light on graffiti, to show that writers aren’t just spotty teenagers that draw on bus-stops, we can be witty and funny in a way Banksy can’t, because he’s not radical he’s just a toy with a PR team.”

While his attitude to the turf war itself seems fairly amiable, it’s the bigger conflict of graffiti, regarded as an eyesore on the urban landscape, versus street art, the acceptable face of vandalism, which he’s thrown himself into. “Over the years negative connotations associated with graff have been exaggerated, it’s unreal that people can end up in prison for a long time, yet someone puts up a stencil and that’s OK, because it brings tourism to Shoreditch” he jokes.

As we walked past the Charles Manson hitchhiker Banksy in north London, you can see Robbo’s short-lived re-working, of which has been neatly buffed out while the original is left intact. The effort taken in removing Robbo’s handiwork all the while ensuring the original was preserved, is at first bizarre to look at and then glaringly unfair. Thus came the coining of ‘Team Robbo’ versus ‘Team Banksy’, drawing a clear line in the dirt between graffiti and street-art, with street-art more often than not managing to escape being classified as vandalism when tackling dreaded ‘envirocrimes’. It’s interesting to imagine that if someone stencilled David Cameron bending over Maggie Thatcher, while dressed as Ronald MacDonald, would it’s burning social message ensure it wasn’t cleaned away?

Through the eyes of the art world, the enduring popularity of street-art implies that the dawn of stencilled rats was the only time graffiti has provided social commentary. The mainstream media wet themselves when Hackney Council voted to paint over an alleged Banksy, lamenting an un-appreciation of art, yet they stumbled when choosing to describe it as either street-art or graffiti, the council’s response was simply ‘vandalism is vandalism, whoever it’s by’. Robbo muses “labelling something as street-art straightaway puts financial value on it…it’s great to get paid for doing something you love but should never be the main aim. Social commentary or not, Banksy is the Tesco of the art-world, what he promotes is tacky, mass-produced shit that provokes a reaction to make himself money. Art should be one-off canvasses, stuff that can’t be copied by anyone. There is no skill in producing something that anyone could do, it’s a clever business module maybe, but it’s not art. But nowadays nobody seems to care about talent anymore they’re just happy to be spoonfed shit, it’s like being stuck in X Factor.”

Banksy’s not radical he’s just a toy with a PR team

With his own name a heavyweight in graff circles, it wouldn’t be conceited to say that Robbo could cash in and build an empire of his own. It makes me wonder about the unusual status that he has, international acclaim and yet total anonymity. Having stepped back from it all, gallery shows are a new venture to him. “I’m at a crossroads; last year was good gallery and promo-wise but I’ve got a family to support and a mortgage to pay. Truly if you want to be an artist you have to drop everything, you shouldn’t be half-stepping, and while I’ve now realised I’ve got the profile to do that, there’s that in-between stage of uncertainty. I have no qualms with people earning money from something they love, but I’m not willing to produce commercial bollocks to pay bills. People forget that some of the greatest artists died broke, money isn’t an indicator of skill”.

Having admittedly been out of the loop, Robbo would be venturing into a scene that’s in a very strange place indeed, a new school graffiti of the Web 2.0 generation that has a media savvy sheen. “This is why I have doubts about doing it full time. It has been watered down, there’s a certain glamour around it which makes it sexy to be involved in graff. There’s blogs and magazines that have done very well to publicise it but I feel like a lot of them have their own agenda, they’ve seen a business aspect and that there’s money to be made from graffiti. Young writers can edit and upload their photos onto the Internet and get an immediate response but they’re not out there living it 24/7. Obviously there’s still great people like TOX who do it because they just love being vandals and I love the rooftop artists like Burning Candy and Panik who still have that rebellion, they’ve gone up higher to avoid getting buffed. To me they risk getting arrested to brighten up my eye-line and get their art seen, that mentality is real graffiti”.

Though diluted, graffiti’s growing popularity has meant respected agencies are able to hook writers up with paid work and a gallery environment, but yet again the issue of the ever increasing grey area between what is street-art and what is graffiti comes up. Fellow graffiti artist and owner of London agency RareKind, David Samuel, argues that from the public sphere to the gallery graffiti gets lost in translation. “Graffiti in a gallery is not a real thing, what people need to know is that the work is by graffiti artists, people with a history, people who painted at first not for money, but for appreciation within their culture. When they hit the gallery scene they put themselves out there as artists, not as graffiti writers and have the same struggles as any other artist. Banksy did a great deed for the scene, as the public put all paintings/writing on walls in one basket termed graffiti, which though annoying, he opened doors for artists like myself and gave us a good platform to work from. But, Robbo brought to light the difference between the two, a lot of people don’t truly understand his motives. While a rat holding a placard with a statement is a lot easier to understand than a wildstyle piece of graffiti full of colour and contrast, it’s us who have a unique skill which should be appreciated but we have to use graffiti as a stepping stone to the art world not bring it with us”.

So, whilst the initial lustre of street art wears off and the stencils and wheat pasted images become as commonplace as the graff that came before them, I wonder if Robbo ever gets sick of being asked about Banksy. “Of course, but I look at it like, I’ve already tainted any write ups there are of him in the history books, but I haven’t even started on mine”. On that note, I let him stroll off into the night, spray can nozzles dropping out his pockets before he leaves me with, “I’d love to do a 30ft silver dub on the Great Wall of China, imagine that? They’d have me assassinated, but it’d be beautiful”.

Images of the new graffiti believed to be by King Robbo are here

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Like this article? Try another by Jo Fuertes-Knight.

Gonzo: A Graphic Biography Of Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S Thompson

“No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun – for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax – This won’t hurt.”

The suicide note left by Hunter S. Thompson the day he blew his brains out stating that he was old, bored, bitchy and had nothing to watch on telly seemed, when taking in the life he lead, fair enough reasons to say good bye. Hunter can rest in peace knowing he left behind an enviable legacy- be it Nixon bashing, the urban legends, knowing the exact moment to call someone a ‘pigfucker’ or his humility in influencing generations of writers and journalists. Continued . . .

If you like it, Pass it on

image descriptionCOMMENTS

Iss 2:52 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Brilliant.

Tox Hunter 3:39 pm, 12-Jan-2011

has anyone seen a Tox 11 yet?

Tracy Garnish 4:21 pm, 12-Jan-2011

WHAT a fantastic article.BRAVO

Peatree Bojangles 4:25 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Beautifully written.

90s 5:21 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Poor ol' Banksy. He's the Tim Henman of Graff. It's not him most people hate, but his annoying fans.

Eddddddd 5:29 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Brilliant article.

G.Zod. 5:58 pm, 12-Jan-2011

But Banksy's looks good, the other looks like anyone could do it....

Monot 6:09 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Props to Robbo. Graf should always be about the letters, not sixth-form political agitation.

Rob 6:41 pm, 12-Jan-2011

A minor correction: "workman wallpapering out the now ancient original". The wallpaper the workman is supposed to be putting up is Robbo's original, he's not papering over it.

blahhh 6:47 pm, 12-Jan-2011

@G.Zod you obviously know nothing about graffiti. if it wernt for robbo, banksy and all these other fake money making sellouts would be broke. and banksy aint good, he used stencils which can be made and used by a 2 year old. big up robbo. THE REAL RECOGNISE REAL!

domesticated ape 7:11 pm, 12-Jan-2011

F Banksy and his gay stencils. robbo is right to do what he does. Saying that anyone can do what he does and banksys looks good it shows how narrow minded some people can be, GZOD for example. The spaycan is a tool which you learn to use like a bike. You cant ride around all your life with stabilizers can you? Banksy aint learnt how to use it, his stabilizers are his stencils. The pigs and government need to check themselves, allowing banksys stuff and acting like its some relic of this era we are in, what a load of trash. Big up robbo and anyone who lives real graff. T

john 8:23 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Best thing about this article is 1) You are cupping your tits up the top of the page and 2) The lightroom picture display. Nice. 3) Where is tox 11 these days? Maybe in jail?

Sam Samuels 8:35 pm, 12-Jan-2011

G.Zod. - It’s amazingly ironic that you should say that as it couldnt be further from the truth: Banksy’s work is talentless, anybody with photoshop and a big printer could replicate it with EASE and no artistic merit. However it takes years to get a nice handstyle, and believe me, it takes actual talent.

Monot 9:10 pm, 12-Jan-2011

@ Sam Samuels - damn straight. It's a shame the kids these days don't even put as much work into their handstyles as they should be. I've not been up for ten years and I still practice mine.

Alz 9:24 pm, 12-Jan-2011

No point in hatin on Banksy...Rob is right about the painter/billboard installer putting up Robbo's original; He's holding a brush. It is an hommage to graf, an imagining of a world with grafs as billboards. Be real and stop hatin.

fredo 10:21 pm, 12-Jan-2011

"Banksy is the Tesco of the art-world" - this is great example of a typical British attitude - as soon as anyone becomes successful, the knives come out and people call them mediocre sell outs. I wonder if the writer thought Banksy was the best thing ever when he was unknown to the masses? It's a shame because Banksy is one of Britain's best artists and as the movie shows he's completely unpretentious to boot. Plus the other guy's stuff obviously looks like shit.

GOTEM 10:30 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Have any of you ever seen banksys letters and handstyles? Back before he did stencils? He takes a dump on anything robbo has ever done. Yes, he did paint over an old burner, which shouldn't be done. But the article doesn't mention how many times that piece had been tagged and crossed out. If anything, Banksy just made you popular Robbo.

ROBBO SUCKS 10:32 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Robbo SUCKS, that's all folks....

Sarah 10:58 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Quality read, reminds me of the London graffiti company www.graffitikings.co.uk ex graffiti artists now making money, well done all.

Robbobobo 11:06 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Robbo as always just trying to be a little bit famous. Like Paris Hilton almost. I don't think I'd be surprised if a tape of him giving a bj on camera surfaced. Guy's just desperate for attention.

Ooops 11:26 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Yeah, Banksy is PUTTING UP a robbo, not covering it up. this suggests an APPRECIATION of robbo by banksy. however, this article makes it look like Robbo got the hump because he didn't even see properly what Banksy had done. don't get me wrong, i'm no banksy luvvie, but this article getting the idea of the banksy wrong makes robbo look very stupid. err, well done... all publicity is good publicity????

Fuck Robbo 11:46 pm, 12-Jan-2011

Who cares? This guy has no skill and is still living off this beef. 80s writer with no progression to show. Stop hating. How do you have a leg to stand on when you're doing failed gallery shows??

Robo is a homo 12:27 am, 13-Jan-2011

Who is this robbo guy, looks like hes just trying to lamprey off banksy cause nobody knows him, what a fag

FUCKNFILTHY 12:30 am, 13-Jan-2011

Really well written , great.

Robo is a tool 12:31 am, 13-Jan-2011

looks like someones sad they can't make any loot, legend? nobody has heard of this joke, hes just trying to lamprey off banksys fame cause nobody knows him, yea, i can find banksys work too and put a no skill design up too, tool

S2UPID.COM 12:55 am, 13-Jan-2011

is banksy done yet?

sHoE ! 1:13 am, 13-Jan-2011

In all fairness the decorator is "putting up wallpaper" not painting it grey, but still big up real writers.

robbo is a homo 1:46 am, 13-Jan-2011

Have you seen banksys handstyle? it is actually pretty fucking clean. This robbo bloke is obviously a washed up writer from the 80's who turned his back on graffiti for the last 20 years. YOU WOULD BE NOWHERE IF BANKSY DIDN"T GO OVER YOUR ELEMENTARY PIECE. FUCKING WACK THROWY AND ALL. WACK ASS STYLES I DONT CARE IF YOU ARE CONSIDERED A LEGEND, YOU STILL NEED TO MAINTAIN A FUCKING STYLE. YOU HAVE THE SAME CRAP STYLE YOU DID IN THE 80'S. EVOLVE KING ROBBO YOU FUCKING CUNT

Josh 2:14 am, 13-Jan-2011

Yeah Banksy used to have mad style in his letter form, but instead he sold out to make stencils and make money. Guess you can't blame them, but still kinda miss his original letter form styles before he went all wack.

Naom Chomsky 2:25 am, 13-Jan-2011

Who cares if Banksy uses stencils? Illustration is a skill guys... that means ANYONE can do it. Robbo is not that special other than the fact that he's an old timer that did it. No one is more skilled than the other. Banksy made graffiti even more popular, and contributed to the art world. When it comes down to it, who doesn't "sell out"? Money makes the world go round, and Robbo just missed the train while Banksy gettin bitches hoes and lambos

Chromeoq 2:32 am, 13-Jan-2011

Instead of you all just dissing Banksy or Robbo, you guys should appreciate all the shit they've done for graff and etc. Both guys pushed graff forward and are damn good artists.

heone 2:41 am, 13-Jan-2011

banksy is putting up a robbo is he you stupid prick? then why is it half covered? what's wrong with you? @ fuck robbo no skill? 80s writer with no progression to show? you really know nothing about graffiti do you

yoot 3:30 am, 13-Jan-2011

wallpapering up a robbo piece or wallpapering over it - no difference - he still went over it(?!). fair play to banksy, he's making his dough. Selling out and doing mainstream watered down mass produced microwave meals with no nutritional value mind.. That's what the punters want though ;) nice and easy does it - if you want something a bit deeper, you've got to work for it. WRH!!!

Name 4:13 am, 13-Jan-2011

I honestly didn't really like ths article that much...It skipped over a bunch of info, and glossed over the fact that Banksy 1) hits some of the HIGHEST profile places, 2) has condemed his own works in interviews, saying they are drivle and shit, 3) doesn't understand the fandom either. Robbo just sounds like an over heated guy, and a bit of a nutter...He may have a nice style, and a few tricks left, but that doesn't make him the best.

Name 4:19 am, 13-Jan-2011

Edit: Also, you can't expect every piece to be mind blowing every time. and @Jo Fuertes-Knight you cannot judge the man by the way people acted at his movie...its not his fault you got a bad showing...when I went, it was an empty theater, and I seriously had it all to myself...it was interesting, if a little fake feeling.

BEN 4:43 am, 13-Jan-2011

ROBBO speaks a lot of truth but what does he expect, he slapped Banksy in the face. of course banksys gonna go over him.Like robbo said banksy will never foget him.He hasn't, that why he pays people to go over him.Robbo should be happy though,Banksy made him world famous.at the end of the day though banksy is paid and set for life with the freedom to do whatever he wants and robbo is struggling to pay a mortgage contemplating doing gallery shows.so who wins? Big up to Robbo though for coming back out and regulating on this guy.banksy may be a toy in graff game but he's definitely not a toy in the game of getting paper. peace

AGAPE 8:42 am, 13-Jan-2011

The old ways of graffiti writing are dieing out. Evolution is not selling out.

Banksy 8:52 am, 13-Jan-2011

Insert Clever ComeBack: _____.

Unmarked Door 10:36 am, 13-Jan-2011

I like cheese.

Master Bates 10:44 am, 13-Jan-2011

what a joke. getting all upset that someone covered your painting, whilst at the same time not giving a shit that you covered someone else's property in the first place. smacks of a lack of intelligence. at the end of the day there are ideas in banksy's works, some better than others, and yes, ideas can be divorced from techincal skill and STILL work strongly. people like good ideas, that's why they are less likely to scrub out a Banksy than a Robbo. is the world of graffiti as narrow-minded as academia? clearly. at the end of the day compare the original robbo, with the banksy robbo, with the final robbo. which gives most entertainment and reward to the public? the answer is obvious, and yet you still don't get it.

Dan 11:10 am, 13-Jan-2011

Great article and well written. And although Banksy is a bit of a wanker, Robbo is pretty shit at graff.

Wanksy 12:59 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Robbo has hit yards hard he's done it for himself he don't give a fuck what you think he's got my respect just through pics of his stuff and London hand styles book all these old writers make me imagine a time when writers wasn't all art students and posh kids in skinny jeans doin some rebel shit no kid with a stencil ever made me wanna put up shit local heros

Wanksy 1:08 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Robbo has hit yards hard he's done it for himself he don't give a fuck what you think he's got my respect just through pics of his stuff and London hand styles book all these old writers make me imagine a time when writers wasn't all art students and posh kids in skinny jeans doin some rebel shit no kid with a stencil never made me wanna put up shit.free 10 foot

AC 1:32 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Robbo may not be the most technically gifted or stylish writer that ever lived, but that's just one side of graffiti. What most of you full grown adults looking at photos on the internet fail to understand is the other facets of graffiti like adventure, mystery, living for free outside the law, being prolific and not just proficient. Robbo went All City on the second largest subway system in the world, in the largest city in Europe. If you think that takes "no skill" or makes someone "shit at graff", you have business commenting on this story and you know it.

Alex 1:39 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Seriously, Robbo's just hatin on Bansky. I don't know how long Robbo's doing Graff, but it looks really shitty (Are there any other Pictures of his work?). Now, if you apply stancil graff techniques it might be kind of hard to blow, while doing actual graff it's more challenging to do clean lines for instance. But banskys fame comes from the creativity of his motives. i've been doing graff since '94, i know how to do letters, but the creative work, the ideas that bansky has shown is more than most european graff-artists ever unleashed in the last 20 years. Including me, so I don't have no problem to give him his well-earned props. The only creative output robbo seems to had so far, is to 'rape' the pieces of the most famous street-artist in the world. And that's actually a good idea. But for his artistic acomplishments are looking pretty weak, I think the technical term for robbo must be 'attention-whore'.

Gus 3:56 pm, 13-Jan-2011

For me, Street Art is all about putting it up and not knowing when its going to be taken down, or added to. The very nature of the thing is transient - the very reason its not in a gallery. All I can see Robbo doing is cashing in on someone else's success and not being able to let go of his ego. But hey, bills need to get paid. Banksy is doing exactly what he wants to do. And he came up the same way as everyone else, he just didn't write KING BANKSY on the wall because what he does takes slightly more thought. And this article, I mean come on, you're essentially saying you don't like Banksy because other people like him. Make up your own mind. If Robbo was the famous one, you would back Banksy.

FUCKNFILTHY 4:25 pm, 13-Jan-2011

that other comment is someone else posting under the name fucknfilthy, this whole article is fucking shit.

e 4:34 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Sounds to me like jealousy. He talks about stencil work etc being talentless but that's like saying Warhol was too.

Ted 5:09 pm, 13-Jan-2011

In the graffiti world I grew up in, you never speak in public about where you intend to paint. You also don't do interviews for anything other than graf mags. And you would have repaired your beloved canal piece 10 years before anyone with a stencil dissed it. I can imagine the headline: "Middle-aged track-suit wearing London thug wanna-be arrested in Asia..." Good luck in China, dude. Don't forget to send a press release when you're done.

deks 5:32 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Will this ever end? All Robbo does, is talk how Banksy sucks. We get it, time to move on maybe?

tim 5:44 pm, 13-Jan-2011

come on the robbo stuff looks like shit. he just uses the banksy-crossing to be famous. if at least his bombings and tags would have style...poor desperate oldshool haters.

Ralf 5:47 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Robbo and his search for fame.. what a twat, most of his piece was covered anyway. and for what was left of his piece, he painted it over himself. Only loozers and oldskool forgotten writers/lowlifes will respect robbo, i just hate oldskool writers claiming there fame after beeing skint for a decade.

Carl 5:55 pm, 13-Jan-2011

its like a UK BIG&Tupac scenario, but with paint, very Rock'n'Roll,....top read

in the know 7:34 pm, 13-Jan-2011

Banksy is King Robbo you mugs

mike b 8:21 pm, 13-Jan-2011

I like Jo's tits.... ALOT.

free10foot 9:36 pm, 13-Jan-2011

grand wd painted a comeback wall with fume dds at lakeside.banksy does not need to obey square conformist graffiti subculture rules as he is a free spirited street artist who questions the rules and creates art that the public like in a free creative space where dull graff rules dont apply. freedom of expression means that banksy should go over more robbo pieces to show that he has taken robbos crown. robbos opinion is his subjective opinion on banksy's art and not an opinion that is shared by most of the british population who like banksy and dont like tags

an actual writer 10:41 pm, 13-Jan-2011

allow all these art fags commenting this. you dont understand how shit you all sound because you dont know anything about graffiti, whether or not you know about street art, its not graffiti. and graffiti writers want nothing to do with street art. shame on you for posting this anyway, this is a dead and boring beef thats only provoked a load of shit talking from a load of art school faggots. graffiti isn't art so stop talking about it like it is.

Ignorance is bliss 10:54 pm, 13-Jan-2011

People are talking about intelligence like it's relevant. It's just graffiti, who cares if Robbo wasn't an intelligent man? What about graffiti requires a high IQ? It's just something that allows people who like fighting, beef and vandalism to go out and do what they want and have a reason for it. If street artists wanna talk about art and whatever then they should stick to galleries, because ultimately, they'll never have any writer's respect, and they should all learn to accept it.

Pezlow 11:53 pm, 13-Jan-2011

It seems that King Robbo is the Evander Holyfield of the Graff World. Everything he says about Banksy's commercial exploits, and then he's considering a gallery show himself.

Old News 12:15 am, 14-Jan-2011

Hasn't this story (and intro) already been written? "LONDON—In the predawn hours of Christmas morning, a 40-year-old shoe repairman who goes by the name Robbo squeezed his 6-foot-8-inch frame into a wet suit, tossed some spray cans into a plastic bag, and crossed Regent's Canal on a red-and-blue air mattress. Robbo, one of the lost pioneers of London's 1980s graffiti scene, was emerging from a long retirement." http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703795004575087043622126412.html

free10foot 1:13 am, 14-Jan-2011

if graffiti writers dont want anything to do with street art then why is robbo going over banksy knowing that will result in him being connected to banksy in the media both of these men are giving each other fame.robbo wanted to get his name in lights again and to feel the buzz of fame and he got it and it added to the gaiety of the nation and was entertaining as drax wd said "robbo's comeback was bullet proof".its a fame game and robbo got more fame via banksy its show business and rock and roll as robbo says its about escapism rebellion and creativity and i dont think robbo is taking this too seriously its fun like the robbo and doze v set3 battle for the central line not nasty just competion. robbo got more fame off banksys fame. maybe banksy did not like it that robbo gave him a slap so he decided to take his own revenge by going over robbo then robbo got revenge by creating team robbo and taking out banksy. looks like both of them like PR to me. seems odd that robbo is saying banksy is a toy with a pr team. when banksy was a great graff writer before he had to pay the mortgage and became a street artist. but wrh and banksy are connected as prime wrh put his nine eleven art work into the banksy show in central london recently. so graff artists and street artists are connected. as prime wrh is working with banksy by displaying work at banksys art show then robbos WRH crew and banksy are connected. and team robbo are working with ser graffiti kings see the "team robbo" in holloway rd on the commission piece. like the doze wrh and cry lakeside production. see buddz flickr photostream. i do think that banksy is taking a rebellious stance against the conformist graffiti mentality and banksy is saying robbo you dont own the walls of london so i will go over you to question your graffiti subculture rules and also to create fun but not nasty beef which will be good for banksy pr and "that comebacks bullet proof" so its worked out ok for robbo too TYPE has got best blockbuster roller reaches in london no drips off the whitewash letters either

NativerNYer 2:35 am, 14-Jan-2011

Has this writer ever heard of a comma? Bad, bad editing job--it's like reading a rough draft. I was cringing the whole way through. Otherwise, interesting read. Oh, and "Exit Through the Gift Shop" was one of the best documentaries of last year. Hands down.

speculator 12:15 pm, 14-Jan-2011

Robbo is muggin you off becoz he is down with banksy eine and elk on this one, it is all pr bruv and ur buying it

speculator 12:16 pm, 14-Jan-2011

btw ettgs was shit. it is so overhyped. critics are just confused into saying good tings about it cos there bamboozled by it and just think it must be cool cos banksy did it. mugs

speculator 12:18 pm, 14-Jan-2011

an graf artist with a brain becomes a street artist. banksy; writer + business mind = success.

speculator 12:19 pm, 14-Jan-2011

so gay. so hyped................ so jealous tbh.

Adam 2:13 pm, 14-Jan-2011

Sounds to me like Robbo is trying to align himself with the popularity of Banksy in order to make some dough bro... While I can see the appeal of Banksy's craft, Robbo's 'original london piece' should have been pissed on never mind painted over, fuckin shite.

8 to 10 6:45 pm, 14-Jan-2011

How the fuck was banksy ever a great writer. Never seen a train done by him or heard of him till he started whackin up his muggy stencils. Famous in Bristol maybe. Boring article anyway as no one gives a shit anymore, maybe ok 1 year ago.

Hi kids! 6:50 pm, 14-Jan-2011

LOL Have any of you met Robbo? definitely not an architect of fine revenge planning. The rest of the robbo piece was totally lost to tags and damage that little bit on banksys wallpaper roll was the only saveable part. That doesnt mean banksy should have come and painted his boring workman over it, it was good history and now the whole thing has gone its a bit shit. Elk, Banksy, Drax, Eine, Robbo whoever all know each other none of them care at all. Especially Banksy. This was written by an outsider for outsiders, to further her career and that is fair enough. Banksy has done a lot for the graffiti scene as well as the artfag scene. Amongst many other things you kids wonder why you can paint in waterloo ever? As with every public beef the only people who get all riled up about it are the ones who are not doing shit, havent done shit. Actually this is all very boring now. ps... I really hope he got a blowup dingy at least, fucking blowup lilo and wetsuit on the CANAL on chrstmas day! hahahahahahahahahaha

free10foot 6:50 pm, 14-Jan-2011

there was an article in the sun newspaper recently when a member of Robbo's WRH crew was criticised for being a muslim and displaying his art about the 7/11 terror attack in london at banksy's art show,prime wrh is a great artist and the ignorant sun was trying to make out that prime should not show his art as he was a muslim.So robbos logic is weak if he is saying banksy is a toy with a pr firm and then his wrh crew members are getting financial gain from selling art via banksy's art show. this makes me think that robbo either has a different opinion on banksy than the other wrh crew members or robbo and banksys so called fued is just one big pr stunt to fill up the bank account with money. the archietects art show in portobello was good too see plastic bones site and robbos wrh crew member prime showed his art their too .yeah i have heard of coma he was an old skool london leg-end ha ha. you could say that banksy is using robbo as banksy knows that if he breaks the rules and goes over robbos art then robbo will respond then banksy has got a graff beef that he can tell journalists about to try and make him seem edgy and connected to graffiti so really banksy is using robbo to get more pr maybe. how many robbo pieces did banksy go over in total? if banksy has gone over many robbo pieces then you can understand that robbo would be vexed about this and go over banksy so maybe that is what happened and no pr spin involved. punk-tuation is for art f=gs,say no to art f=gs. Free 10foot. CUTOX10FOOT back soon? or has banksy just got a grudge and he cant let it go so has to keep going over robbo

free10foot 8:09 pm, 14-Jan-2011

As someone said people like banksy becauseit is about ideas and it gives you something to think about with a bit of humour thrown in and you can admire the clever stencils he does.banksy is just fun for the masses its entertainement and showbusiness and rock n roll a bit like what robbo says graffiti is. drax wd and prime wrh both wrote or said that they admire banksy's streetart for what it is ie populist streetart with a sense of humour that people like because its fun and quite artistically skilled but that it has nothing to do with graffiti;so how come robbo wrh from the same crews as these two thinks banksy is so cr=p then? Did you see that junk Eine so called art thing that Dave Cameron bought for Barak Obama;the Obama family must have just thought "typical BNB junk".Obama gets his art from duster ua now and he has asked david cameron not to give him anymore eine bnb junk. Is this what robbo really meant to say? If so I am sure we would agree. Robbo brings up the eternal question "what is art?" just because robbo dont think banksy's stencils aren't art dont mean they aint g'nar wot i mean wot iz art anyway?

free10foot 11:32 pm, 14-Jan-2011

what does robbo mean by this "last year was good for gallery and promotions" promoting what?what gallery work did robbo do?how did robbos gallery work compare to banksy art? Robbo says that "what banksy promotes is tacky mass produced sh=t" what is robbos argument or evidence for this statement? as the public think that banksys stencils are quality and original and whats wrong with tacky mass produced sh=t anyway if thats what the public want as robbo is coming across as a bit snobby and elitist ie looking down on the public who like so called tacky mass produced sh=t of banksy and dont like graff the public like commercial tv and dont go to the national gallery to view masterpieces dont mean there is something wrong with popular entertainment.its as if robbo is saying people like mass produced sh=t ie popular tv and not going to national gallery so they are a bit stupid but they arent . exit through the giftshop was typical banksy a satire on street art the main character in the film was a hopeless street artist but he was in the right place at the right time and conned people into thinking he was a great artist and banksy is taking the p=ss outof himself in this film really just saying i got lucky too and taking the p=ss out of all the hype around himself and street art and saying its all ridiculous i think banksy is in the same way taking the p=ss out of the graffiti subculture and saying i will go over anyone i want because i dont believe in obeying rules of a graff subculture because art aint about obeying rules and robbo says he got into graff for escapism and creativity and rebellion probably the same reason banksy got into it until banksy had to earn money to buy a house. Maybe the author of this article can interview robbo again adress a few of the issues raised i am fascinated and want to learn more about this

free10foot 11:40 pm, 14-Jan-2011

ps - i prefer the robbo top to bottom whole car with robbo wrh shaking hands with prime wrh on the station in front of it to banksy however so you know er er vandalism is better

awake 3:45 am, 15-Jan-2011

street art is different to graffiti for a reason. Robbo has realised banksy in is the limelight so its the easiest way of getting your name seen is pair up with him in a conflict for for media attention for example this interview. Everyone should be role model to themselves for their art and individualism brings more attention graffiti writers like t-kid,cope2, tracy168 for example have pure individualism, like if you seen their writing you know istantly who has done it, banksy has this and its up to ones personal expression of what you want to do with a can, maybe wildstyle writing doesnt have the message you want to get across so you do it another way...

free10foot 9:34 pm, 15-Jan-2011

is robbo saying that because banksy prepares many of his stencils at home that makes them mass produced and only freehand graff deserves credit because it is done over a long period of time outdoors spraying at risk of arrest and is unique as the graff is done at the time in a potentially hostile environment so it is worthy of more credibility whereas street art is a stencil prepared in comfort at home and a quick wheatpaste and thus less risk of arrest so less credibilty? we shop at tesco and like the mass produced products they sell especially if that includes pies and beer.i think that joanna has done a good job in this interview as it provokes so many questions that you want to ask promote joanna and the photo in the black dress doesnt hurt either. cope2 said he ended careers with his chrome and black throw ups going over people but cap went over more people. seen and futura2000 were my favourites and the duster ua and lizzie whole car. can robbo comment on here please to clear up some of these questions?

Nik 10:52 pm, 15-Jan-2011

Come on. The banksy is brilliant. The comeback... Not so much. Sorry "keepin it real" guy.

fookinell 11:14 pm, 15-Jan-2011

free10foot's comments are right. robbo is just throwing words around without knowing what they actually mean. robbo and his like are wrong to differentiate between graffiti and street art; it's all the same thing: PAINT ON WALLS. these artificial categories are created by people who can't see the bigger picture, or can't handle the competition from the Newer Kids On The Block so their only defence is to say there is a difference so don't compare it. I wonder whether Robbos day job involves selling what he would call 'mass produced shit'. Of course it does. robbo please can you give up your day job which involves selling people mass produced shit. thanks. LOL

Yonkers Resident 12:36 am, 16-Jan-2011

Tracy 168 lives up the block from me. Classic graf with those sparkly shades, haha!

free10foot 3:50 pm, 16-Jan-2011

robbo did a stencil himself a picture of a tongue on camden rd in north london.He admitted this on his flickr account.So he does mass produced sh$t himself then thats his words i thought it was a good stencil from robbo and i like robbos vandalism.duster ua came to london recently and linked with london writers. what new burners have tats cru done in nyc recently? and any subway art writers done any new vandalism in nyc?

Marvo Art 5:08 pm, 16-Jan-2011

This has been runnin for a while now, to the point where it does all look like jealousy to me, and i guess now, it looks even moreso now.

free10foot 9:04 pm, 16-Jan-2011

Has Sabotage Times been sabotaged by Robbo? Because one of Robbo's "Psyco's From Broadmoor" crew members called ELK was paid by Banksy to represent Banksy and sell Banksy artwork.So I smell a Blek Le Rat as there are too many financial connections running from Robbo to Banksy but I could be wrong and maybe it is just a friendly fued between 2 people?

fuckartfags. 10:59 pm, 16-Jan-2011

if you dont do graff or know about graff then dont chat shit, robbo was a king a pushed graaf to new levels with many other oldschool writers, like drax, yeh banksy has pushed it too, he was a graffer now an artfag sell out who thinks his the don, when thier are plenty others like him. obey was the original. but back to the subject all you haters on robbo can sit down, i bet none of you have ever done a trackside or even touched steel like he did so on that note bigup kingrobbo!

free10foot 11:58 pm, 16-Jan-2011

PFB

yorkshire torture 2:54 am, 17-Jan-2011

banksy = toy private schoool rent boy xx

TenThree 2:45 pm, 17-Jan-2011

See my Facebook page for an excellent Robbo vs Banksy: www.facebook.com/tenthreephotography (Look in the 'Regents Canal' album)

a decorator 4:48 pm, 17-Jan-2011

you hang wallpaper from the top down Banksy's decorator is clearly working from the bottom up, which is why it looks like he is covering the Robbo piece If Banksy had paid a bit more attention to the decorators hanging the flock wallpaper in the study of his Devon mansion, all this silly fighting could have been avoided

a teacher 4:52 pm, 17-Jan-2011

and could all the "real graf heads" please learn to use the Queens English correctly so a) we can understand what you are saying, and b) your defence of Robbo doesn't make both of you look as stupid as the people that buy Banksy's "art" thanks x

fuckartfags. 5:24 pm, 17-Jan-2011

sorry we're not benders like you.

RUshaw 7:39 pm, 17-Jan-2011

perhaps robbo having a PR photo putting on latex gloves with the phrase 'bend over banksy' is a little unfortunate then?

whoosit 9:05 pm, 17-Jan-2011

robbos been smashing it for years, if u idolise banksy you know nothing about graffiti...

free10foot 1:39 am, 18-Jan-2011

like the zombie looking out of the car window painted by prime wrh one of robbos wrh crew members at the leake st tunnel waterloo recently.one of the best characters i have ever seen prime is a great artst. see buddz photostream on flckr.

TheChef 2:09 am, 18-Jan-2011

When i first started cutting stencils i had no idea who Banksy was, and art teachers shoved his work in my face like he was some kind of God, admittedly i thought he was sick, but then i got to know about a lot of other stencil artists and graff artists alike and it became apparent that banksys work was really weak in comparison, But middle class white people love him and there's not much we can do to change that other than come out with better shit

Alert KBN 4:32 am, 18-Jan-2011

Props to Robbo for the backhand slap.

free10foot 6:06 pm, 18-Jan-2011

Shame 10Foot got bagged.Does 10FOOT get his time in HMP Scrubs cut by half with good behaviour? if so when is he due for release? What is Robbo plotting? There must be some reason why he has done this interview so what is the reason? a new gallery show perhaps?

free10foot 7:17 pm, 18-Jan-2011

once upon a time in london a dickensian pea souper fog hangs over london the peelers know that with visibility low the games afoot the btees are ready the wrh crew huddle together drinking and smoking and plotting their next move tonight f is shrouded in fog a freezing cold mist swirls over g chane and kast are already out painting dx walks down old st after a night out grand is already in parsnips once upon a time in london

Jonesy 12:20 pm, 19-Jan-2011

There's humour in Banksy's stuff - who cares if it isn't pure "graff"? That Robbo piece Banksy used looked a mess IMHO - guess I'm just not street enough to appreciate something either ironic or just plain shit.

moneycbe 6:50 pm, 19-Jan-2011

According to half you mups Bansky is crap because it looks like anyone could do it? Joke.

moneycbe 7:18 pm, 19-Jan-2011

P.s I get that there’s loads more to street art/graf/whatever but you’ve got to give credit to Banksy for the Gaza stuff. The Moma and zoo stunts were pretty original too. Maybe Robbo‘s done this sort of caper as well??

ema 1:43 am, 20-Jan-2011

Long live bansky!!

For10foot 1:54 am, 20-Jan-2011

erm "a teacher" i fink u need to chek yoself.... I fink dares a coupal of misstakes in your kwote...

For10foot 1:57 am, 20-Jan-2011

your all a bunch of kunts.....& im 1..2..1.2. 12 twelve...4..10..foot..10 4 good buddy.

free10foot 8:36 pm, 20-Jan-2011

the plastic bones website looks good today. do team robbo think that the crown prosecution service was correct to say that 10foot did over 100 thousand pounds worth of damage in london? Because 100k sounds like a huge cost to clean off this 10foot graff.An overestimation by the establishment of cleaning costs perhaps?

fuckartfags. 8:52 pm, 20-Jan-2011

naa my pal bois gettin rinsed for over100pound worth of dammage, props to em all, free tha mans, prison aint for graff.

free10foot 12:25 am, 22-Jan-2011

good interview with old skool london writer "jadell" on aerosol planet website. a interview with met nhs which mentions robbo on there too and a burning candy tek33 interview. shame that team robbo aren't talking to us on here and are going for the "no comment" approach on this as this was an intrigeuing interview with robbo

free10foot 9:20 pm, 22-Jan-2011

in the interview that jadell gave to the aerosol planet website a few days ago, writers from robbo's crew, PFB; and CWS writers; and chrome angelz writers, say that they have set up a new crew called "the others". they say that this crew does not want to have anything to do with graff politics because they did the politics when they were younger - a mature approach- from the "olds kool" generation who maybe disagree with robbos battle with banksy perhaps? on the basis that "old's kool" so leave politics behind. the pieces by "the others" in london hofs are burners with swing, bounce and flow.

A L 11:08 pm, 22-Jan-2011

LOL - why hate and devalue another persons creation? who is "KING" Robbo to say Bansky is worthles? Bansky who has done more good for humanity than harm? Bansky has good intentions -to say he is out for profit and fame makes no sense because he is still ANONYMOUS. Also,Bansky himself was not proud of the documentary of him & said he wouldnt do another one. Why dont we remain in solidarity with one another? there are few artists that have impacted apathetic people into discussing his socially and politically provoking graffiti. its not his fault that some of those people have put him on a pedestal, Bansky himself has been quoted putting down those that treat his work like gallery art. i appreciate reading the other side of the debate but this is so unnecessary because its just totally unappreciating banskys impact and work. its not like hes dropping bombs on people, hes been trying to drop peace, truth and justice.

free10foot 2:02 am, 24-Jan-2011

ROBBO WRH PFB,DRAX WD PFB, FUEL CCD ITC yardies.

Robbo was nobody, now is somebody, thanks to Banksy 9:38 pm, 25-Jan-2011

JFK RRP KKK DHL twats

KOAP... 7:40 pm, 5-Feb-2011

ROBBO you the man!!!.. keep going...

PAOK... 8:54 pm, 6-Feb-2011

ROOBO you ain't the man!!!.. please stop...

COMA,FOAM,HATE,PRIDE,SCAM 9:48 pm, 8-Feb-2011

Robbo rox

listen 10:21 pm, 9-Feb-2011

ROBBO MAN, WHO ARE YOU? BANKSY AINT CUTTIN IT? SO WHY THE BEEF? COS SOMEONE WENT OVER YOUR PIECE THAT WAS DONE YEARS AGO? THATS GRAFF MATE. GET USED TO IT. IM NOT GOING TO BE A 'REAL WRITER' AND SAY BANKSY'S SHIT.. COS HE'S CLEARLY NOT. BUT WELL DONE TO YOU ANYWAY.. YOU GOT YOUR FAME. AND IF YOU HAVENT SEEN BANKSY'S OLD SKOOL BRISTOL PIECES.. THEN YEAH.. ITS EASY TO SAY HIS A FAKE MONEY GRABBING STREET ART FAG

wtf 5:53 pm, 10-Feb-2011

who the fuck are you...banksy is king, fuck you robbo

whoosit-free10foot 11:49 pm, 10-Feb-2011

banksys may put the time and effort into his stencils but hes a seeeeellllouuuut. please no bs, Robbo is the king of graffiti, Banksy had no right to be lining robbos shit. TEAM ROBBO all the way, proper old school writer..

harg 5:25 pm, 13-Feb-2011

banksy can sell his work because people like it, and he chooses to let people buy it. that is why you call him a sellout. robbo cannot sell his work because people don't like it. that is why he is not a sell out (even though he wishes he could). what is so funny is that the old school writer types on here are supposedly anti-establishment, but they want everyone to live under just as many rules as 'established' society does, albeit different rules. suckers. your rules are STILL rules. don't you see; you are simply a different 'establishment'. people who oppose you are 'anti-establishment' too. keep thinking and walking in straight lines like you do. pretending that you're raging against the machine when infact you really wish you could be one of those cogs if only they would let you. LMFAO :-O you're SOOOOOOOO radical. not!

Harold Monk 1:48 pm, 19-Feb-2011

Surely by now everyone knows Banksy is a very attractive girl from Braintree,pretending to be a middle class boy from Bristol.She is nearly 30 and teaches Philosphy at Cambridge.Her brother often poses by the work she's produced pretending to do it himself.You'll see him in the film "Enter through the giftshop".What a hoax!

Fooled 3:29 am, 25-Feb-2011

I don't know any damn thing about the art or the graffitti worlds. I'm avoiding to take a position for a simple reason. I think both Banksy and Robbo are simply making some big noise and creating a big debate in both art and vandalist-grafftivism milieux on purpose and by complot, just has some other people did before. I'll throw some examples: comedian Andy Kauffman impersonated the noisy redneck Tony Clifton to fool the medias and create a buzz, just like did that Joachim Phoenix with that rap turn-over documentary with Casey Affleck. Also, the KLF crew burned a million quids and taped it, earning more money only with the fuzz that the documentary aimed. It’s a pure mix of activism, irony, situationism and exaltation of the unpredictable. It’s pure genius if you think about it. Banksy is unique doing that thing, i believe. I would bet my left arm that the artist Mr Brainwash is an invention of his. The brainwash dude’s art is like a generic Banksy imitation made by a cheap artist, a retarded copy, just the pop side of Banksy. But it’s art is executed in such a precise way that the foolery reveals itself. It’s so genius that the masked artist is making a parody of himself but at the same time he’s defending his career by creating a retarded French that arrives to fame by marketing and social hype, not through hard work and dedication like him. He hits in the “art not art” beef in which he is himself immersed fully. Anyway, the point is that the masked peep is just fooling around everybody once again. About the Robbo beef with Banksy, i have to say that Andy Kaufman did that twice times: first he gained the media attention as well as the critics from the feminists and women associations in purpose by wrestling women on Tv in a sort of WWF in which he always won. Second was the wrestling affair: showing a devote passion for wrestling and seeing the possibilities that the mass attention that it offered for his “situationist” and “surrealistic” tricks, he engaged a beef in Larry King’s show with an all-time texas wrestler, -just an oldschool pal like Robbo-. It was certainly an epic combat for the normal wrestling audience, they insulted and hated Andy Kaufman because he was a phony, a guy that took wrestling to commercial, a guy that did not respected their rules. Just as Banksy, so as Andy Kaufman, he just was paying a homage to graffiti fixing a graff vs. street art beef with an all-time writer. Of course, everything was fixed before. I’m sure they both laughed having some joints or sprayin’ some walls, while we he we are all chit-chatting and taking side for one side or another, but really having no idea how fuckin’ brilliant Banksy and Robbo are.

Harold Monk 12:18 pm, 25-Feb-2011

Christ "Fooled",you don't half go on...

Fooled 2:16 pm, 25-Feb-2011

If you think about it, having a public diss between Robbo and Banksy makes everybody talk, everybody take a side and the only two who take advantage by media notoriety is both of them. Sounds not so absurd to me.

sneaker 9:42 pm, 26-Feb-2011

how come flickr removed robbo wrh's flickr account.The entire roobo flickr has been deleted.The entire backstory of the robbo v banksy beef removed.

TenThree 2:33 am, 27-Feb-2011

To see what's now on this infamous wall check out my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=188166444546919&set=a.188167241213506.42905.160974690599428&theater This is (apparently) a Banksy and there's an Oscar been added to the piece just recently which now stands on the fireplace. This does however beg the question of how 'Banksy' managed to do this whilst simultaneously putting up all the recent pieces in LA. Is this is PR team which the King talks of...?? It seems that way :-)

sneaker 5:00 pm, 28-Feb-2011

The website called Flickr has confirmed that it did remove the Robbo WRH flickr account and photostream.But they won't give a reason as to why they removed the account.Every Robbo photo and hundreds of comments have been lost regarding Robbo v Banksy.Which begs the question how is flickr a democratic enviroment which values freedom of speech and are flickr employees on banksy's payroll?

anonymouse 12:00 pm, 2-Mar-2011

I disagree

Harold Monk 3:06 pm, 2-Mar-2011

I disagree with Anonymouse,who disagrees with everyone else.

Reach Basher 10:33 pm, 3-Mar-2011

Robbo WRH has hit up a stencil on the building next to Europacar,the car rental company in Pentonville Rd off Upper St,N1, 5 mins walk from Angel tube station . There is a stencil by Delete next to the teamrobbo blam.The Robbo stencil has got "team robbo" sprayed next to it. Banksy was nominated for an oscar for his documentary and then done the pictures of mickey mouse on the billboards in LA. Banksy documentary was entertaining and could have won an oscar if it was about F or G or the pit but it was about street art so understanably didn't win.

Reach Basher 10:43 pm, 7-Mar-2011

ROBBO WRH has hit something up at the Berlin Film Festival.

Turnmill St 12:11 am, 14-Mar-2011

Good interview with Robbo on the website: "LDN Graffiti."

Turnmill St 10:17 pm, 14-Mar-2011

Robbo In Berlin For “Yelling To The Sky” 26 February 2011 9:23 AM, PST | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news » Filmmaker Victoria Mahoney premiered her first feature, Yelling to the Sky, in Competition at the Berlin Film Festival this month, and arriving in the city with her was British graffiti artist Robbo. And by the time of the film’s premiere, the city was the richer for a wall-sized mural of the film’s lead character, Sweetness (Zoe Kravitz). Below, Mahoney writes about the process of finding a home for Robbo’s work. Her story has an ironic coda given Robbo’s recent street rivalry with Banksy. Read on. I always knew I’d be mounting a graffiti piece in tandem with the premiere of Yelling to the Sky. Since the day I finished the script, I’ve been holding a private wish for a graffiti piece in conjunction with our opening. It was a must. The only question was “who” and “how.” Robbo and I met in London in » - Scott Macaulay See full article at Filmmaker Magazine - Blog »Permalink | Report a problem

Turnmill St 10:56 pm, 14-Mar-2011

In the article in Filmaker Magazine about the film "Yelling to the Sky", at the end of the article you see a photo of the Robbo painting next to the Banksy on the same wall in Berlin. I really like the Robbbo painting of the woman looking upwards and I prefer it to the Banksy,in my opinion.

Turnmill St 8:49 pm, 16-Mar-2011

Love the new Robbo burner in the pit.Spank!

Turnmill St 2:29 pm, 30-Mar-2011

www.signalgallery.com robbo exhibition in april

james bond 7:32 pm, 3-May-2011

Rober was everywhere when i was growing up, bottom down whole carts taking me to school in the morning. cant remember the first time i see a banksy, think it was on the news in about 2004..

unknown 10:26 pm, 14-Jun-2011

who every is dising robbo suk ur mum and hope all famo get dieded

Agzilla 9:44 am, 14-Aug-2011

Big Up Robbo... always seen him up from back in the day... real legendary graf writer..... Big Up DDS crew also... Having said that Banksy does his thing too... it aint graf like we used to know it..that is true.. but it's not supposed to be.. i remember Banksy years back at Fulham perhaps? everyone dissed his stuff, it looked weak compared to the rest tbh.. but he evolved his ideas and made it a success. Well done and good luck to him.. people hate to easy! Remember when Goldie used to do graf? he had some fly shit, but people hated on his success too.... Robbo is a true school legend and architect of UK graf.. but the issue here is that Banksy shoulda left his heritage piece alone... It's all good... enjoyable read... Zz.

Carl 3:17 pm, 14-Aug-2011

give em all community service for vandalism, they need to get a proper job..

ash 11:03 pm, 14-Aug-2011

robbo lives on

Josh 11:12 pm, 14-Aug-2011

Robbo your a pathetic loser. Concentrate on your own art instead of inteferring with other artists. Sad f****r.

Bill Murray 11:49 pm, 14-Aug-2011

Just watched the documentary on this and it's gutting to hear about what happened to Robbo. What was really interesting to me as someone who has always suspected Banksy was a fraud was the background on Blek le Rat. Banksy has pretty much built his whole career on ripping this bloke off.

Hey carl 12:02 am, 15-Aug-2011

If you feel the need to comment on an article promoting graffiti with "they should all get jobs" shouldn't you just get a life, moron. I think what banksy did was wrong and robbo was kinda just trying to get famous from it. I do feel bad on robbo because he was the top artist until banish, the friggin legend, came along. Even without using stencils, which by the way, banksy draws free hand, his sculptures and slogans are classic.

WhoNeedsAJob 12:12 am, 15-Aug-2011

Robbo, was made famous by banksy in the film. if he hadn't done a bit of wallpapering we still wouldn't know who robbo was because his sig had disappeared. I liked the movie and hope he gets better. But coming from a northern ******d he was a typical cockney, full of it..

zain 12:19 am, 15-Aug-2011

king robbo inspired me in that program i was upset when i heard he was in a coma.

cass 12:21 am, 15-Aug-2011

I love Robbos work he may be getting on in years but you young uns should have more respect for him he's a legend. But Banksy is a mere copy cat. Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and the originator of stencil graffiti art. ... he stenciled rats on the street walls of Paris,wheras Robbos art is his own idea...

cass 12:24 am, 15-Aug-2011

Praying for you Robbo god bless you get well soon x

Jack 12:37 am, 15-Aug-2011

BIG UP ROBBO!!!

yogsy 12:43 am, 15-Aug-2011

Whats the update on robbos health? All the best to him..

Jus 12:54 am, 15-Aug-2011

I used to like Banksy, but didn't know much about the history of the RAT!! Very clever but I've just bought a fake oil painting which looks exactly like the real thing, but my point is that it is only worth £150 & not £250'000. Surely all this hype about Banksy will die out soon, when everybody see's that he is a copy-cat!! How sad that was to find out right at the end of the documentary that Robbo is in a coma. My thoughts and prayers are with you Robbo, you are a true artist. Please get well soon.x

Bleksy... 1:05 am, 15-Aug-2011

Watch the documentary before you insult robbo his portrait of the actor free hand is phenomenal. And banksy stencils are good but it's stencils... Not insane to create like the skill of free hand, he has literally copied every stencil by Blek. Blek was there 20years before banksy.

THE RIDDLE FOR THE SMART 1:09 am, 15-Aug-2011

OH MY GOD EVERY SINGLE COMMENT SUCKS AIR BRAIN ARSE JESUS CHRIST SOME 1 STRIKE LIGHTING ON THESE FAKE ARSE BRAIN LESS JUMP ON FAMOUS MANS DICK -BEING BANKSY LOL I MEAN U ARE SELL OUTS ONLY RIDING BANKSY'S DICK BECAUSE HE IS FAMOUS BANKSY FUCKING STOLE HIS ART FROM THE MAN FROM PARIS - U LOSERS ITS NOT ORIGINAL ITS STOLEN COPIED DUPILACTED SO TELL ME WHO DID ROBBO COPY U GUYS ARE PIECES OF DEAD PEOPLE SHIT WHY BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT JUST RESPECT A MAN WHO HAD A PASSION ''ROBBO'' AND HE WORKED HARD FOR HIS PASSION FROM THE 1980S... HE DID NOT STEAL U DUMB SELL OUTS THIS IS WHY THE WORLD IS SO FUCK BECAUSE UR ALL SO FUCKING BLIND YOU CANT SEE THE SMOKE THROUGH THE FUCKING FLAMES U ARE ALL MERE RATS... HUNGRY FOR THE GREAT MAN TO LOOK UP TO, WELL GO A SUPPORT JESUS BECAUSE IF YOU DIDNT KNOW THAT Banksy is King Robbo you mugs, then you have no brain cells left HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA IF ONLY YOU KNEW IF ONLY YOUR BRAIN WOULD WORK FOR ONCE IF ONLY Banksy is King Robbo you mugs THE RIDDLE FOR THE SMART Banksy is King Robbo you mugs THE RIDDLE FOR THE SMART

MBW 1:19 am, 15-Aug-2011

Robbo IS Banksy!! (robin gunningham)

Moni 2:29 am, 15-Aug-2011

TEAM ROBBO

JuJuMan 2:37 am, 15-Aug-2011

Just saw the documentary, been reading some of these comments saying Banksy has no skill because he uses stencil and not free hand, but thats his style thats how he enjoys playing the game, he gets to throw up like any graffiti artist but just does it alot quicker with less risk of being caught. But i dont like what he did to a Original Robbo piece in Camden, that was just Disrespectful, But the King Robbo flip piece made me smile. Also i think it is Outrageous that Banksy pieces dont get buffed and are legal i think thats totally out of order, as much as i hate the thought of buffing any graffiti/street art, the special treatment i dont agree with!

Jumbo 3:02 am, 15-Aug-2011

whats the doc called? Missed it...

Nicola 8:41 am, 15-Aug-2011

I'm sorry to say I'd never heard of Robbo before (but had heard of Banksy). I watched Grafitti Wars last night and was inspired, by Robbo!. Yes a xx year old woman was inspired by what I saw, having previously thought graffitti, was just that, graffitti. Being an artist myself I can see the talent, even though its not an area I've explored before. From what I saw in the film last night Banksy just copies from Blek le Rat (had never heard of him either). Any one can see the portrait of the film star in Germany on the side of a building is art. It takes pure skill to come up with an image, enlarge it in your mind and then transfer that vision to a wall 40ft high without actually being able to stand back & view it! Its easy to paint when its at the same scale, but painting from a scaffold with no chance to stand back and view your work to make sure its right, that's skill. It said in the film that Robbo had been found unconscious and was in hospital in a coma. I hope he has recovered now and goes on continue in the life of an artist that he deserves.

Bill Murray 9:55 am, 15-Aug-2011

Well done Jtw, you win the prize for the nastiest and most loathsome comment ever on a Sabotage comments board.

cass 11:20 am, 15-Aug-2011

Don't care if Banksy is Robbo would be funny if he is, but right now, Iyou. All I care about is that I hope Robbo gets better soon and I send love and best wishes to all his family at this sad time. So you lot of morons sending nasty remarks have some respect for the family at least.

epic king pin 11:57 am, 15-Aug-2011

(banksys=copy and paste)banksy is a toy, graff is all about 3 hand art not copy cat stencils made by artist yrs ago that a computer can print and cut out.For a person to have his talentless work preserved is a insult, and for any true graff artist to cover any other piece is the biggest insult and deserves no street cred. if banksy had any talent he would stop copying other artist and come up with his own ideas and show if he can do real graff.but as he is only a copy and paste artist not a true graff artist it just shows that robbo has more talent in his little finger than banksy has in his hole body.

KBoo77 12:05 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Well done suckers - you'll believe anything. It's all media marketing and everyone is in on it except you the public - same with the Banksy film that too was a clear set up.

Michael 12:09 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Having Just watched Grafitti Wars on Channel 4OD I hope Robbo has recovered from his assualt at the hands of Banksys people. I wish him success and happiness

deee 12:14 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Does this article mean robbo is out of his coma now as its got todays date on it?

Jumbo 12:16 pm, 15-Aug-2011

KBoo77 - I think you're right. I dont know the ins and outs of this beef any more than anyone else so I wasn't gonna say anything, but Gift Shop is so obviously set up that Im amazed it fooled so many people. Come on - Shepard Fairey on Gift shop 'validating' Brainwash who cannot be for real... and now EINE on this doc cos he has 'worked with both of them' (even though Robbo hasn't written for 10 years and was conveniently unknown to the general public (non writers) before this dispute). Rumours also that ELK worked for banksy's team... Banksy knowing full well how to promote another artist through controversy.. if he really hated Robbo surely he wouldn't have knowingly given him exposure like this? he's basically giving him an art 'career'... Could be wrong but the potential for a set up is totally there.

Andrew Welsby 12:48 pm, 15-Aug-2011

He's the real deal, freehand is art, stencils are for gimps. Long live King Robbo!

Snootchibootchi 1:02 pm, 15-Aug-2011

@ THE RIDDLE FOR THE SMART Love your energy but some punctuation would really assist the reader. Also do you have to SHOUT? Loud doesn't mean right ya know??

Wazjulie 1:27 pm, 15-Aug-2011

No one deserves being put in a coma. What ever has happened to who or who said what to who. Hope Robo gets better soon.I was amazed by his talent. My thoughts are with his family.

Image Village 1:43 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Art has moulded who i am and what path i take in life, i'm now 36 and have had the privelage to grow up with the Graffers in London, i've photographed hundreds of pieces in Spain and many places throughout the UK, much of my work that i did at the old Marsh Mills roundabout in Plymouth was destroyed when the new flyover went in.....the likes of Subway Art and the stunning talent of the world's true street artists "the GRAFFITI artists" captivated my imagination and was a part of the backdrop to my childhood, breaking in subways on an old piece of kitchen flooring, a Ghetto blaster, batteries and spraycans were common-place! The likes of the infamous Robbo would only be known to those that grew up in the environment that blessed you with the opportunity to be exposed to the great artists, taggers names echoing the old days of NY hood Graffers throwing up their tags so that their names were seen in all the hoods that they dare not enter. In the UK Robbo is a legend to the hardcore fans and the people that don't judge Graffiti and stereotype a guy in a hoody with paint on his hands, it's the kids that don't understand the unwritten "laws" of Graff that piss off people taggin garden walls and street signs. Graffiti is ART, Robbo an artist and the world is his Canvas, his work is inspiring, it brought colour and light into the dark neighbourhoods and helped channel the path for thousands of artists in the UK, including the stencil monkey himself. What is deeply sad is that people should talk such shit about something they know nothing about apart from what they learnt on a documentary!!!! We all have the choice of what path we take in life and we are all entitled to it, Robbo chose his and fuckin good on him, what's pathetic is all the people here that have the audacity to disrespect a guy they don't even know, to bitch about a guy that clearly is passionate enough to protect the Uk Graffiti scene that much he's IN A FUCKING COMA!!!!! ROBBO IS IN A COMA????? FOR PROTECTING WHAT'S HIS????? ALL BECAUSE OF SOME TOSSPOT PR DRIVEN MONKEY-FUCK WHO COPIED A FRENCH ARTISTS ORIGINALITY AND TURNED IT INTO A MAINSTREAM MONEY MAKING EXERCISE YET SITS BEHIND THE MASK AND BREAKS AN UNSAID LAW HE "KNOWS" CAN NEVER BE UNDONE....SLEEP WELL BANKSY YOU PRICK....ROBBO GAVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A LIVING, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HIM????? AND PLEASE SHOW ROBBOS FAMILY AND FRIENDS SOME RESPECT....YOU SAD PATHETIC PEOPLE...HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF IT WAS YOUR BROTHER, FATHER OR FRIEND?

cass 1:47 pm, 15-Aug-2011

so according to some people the banksy/robbo thing is a publicity stunt? What proof is there of it id be very interested to know.

KBoo77 1:58 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Put it this way, I have a contact that worked for Banksy during the making of Exit, I can state that it was faked and there is no rivalry between Banksy and King Robbo either it's a publicity PR set up. Why does KR slate Banksy for selling out to galleries when he's gone to the same gallery to cash in? WISE UP SUCKERS. True Graffers don't do it for the cash.

cass 2:25 pm, 15-Aug-2011

I hope it is what you say Kboo77 that may mean he is also not in a coma then?

menace 2:27 pm, 15-Aug-2011

did ANY of you guys ever think of the fact that ROBBO and BANKSY are the same person!??! it's not all that hard to figure out! but you guys don't think before you bitch do you???

cass 2:33 pm, 15-Aug-2011

KBOO7 so maybe some of these people posting on here may be in on it too, you know may be Banksy or Robbo are both posting ? or the whole thing is a work of contemporary art or such like and us suckers are part of this conspiracy theory... lets just see

KBoo77 2:36 pm, 15-Aug-2011

He may be in a coma but Banksy had nothing to do with it, when you see the real banksy and not some hooded silhouette with a robot voice - you'll know what I mean. Bansky has a marketing team and all of that dosh he has made some of it should be sent to Blek.

MBW 2:43 pm, 15-Aug-2011

After watching Exit and the Graffiti Wars doc I too have come to the conclusion this is all an elaborate "andy kaufman-esque" art piece. I think Robbo and Banksy may be one and the same or at least from the same crew.-- Banksys real name is supposedly ROBIN Gunningham.-- I think "Banksy" is maybe a giant Graffiti/Art joke/Con created by a group of Graffiti artists to "BANK" (cash-in) on and show the stupidity of the art world by classing one thing vandalism and the other art, when its all one and by the same people. Kind of like what they did with the LA art crowd in "Exit". The only thing I could find about Robbo was on Banksys wiki page and now Robbos in a "Coma" I wonder if we'll ever hear about him again? This is all just an elaborate consipracy theory I've thought of after getting high all weekend and watching all the shows, so apologies to Robbos family if I'm just being rude and insensative because he is a great artist (he was though I just like to point out using stencils himself in a few scenes though, I think there is nothing wrong with that personally they look striking and who wants to get arrested!) Or at the very least Robbo and Banksy are old friends and Banksy helped him get started in the art world.-- I really hope that it turns out theis whole BANKSY and graff movement is a big piece on the fickleness and hypocrisy of the "art" world (is it art or vandalsim?) by a group off kick ass graffers. If thats the case and if it were true it would itself be the greatest peice of Art (heist) ever. (sorry for terrible gramma I just woke up)

cass 2:45 pm, 15-Aug-2011

I am an Fine Art graduate and respect all artists work that is why i am so interested in this topic.look back in past Art history Caravaggio for instance this sort of thing has always gone on it sells art its part of it and we wouldnt have it any other way.

Bill Murray 2:57 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Does anyone have anything concrete on whether this is an elaborate hoax or not? Would be funny if it was except pretending somebody is now in a coma is pretty sick.

nick 2:58 pm, 15-Aug-2011

does anyone no how to get hold of robbo or is he still in a comma or what need to no please someone and robbo for the win TEAM ROBBO

MBW 3:14 pm, 15-Aug-2011

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1034538/Graffiti-artist-Banksy-unmasked---public-schoolboy-middle-class-suburbia.html Here is the supposed "real" Banksy, which after a bit of googling most sites seem to think could be true. If it is he dosent look much like the "Robbo" who was in Graffiti Wars or the "Banksy" in Exit. But I'm sure that's no real confirmation to it all being a hoax or not. I've read of famous rivalrys in arts history too as Cass pointed out, I'm sure fake or not they helped with not only sales but advertising. Again if its all a hoax on the "art establishment" hats of to you guys its awesome, if Robbo really is in a coma best wishes to you and your family dude!

Ebony 3:59 pm, 15-Aug-2011

TEAM ROBBO ALL THE WAY! Banksy was revealed as the disreputable theiving low life spoilt bespeccled rich boy Bristonian that he is... he obviously thought Blek Le Rat was not well known and so could get away with blatant thievery BANKSY - LYING FRAUDSTER & WRONGUN Also Blek Le Rat's work far outshines Banksy's as does Robbo's work I vote Team Robbo Get well soon Robbo, you're in our thoughts. Banksy.... be a dear an climb back in the stench ridden sewer from whence you came. SCUM!

KBoo77 4:06 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Banksy and Robbo are not the same person, and who's to say that guy in the film was actually Robbo - come on guys you're smarter than this - Right? He's right under your noses again har har har.

Roger 10 four 4:22 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Heard on the cobbles that there's a fund raising event/auction for Robbo, September 4th...Why don't the conspiracy theorists & non believers come along & meet his family & make your own minds up then?

Andrew 4:35 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Stylewars original documentary from earlie 80s shows true artists and robbo is on of them ... Beatstreat breakin (breakdance) you either grew up with it and know what your talking about or your a posh public skool boy from Bristol who is a bighter ... And I was a banksiy fan before this documentry ...I'm suspicious about king robbos attack .. Who could hate him that much ..........? !!!!!!!!

BOOKIE 4:51 pm, 15-Aug-2011

I aint no artist but i know true art has always been done free hand not by stupid kiddy stencils if that was the case i would be an artist with my 2 year old, Banksy couldnt handle that Robbos work was more recognised as bein real art (FREE HAND).If he could paint/draw anything he would have real talent but he aint. Of course banksy had somethingm to do with robbos coma cause he started a war he couldnt fininsh and didnt want to look like the idiot he is by loosin so he decided to take out the winning player, the stupid thing is he still anit gonna win whilest he uses nursery stencils he needs to take himself to art school and learn to be a FREE HAND artist like robbo, that is true art and robbo will always b top dog, TEAM ROBBO ......... hope he gets well soon ....

Jumbo 5:00 pm, 15-Aug-2011

yeah the benefit is at Rivington St, at Cargo. While I am all for the idea of it being a wind up originally the thing that bothers me about all the conspiracy theories is the fund raiser. People are gonna drop money in a box to help someone, and then this person is supposed to be faking the injury? Something morally not right there. Then again if they are mates and someone unrelated to all the graffiti shit did him over then Banksy could hand over a few quid easily enough to help his family. Who knows? Someone does...

SERAPHINA 5:59 pm, 15-Aug-2011

ROBBO IS A TW@ BANKSY IMPROVED HIS TATTY TAG AND HIS SO CALLED ART NOW IS JUST PAINT FLICKED ON A CANVAS WITH HIS SHIT TAG ON IT!

Jumbo 6:19 pm, 15-Aug-2011

You obviously missed the part in the film where Robbo paints a massive realistic face on a wall freehand on scaffolding. Pure evil sells tags on paper too, doesnt mean thats all he does.

Jumbo 6:22 pm, 15-Aug-2011

so, if Robin Gunningham is Banksy AND Robbo... he would have been 12 when he did that graffiti on the canal in 1985 (as long as the info about him being born in 73 is true). That'd be something...

jay1210 6:55 pm, 15-Aug-2011

how sad, was this beating anything to do with this so called graffiti vs street art row with banksy? get well soon robbo

Agzilla 7:00 pm, 15-Aug-2011

There's a LOT of ignorance flying around here... i read this article, commented and THEN saw the Graf Wars doc... Whoa... i had respect for both these guys although i'd lean towards the real graf personally... street art is all good... but i just love an old school burner! However, the Blek Le Rat revelation was a bit shocking..i mean using stencils is nothing new i guess...but the total copied style AND content was too much... it's clear Banksy has ideas of his own too..unless there's a load of other artists out there pissed off at being ripped off? How long before the law suits? BUT THE MOST SHOCKING thing was to find Robbo is in a coma from mysterious head injuries? Someone sold out his whereabouts? He got attacked whilst alone? Coincidence? Do the wealthy Banksy backers and financial people have a serious investment to protect? Maybe it costs a LOT to get councils protecting your "chosen" vandal's work? Corruption? What is the deal here? Robbo was causing a problem for the trendy art world money makers so someone removed the problem? Someone, somewhere... knows..... I would be grossly appalled if Banksy had something to do with what happened to Robbo.... A slap is a slap... a slap got answered with a diss on a wall...this got answered with another diss back and so on... That is NOTHING NEW in the world of graf.... and getting a slap for being a prick is nothing new either... Men should settle their differences better but there ya go... Putting someone into a coma to protect your profit margins and PR image and credibility... is just typical of the commercial and consumer bullshit world Banksy is supposed to rebel against in his art... When are we gonna see the stencil of the guy with a blunt instrument creeping up behind a real graf writer.... Speak up banksy... say it aint so... Zz.

team robbo 7:04 pm, 15-Aug-2011

for all you "wanksy" fans and the people slating robbos graf, watch the video on this link: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/graffiti-wars/4od#3219536 .... and get yourself some education.... also wanksy got no cred for his freehand, he only got respect for his stencils. robbo was king, and still is. end of

banksy 8:23 pm, 15-Aug-2011

has anyone seen my crayons??

TheSpectre 8:34 pm, 15-Aug-2011

id only heard of banksy via the tv.....a good graffer remains with his feet on the street and his hood up, can in hand as king robbo has done,even after a break!! thats cool, banksy aint no graffiti artist, never was, never will be, hes a stencil, a media sticker slapped on everything advertising this supposedly hip new bullshit street art phenomenon thing thats every where nowadays!! its corporate, money making, that aint what graffs about!! it should stay on the street!! and out of the posh stuck up world of arty farty rich cunts who only want a piece of it because they have the money and feel its the new must have item like a fucking ipad, or a fucking chicken royale!! if its advertised to the masses, the thick sheep masses will follow and buy it!! so other fuckers get rich!! graffiti stays street, its the voice of the people locked in the streets by its concrete walls, sticking a finger up to the laws who say, " oi, you, stop painting on that wall or ill bang you up for 5 years ", banksy just got lucky, like that dickhead chav who won the lottery, but hell never have the cred from back in the day when it all began, thats the essence, the roots of the tree!! robbo is a graffiti artist, banksy is a street artist, massive difference between the two!! and anyone can cut out a stencil and spary it up, i have, but if your as good as you say you are in the graff world banksy, PROOVE IT!!!! also quash the rumours bout banksy bein robbo ect, banksys a inbred pikey from brizzle, robbo is a cockney geezer, he who dares rodders, he who dares!!

Hartsy 9:05 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Banksy's laughing his nads off at all of this shite, saw the chanel 4 doc, showed a load of graf artists turning mainstream, jumpin on banksy's coat tails...transparent as hell. Banksy's a prankster, pure as...he dont ask for people to put perspects over his work, he's already said he don't care if councils get rid of his work....proper brand management! Robbo trying to make a buck like the rest of them so alls fair in love and art!

Yvonne 10:28 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Think you are brave, think you are great,all that adventure and talent.Loved the program about you last night. Love your art and style. Hope you are ok,it said you had a head injury?? It wasn't that s.o.b banksy with a hammer was it?

Jumbo 10:51 pm, 15-Aug-2011

"What is the deal here? Robbo was causing a problem for the trendy art world money makers so someone removed the problem? " - Agzilla Unlikely. If Robbo was making a nuisance of himself before, having him whacked is only going to RAISE the attention level and make Banksy look like a suspect or at the very least an arsehole... it's not exactly smart. Also, controversy sells newspapers and paintings, that's why Pete Doherty still has a record deal. The art buyers would surely love banksy getting into a beef with a 'real' street artist. It validates him to a point

Jungleboy 11:10 pm, 15-Aug-2011

Robbo is a great writer. Banksy bit someone elses style. THE "STREET ARTIST" is a biter. How can all you miss guided youths not understand that he is called KING Robbo for a reason. He was the original writer. Go make some stencils.

graffiti 11:10 pm, 15-Aug-2011

The piece robbo did in the picture was around 25 years old it was done in like the late 80's but he wasnt as good then, plus graffiti wasnt as developed as it is now, anybody that thinks robbo is garbage, look up king robbo berlin and the first picture is robbo's piece, its up in berlin next to banksy's the difference is robbo's piece was free hand and banksy's was a stencil...

wow 1:18 am, 16-Aug-2011

cmon people no one ever shows there face all that fame respect and money banksy (ment to have)has and doesnt want to be seen his work it protected in many areas by the local councils and considered to be a tourist atraction some peopl say its because of police jailing him for all his work he has done over the years and property destroyed lol yehh right how much poblicity that would give him he would be 10 times better off all roud the world ...... look at music east cost west cost 2pac n biggie how much poblicty did that come up fsm ok two guys got killed over that but clearly some one reaped the rewards and still are in a big way ,what i mean is thet rivalry used in the right way can promote anything and make money ,bet 3/4 of the peolpe on this site new very little about the hole team robbo/banksy thing befor the documentry and look now i bet every time you at another pice on the street you will look for the team robbo ,personaly i think it was a calculated publicity stunt and clearly hats off to who ever thought it up , if it ever came out on the street that banksy and robbo were the same people ther work would get taged over every were cos people have took sides now and people would be discraced the only option is to get rid of one (that never existed in the first place and there you have it banksy never to be seen cos he coppied the rats work and found out it sells and will remain making money doing what he does as freehand graf wasnt making money in the art world ,and his legend of robbo will live on but there will be no legend if it came out banksy and robbo were the same guys just playing copy cat for cash ,robbos work=respect artist one of a kind but doesnt sell banksy work =complete opposite of robbos but does sell ....... and oh i ment to say were is all press on this issue robbo in a comma ect. never seen nothing .......... yet mcdonalds opens new stores in aberdeen and its headline news ....please ........ anyway sorry if i have affended people just a thought and all the work iv seen from these two brands (teem robbo/banksy) are straight up off the chain ..peace out

go team robbo 1:21 am, 16-Aug-2011

people keep commenting that its alright because banksy painter was putting the robbo inc piece up when if some one did that to the mona lisa it would be considered terrible i honestly think robbo is right and banksy is disrespectful to destroy robbos most famous 24 year standing piece also being a fellow street artist surely he would know what that would feel like

danny eckman 5:58 am, 16-Aug-2011

Robbo fell over drunk and is a coma... and his gallery works sucks dick. haha

KBoo77 7:57 am, 16-Aug-2011

Neither Banksy or Robbo are original, they've both taken (or stolen) original writers like like Seen and Futura, who probably got inspired by 1960's rival gang culture. Showing and selling grafitti in galleries is nothing new either Keith Haring did it. Blek should get more credit too.

Andrew 1:00 pm, 16-Aug-2011

Well said agzilla .... You put it better than me Ofcorse he's got something to do with it .... Grafitti is from the street .... Underprivalidged youth .... Banksy is a fake in so many ways !!!!!!

Andrew 1:08 pm, 16-Aug-2011

Seen !!!!!!!! Stylewars on YouTube watch it

Andrew 1:22 pm, 16-Aug-2011

There is a difference between being inspired And 100% rip off copy the resemblance between wanksy and le rat is staggering No one said robbo invented bombing but he was one of the originals in uk ... Sure it was imported from USA along with rap breaking ..... Hip hop !!!!! And we thank America for that Spit went over Ramos art in beatstreat in 1982 film Tit for tat is fine but paying to have a man DONE is cowardly .... But he couldn't have done job himself he's a posh public skool boy and robbo is a lump for the street What's £5000 to wanksy ..... The coward

KBoo77 1:43 pm, 16-Aug-2011

So has Shepard Fairey (Obey) sold out then? Because he mass produces merch.

CENER 1:52 pm, 16-Aug-2011

ITS VERY SIMPLE, IF YOU KNOW THE REAL 1980'S SCENE THEN THERE IS NO COMPARISON. BANKSY HAS CREATED HIS OWN SHITE AND WHO CARES. WHEN HE DECIDES TO LINK HIMSELF TO THE REAL GRAFF ARTIST THEN IT JUST PROOVES HE IS BOOSTING HIS OWN TOY STYLE. GOING OVER ANY THROW UP DESERVES MORE THAN HANDING OVER 20 CANS. ROBBO HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO BRING OUT HIS PASSION. NOTHING AND I MEAN NOTHING COMPARES TO BEING OUT BOMBING IN THE 1980'S, LIVING THE LIFE, RACKING PAINT, GETTING CHASED, BREAKING INTO TRAIN YARDS, BUSH BOMBING, EDDING 850'S, THE TORCH, THE SMELL OF HAMMERITE, AVOIDING PLATFORMS, GETTING ROBBED!!! EVEN TALKING ABOUT IT NOW MAKES ME WANNA HIT THE BIG MET....GOD BLESS ALL THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS....

wayne turner 1:59 pm, 16-Aug-2011

all banksy done, was to copy the french stencil artist le rat, and thats where the iconic banksy rat was copied from. king robbo is a true le git artist, banksy a copy cat....

adam 1:59 pm, 16-Aug-2011

agree with heone most of the people on here don't know fuck all about graffiti, and just like it for the pretty stencils he draws .. every1 seems to be licking banksys arse hole, banksy aint new either.. check out some work by an artist from paris called blek, hes bitten most of his work and this guy started 20 years before banksy did, this guy should get all the credit what banksy stole .. a used to like his work, but my views have changed.

adam 2:02 pm, 16-Aug-2011

this is what i mean when i say people don't know what there talking about .. CENER banksy didn't created his own shite.. he bit ideas from an artist in paris called blek.

CENER 2:35 pm, 16-Aug-2011

adam all i know is about real bombing from way back. No interest in Banksy whatsoever. I couldnt care what he has or hasnt done. The point is that i dont know why people try to compare him to old skool artists...he seems popular in certain circles so he can get on with it...

CENER 2:56 pm, 16-Aug-2011

WHO REMEMBERS THE TRAIN JAM LATE 80'S?? THE MEET WAS IN COVENT GARDEN...

KBoo77 6:21 pm, 16-Aug-2011

I doubt Banksy will give a stuff what any of us say, he's got shit loads in the bank, a celebrity market and licence to do what the hell he wants from the councils - maybe that says it all? True you can't compare him to no stencil based writers, different ball game all together.

Roger 10 four 9:11 pm, 16-Aug-2011

I heard the VAT mans after banksy le rat...

900ft Comment 10:42 pm, 16-Aug-2011

Robbo wears classics.

chloe 11:27 pm, 16-Aug-2011

Has king robbo diead?

susan 11:33 pm, 16-Aug-2011

btw danny yer comment is bang out of order......bansky is a wee rat himself....i think he knows robbo is a legend and always wil b .....robbo art is much better that bansky....least its his own ideas....unlike bansky the COPYRAT....

Truth 12:54 am, 17-Aug-2011

Graf vs streetart: there is a huge difference. Graff is about promoting yourself; people claim it's artwork in it's own right but it's not! Your name is not art, no matter how you design it. Robbo, Banksy clearly painted over an already defaced bit of graff you laid down and that now gives you the right to deface all of his creations? You're a tool.

fkin 1:51 am, 17-Aug-2011

caroline champion

nick 4:21 am, 17-Aug-2011

thanks but i won robbo

nick 4:21 am, 17-Aug-2011

wont

george 5:04 am, 17-Aug-2011

I am not saying banksy isnt talented but you have to respect other peoples work especially robbos, he is a legend for one and two: that work that banksy used for his own rep was a piece of history, maybe robbo hasnt evolved over the years but that doesnt mean he is not great. Anyone who knows art and graffiti one bit knows that stencils is fucking simple compared to free hand, if you dont believe that your a fucking idiot. all the way team robbo!!!!!

John DOA 8:48 am, 17-Aug-2011

Decent article, although a little contrite in places. It is easy to point a finger and make uneducated assumptions about both artists. There are those on this board who are commenting, but have no history or understanding of the graf scene and the over commercialisation of the scene has brought lots of art students out of their holes to berate one artist or the other just because they have Wall and piece or a copy of graphotism. Looking at images does not give anyone the right to say shit about the scene. Live it first, then comment. Peas and loaf.

John DOA 3:37 pm, 17-Aug-2011

HAs anyone her actually seen Banksys art that has not been featured in a fashionable mag or on tv? If you had seen some of the art he created for the Bristol museum show, you would perhaps take a different view. This is not to dismiss the war that is being waged between these two artist, but I think that some people on here need a bit more information before writing a comment.

Marky 4:38 pm, 17-Aug-2011

How do we even know That King Robbo isn't Banksy or the other way round.. Every one knows what they are told! People have the opinion of what every programme they have just stopped watching while sat on their fat arse eating Doritos.. To me it sounds like a giant media play. no one has enough information to argue the point! PLAYED!

Jumbo 4:55 pm, 17-Aug-2011

you're not the only one Marky! Plenty of conspiracy theorists above... only makes sense to be suspicious really after the way Banksy has played people in the past.

josh 6:14 pm, 17-Aug-2011

no one will ever come close the the talent that king robbo had .banksy has no talent wa so ever

Fiona 7:34 pm, 17-Aug-2011

Art is in the eye of the beholder...would be a finger up to the establishment if Robbo and Banksy was one and the same...either way...it's created some great debate here!!

blek 9:56 pm, 17-Aug-2011

everybody forgets that banksy stole his art from blek le rat agen 20 to late

taz 11:40 pm, 17-Aug-2011

robbo still in an induced coma. not in intensive care but on a ward, which aint good. robbos a proper old school nice geeza.. you children should get some respect..fucking keyboard ninjas..

'robbo fan' 10:16 am, 18-Aug-2011

a 7 year old kid can copy & stencil!! get well soon robbo

jamah 10:43 am, 18-Aug-2011

tox is in jail

freely drained 11:10 am, 18-Aug-2011

War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can. Winston Churchill TEAM ROBBO...

Tag 12:24 pm, 18-Aug-2011

I read almost all the comments, problem is that even if what you say is true, that Banksy was 'putting up' Robbo's peice, you don't incude someone else's peice without permission from the original writer! Banksy didn't have that permission, he was just but hurt about what Robbo said in the book. If banksy was trying to big up Robbo, you don't do it like that, especially on a 25 year old peice no matter how old it is or how battered it is, you make a new mural. What you toys need to learn is that you never go over someone's peice unless you want a graf war, and that was Banksy's decleration. Team Robbo! Get well soon!

Joe 2:16 pm, 18-Aug-2011

Hope robbo is okay, banksy has lost a lot of respect.

'robbo fan' 5:21 pm, 18-Aug-2011

'robbo is a homo' you sound like a guy who has been backhanded by a grafiti king

This is a wind up 6:15 pm, 18-Aug-2011

This is all a wind up , and if you can't see that were all fucking doomed.

TEAM ROBBO 6:20 pm, 18-Aug-2011

I'M SORRY BUT KING ROBBO IS THE GRAFFITI KING. YOU OBVIOUSLY ARENT INTO GRAFFITI IF YOU DON'T KNOW OF HIM. HE IS THE KING OF GRAFFITI. although I do like banskys work but he STOLE BLEK LE RATS STYLE. GET WELL SOON KINNG ROBBO <3

Ed 11:44 pm, 18-Aug-2011

If you think Banksy isnt talented you obvs havn't seen his paintings... Robbo deserves respect but his piece which Banksy went over was horribly tagged over already.

Jmac 8:34 am, 19-Aug-2011

Listen People. This all seems far to 'constructed' . It feels like Banksy is using the media to re-raise the profile of his work by recruiting this 'king Robbo'. Banksy has shown in the past that he is well aware of the media and how to use it to push has talent.I have no doubt Robbo is a talented artist and was undoubtedly the most prolific UK writer in the the 80's/90's. The documentary on CH4 was far too close to the 'goings on' behind a scene which has always been secretive and in fear of police interest. The headcam footage of the rework on the canal piece was amazing but if i had gone to the trouble of redoing it and had the availability of the filming unit then i would be sure to have surveillance in the location. If Robbo did slap banksy and he has aggrieved by banksy's 'attack' on the canal piece then why not reveal Banksy. This would hurt him more then any tit for tat graf war.......The reason is that this whole 'war' is a media borne marketing strategy which will allow both Banksy and Robbo media exposure for there totally different styles. It is tragic that Robbo was 'found in the street with head injuries' just after the film was completed but if you search for any information outwith the TV documentary and the folklore that has been generated by the internet then you get nothing.... this is a sham to raise certain artists profiles Hell they maybe even the very same person.

fafifan 7:59 pm, 20-Aug-2011

Freehand graffiti does take the most incredible amount of talent, whether you're writing words or creating scenes and characters http://www.fafi.net/

grafman 11:32 am, 21-Aug-2011

Robbo is a has been, a old timer, Banksy is the new breed of graffiti, all you who support Robbo shouldnt be putting down Banksy. Banksy is the most recongnised street artist around not just in london but world wide. That speaks for it self. Robbo aint capable of doing what Banksy has done. that the reason why Robbo has to come out with all this shit. when somone comes out and blows up like banksy did then haters are going to come. Robbo team are pure haters just cause banksy managed to get to where robbo wanted to be but couldnt. Robbo chats so much shit its unbeleivable about backhanding Banksy i dont think he did. REAL RECONGNISES REAL BUT HATERS WILL ONLY HATE. BANKSY YOU ARE THE 1 AND KNOW ONE CAN COMPARE TO YOU THATS WHY THEY ARE HATING

doug111 3:13 pm, 25-Aug-2011

If banksie boy put down the stencil and the team of pr twats, and for once used his own ideas he might get some credibility where it matters. The street is where this all belongs not on will some bankers wall. King Robbo is also starting to lose the plot. While the fight between you is of some interest what we realy want is street art.

i eat arse for breakfast 1:07 am, 26-Aug-2011

banksy a sellout art fag that gets paid the man banksy is a toy

John DOA 7:37 am, 26-Aug-2011

grafman has no sense of what graf and street art is. Banksy uses paper based cutouts to place on walls and then sprays over them. That is the end of his connection to graf nowadays. Just because he uses spray paint does not make him the face of "new graffiti". Does that mean that someone who buys spray paint from Do It All and paints their MDF fireplace with it the new face of domestic graffiti? Get a grip you moron and stop using the word graf in your name as you obviously know nothing. Also, doug111. Who are you speaking for when you say all we want is street art? I think you need to define your comment more as it could be misconstrued that you are placing all styles under the banner of street art.

team robbo 10:59 am, 26-Aug-2011

Anyone who says street art is better than graff should be shot street art is just a lazy persons way to do graffiti theres no art involved in that on the other hand graffiti is full of art i.e. wildstyle banksy would never be able to do that kind of graffiti never mind a wee throwup hes balls, Robbo has got the whole graff community together and fighting against street art and hopefully it sticks for years to come.

i eat arse for breakfast 12:50 pm, 26-Aug-2011

dead or alive.... get back under your bed mate ... stop taking shit ..... banksys toy end of .... i've been writing (bombing)of 18 years ....because thats what makes me happy .. different courses for different horses...

robbo rocks (team robbo) 9:53 pm, 27-Aug-2011

Who the fuck does banksy thing he fucking is, he’s a fucking twat who not only steals all his ideas from an amazing graffiti artist in France who’s done his work 20 yr before banksy but he destroys a talented mans work which I believe is much better than the work he copies. This innocent man is now in a coma not knowing when or if he will wake up because of banksy followers or maybe banksy himself. WE LOVE U ROBBO GET WELL SOON.

OutLine 9:45 pm, 29-Aug-2011

Robbo and World Dom was the shit back in the day, and he was up more than most writers along with Drax, Excell, Pest, NOK, Doze, and Ball, His throwy was decent too. I still see some of the old shit by FunBox and have even seen remnants of the WRH crew. Banksy was never in the London league of writers. Have he ever hits any yards...nope, not even Neasden.

Jumbo 9:49 am, 30-Aug-2011

Banksy isn't about yards and trains and graffiti cred ... he is on a different path - by his own admission he was crap at 'regular' graffiti and started to use stencils and now like him or not, he's made a name for himself. Likewise robbo isn't about street art and galleries... oh, well, not until recently. Maybe once long ago they would have been in the same category but not today, comparing the two is quite pointless.

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 10:09 pm, 30-Aug-2011

This Channel 4 documentary got Robbo's name wrong within seconds of the start of the programme.The narrator of the documentary said:"King Robbo is a wanted man".His name is Robbo,not 'King Robbo'.King Robbo is the words robbo painted over Banksy.Robbo is a king of london graff unlike banksy but that ain't his name.Also,why is Robbo a wanted man,channel4 did not explain this,robbo is not a wanted man he aint prolific since years ago unlike tox who is in prison or 10foot who was in prison.It's sensationalism from Channel4 claiming Robbo is wanted man.And they didn't even bother to get Robbo's name right.Maybe they don't care about getting the name right about the man they are making this documentary about.Get well soon robbo.

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 10:22 pm, 30-Aug-2011

In graff wars documentary there were many photos and videos - from nolionsinengland and others - such as prime and robbo in moorgate in front of wholecar they painted.What were your favourite photos and videos from the documentary? i enjoyed seeing robbo go on a one man mission on regents canal sporting a headcam while paddling along in a canoe.robbo obviously loved the fun and excitement of what he did and he got across his sense of fun and love of life to the viewer as well as a sense of deceny like when he said he never put down noone he just loved the excitment of it as he said.Robbo came across as a Robin Hood character a good outlaw and a London working class heroe of the old skool.For me,Robbo is a truely a London legend. I think. Banksy should donate one of his "artworks" to the robbo fund raiser event in beginning of september as a way of helping

OutLine 10:48 pm, 30-Aug-2011

That's what i thought when i was watching it, is someone biting or has he changed his name...until i saw the throwy. That documentary is gonna breed an army of toys. By the way Banksy should be about yards and trains and graffiti cred, because that's what graffiti is. RAC among other things is, RISK AND CREATE and Banksy lacks both. I'm yet to see anything he has done connected to the culture, i dunno maybe he can uprock.

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 12:17 am, 31-Aug-2011

Have you tried to…. Watch Channel 4 Robbo vs Banksy Graffiti Wars documentary online, or Watch Channel 4 Robbo vs Banksy Graffiti Wars documentary on YouTube, or Watch Channel 4 Robbo vs Banksy Graffiti Wars documentary on Channel 4 OD On Demand. Well you can’t, here’s why. Channel 4 Robbo vs Banksy Graffiti Wars documentary has been censored. That’s right ‘someone’ has decided that YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO WATCH IT. No prizes for guessing who. As the machine grinds onward in it’s desecration, homogenisation, censorship and pillage of underground culture, it must try to censor any unapproved expression from the REAL underground, or dissent, or lingering traces of it’s hypocrisy, with an iron fist, exalting only the idealistic false image of the hero myth. Careful censorship, exile, blacklisting, marginalisation or mismanagement of serious, old-school talent keeps the mainstream spotlight on one artist (and occasionally his mate), rendering the establishment approved ‘art scene’ and any ‘causes’ highlighted, as mere stage props and backdrops, window dressing to add realism to the charade. The documentary ‘Graffiti Wars’ made the big move of revealing the tip of a whopping great iceberg to the masses and demonstrated elements of the awful truth that runs diametrically counter to the cute kitsch and contrived legend, and highlighted the negative stereotyping in the form of sweeping and grossly inaccurate generalisations about graffiti writers -“It’s all about male ego, damage and stealing your paint etc…” From all comments I have read and personal feedback I have recieved, almost everyone who watched Graffiti Wars left it with the beginnings of a completely new reality map. That meant well over 600,000 on Sunday and over 22,000 on YouTube exposed to truth and freedom of expression, that great old enemy of despots worldwide. This is bad news for the totalitarian capitalist heart that beats *ker-ching ker-ching* at the core of the libertarian anti-authoritarian anti-capitalist hero myth…. Which is doubtless why there is currently not one single mention of ‘Robbo vs Banksy Graffiti Wars’ on any of the Banksy forums. Any circulated thread URLs discussing Channel 4 ‘Graffiti Wars’ documentary, I am told, have landed on a “this post does not exist” message, hell those moderators must have been busy, PRAVDA would be proud of you guys! Medals all round! Our community are not even given the opportunity to debate the issues at hand, hurrah!!! “Censorship reflects society’s lack of confidence in itself, it is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime” Potter Stewart The lie is beginning to unravel before their eyes, and the eyes of the world. The gravity of truth and passion for art and free choice of the people assures this. However in the meantime… …on the 19th August Channel 4 Robbo vs Banksy Graffiti Wars documentary disappeared from the web. Channel 4’s YouTube channel deleted the film, so did 4 On Demand, despite there being 23 days left to view the film on OD and it supposedly being on YouTube forever. I can’t say much more on here other than there have been “Legal Challenges” raised; I’m sure you can work out the rest. Lets hope it’s back online soon, our commiserations go out to Robbo’s young family who’ve been denied the chance to get closer to their big man by re-watching his film on the web as he lies in hospital in a coma; to his crew We Rock Hard who are busy organising his fundraiser event and are missing out on publicity and potential new donors for Robbo’s ongoing care and that of his family while the film is offline; to the fantastic production team who worked so hard to make the film a success, to Channel 4 who are missing out on the advertising revenue they need to recoup the cost of making the film all the time it is offline; and of course to everyone who actually wanted to see the thing for the first time or watch it again but can’t. One can’t help but feel that such a panicked reaction amounts to turning the deckchairs around on the Titanic so the passengers are looking the other way.

fkin 1:12 am, 1-Sep-2011

follow da cat

Fuck Street art long live bombing all lines 1:25 am, 1-Sep-2011

Graffman go fuckin punch yourself u fucking idiot toy if you had any idea what graffitti was you would not be butting your tongue up banksys ass so much. Banksy is a street artist not a Graff artist as to be a graff artist you have to actually write something and not just stencil. and also go fucker yourself for thinking hes the face of a new graff generation as you couldnt be more wrong you banksy fucking toy

futer skum 4 life 5:50 pm, 1-Sep-2011

banksy is the man..i just love that dude ....fuck robbo .. fuck graffiti .. its all about street art

nasty n8 11:24 pm, 1-Sep-2011

It takes sum balls to go global with someone elses style - blek le rat.

aforeigncountry 10:13 am, 2-Sep-2011

Interesting debate. Banksy is not a graffiti artist, Robbo was and is. Banksy, street art, political sloganeering have little to do with real graffiti. Graffiti is about trains and tracksides, getting paint by whatever means possible, getting up wherever and whenever you can and avoiding the law. Robbo was a pioneer of this back in the 80s, when the Met Line was the home of UK graffiti. Banksy knows little about real graffiti and should stick to art galleries. I have a short piece on 80s Met Line graffiti on my blog: http://aforeigncountry.wordpress.com/

Bob 4:16 pm, 2-Sep-2011

'bag o shite'

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 5:05 pm, 2-Sep-2011

Please can someone who works for Channel4 tell us why the Robbo, "Graffiti Wars" documentary was removed from the internet.Is it because Banksy objects to Blek Le Rat criticising Banksy for copying his style of art.And for the documentary showing Blek Le Rat artworks and then what looks like an almost direct copy by Banksy of Blek Le Rat artworks.Or are there other legal reasons?Blek Le Rat was angry and frustrated that his unique style of art has clearly been copied by Banksy as shown in this documentary.If Banksy has got his legal team to have this documentary removed then how can Channel4 claim that this is a true reflection of street culture that they are putting out there?

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 5:29 pm, 2-Sep-2011

But that was not why they were writers. The point of it all was adrenaline, living for kicks, a desire for notoriety amongst your peers. This combination of creativity and excitement make it just as important a part of British youth culture as the better-publicised mods or football casuals.

iGiuda 11:44 am, 4-Sep-2011

I am no graff's expert and i dont care. I like Banksy's work full stop. And I hate to see it s has been cancelled with a Team Robbo crap tag. Really sad.

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 8:42 pm, 4-Sep-2011

Banksy deliberately painted over the 1985 Robbo piece to antagonise graffiti writers.It was a deliberate act of aggression and Banksy knew exactly what the response would be from writers because he used to be a writer himself, before he became a street artist as it was quicker to do a stencil and therefore less chance of arrest as he admits in his overpriced coffee table book .A way for Banksy to get publicity no doubt about it.Banksy knew the rules of the game,he knew what would happen if he broke the rules and he did it anyway to provoke a PR shxdt storm in my opinion and he done it.So Banksy achieved what he wanted off graffiti.Foolish of Banksy as he has had his wheat paste stencils vandalised as a result.Apart from the Banksy stencil of the cash machine spewing out pound notes I can't think of anything Banksy has done that has been particularly interesting as compared to a wholecar done in a freezing yard.Ok he went around doing stencils of rats just like blek le rat did.Is it any wonder blek le rat isn't impressed by copy cat Banksy and his team of people who stick up banksy's stencils for him he doesnt even put up the stencils himself.Then he rings his pr agent who tells the media that his team have wheat pasted up another stencil making some point about how tesco supermarket is bad - wow how ironic,not.

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 11:24 pm, 4-Sep-2011

What Banksy stencils were any good and why? Try and argue based on evidence rather than making some lame ass-umptions that you have read in the media who jumped on the Banksy bandwagon. Sabotage Times subs can't even get their facts right their subeditors headline of this article is "my graffiti war with banksy by king robbo" - his name aint king robbo his name is "Robbo". ROBBO WRH. It shows that when media like c4 n sabotage times jumps on the street culture bandwagon like channel 4 done they get it wrong in some ways. But not miss JFK who did a good article she aint the sub editor she just wrote the article.

Tony Brown 1:20 am, 5-Sep-2011

Just watch that Graffiti Wars piece of shite programe, with Robbo bitching like a little girl who didn't get asked to the prom. HA HA! He ain't jealous much is he? He's a skint, thick as shite yob who didn't have the brains to use his work to make any money, whilst Banksy earns millions, is known by everybody and has more talent in his little finger than this Robbo twat has in his whole body. One word... PRICK!!!

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 7:26 pm, 5-Sep-2011

Tony Brown,you don't know what you are talking about. You are a fool sir. Robbo is a talented artist.See his artwork which was a painting of a womans head painted freehand on a wall at the Berlin film festival on the wall next to Banksy stencil,which featured at end of the graff wars documentary.

Fuck Street art long live bombing all lines 2:09 am, 6-Sep-2011

would not be around if it werent for robbo learn ur fuckin history of graff and shut the fuck up Toy Robbo is a graffitti writer and bankssy a big rat toy fuck who work should be destroyed as its all stolen ideas

baz 9:38 pm, 6-Sep-2011

Two bald men fighting over a comb.

wikipee'd 10:00 pm, 6-Sep-2011

check robbo's and banksy's wikipedia articles and uh... yea you can even measure this battle by the number of letters, words alone on their articles. care to comment robbo-lovers?

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 1:07 pm, 7-Sep-2011

From "The Guardian": Graffiti artist Banksy is demanding an investigation into a television documentary about a "battle of spray cans" between him and underground graffiti hero King Robbo. Banksy says it implies that he was responsible for putting his rival in a coma. The film focused on the extreme rivalry between Banksy, known for his stencil-based images, and the London-based Robbo, famed for his old-school style. Banksy is outraged by what he calls inaccuracies and distortions in "a wilful and malicious attempt by the film-makers to damage [his] credibility and reputation". The artist is so disturbed by his portrayal in Channel 4's Graffiti Wars, shown last month, that he has resorted to more conventional protests – a formal letter of complaint to the broadcaster. In the programme, Robbo claimed to have slapped Banksy at their first meeting for treating him like "a nobody". Later Banksy painted over the "retired" Robbo's last surviving graffiti along the Regent's canal in London dating from his 1985 heyday. "What started off as tit-for-tat one-upmanship … degenerated into a wider battle of vitriol," the narrator told viewers, as footage showing the defacing of each other's work was screened. Just after Robbo was shown setting out into the night to target another Banksy work, the film ended, reporting: "Robbo would never get his chance to retaliate against Banksy. Just days after this filming took place, he was found unconscious in the street with life-threatening head injuries and he's been in a coma ever since." In a statement Banksy said : "Graffiti Wars contained some inaccuracies that I've asked to be investigated and some facts that need to be corrected. They alleged I painted over a piece by Robbo and led viewers to believe I had something to do with him being in a coma. I wish Robbo a full and speedy recovery." Some claim Robbo was injured in an accident. A source close to Banksy said: "He fell down stairs and hit his head, which was nothing to do with Banksy. There was no police case." Banksy admits painting over Robbo's Regent's Canal graffiti by stencilling a painter-decorator wallpapering over it, but he is angered by the programme's allegation it was "an act deemed so hostile it shocked the graffiti world". Banksy argues that Robbo's 25-year-old canal graffiti was in such a poor state his signature was not even legible, and says the programme makers were "biased" in using a photograph of Robbo's work in its pristine state immediately before showing Banksy's defacement of it, only later showing the deteriorated Robbo original. He also criticises the programme's filming of a reception for Robbo's first gallery exhibition, focusing on a couple who refused to be interviewed, wrongly identifying them as "two members of Team Banksy … a business associate and Banksy's PR agent", implying they were scouting the opposition. Banksy's official PR agent, Jo Brooks, said she had no idea who the couple were and denied that they were associated with Banksy. Channel 4 has edited the couple from its website version and denies the other allegations: "Graffiti Wars in no way suggests that Banksy was responsible for the injuries sustained by King Robbo … The documentary clearly states that Banksy did not realise he was painting over Robbo's work and includes a picture of the deteriorated work." ROBBO AUCTION With King Robbo still in a coma, an art auction and music event is being held on Sunday from 1pm at Cargo in Shoreditch, London, to raise money for his care and to support his young family. The graffiti to be auctioned have been donated by some of the art form's biggest names, including Ben Eine, Pure Evil, Andy Seize, Insa and Blek Le Rat. Printable versionSend to a friendShareClipContact us larger | smaller Art and design Banksy Media Channel 4 · Television industry UK news Television & radio Documentary · Television More news See also 23 Apr 2010 Banksy graffiti feud given a fresh coat 25 Sep 2007 Guerrilla artist Banksy caught up in eBay fraud 13 Jul 2011 Have you been watching ... 24 Hours in A&E? 21 Dec 2007 Bethlehem residents vandalise Banksy graffiti Printable versionSend to a friendShareClipContact usArticle history

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 1:16 pm, 7-Sep-2011

Graffiti wars documentary did not imply that Banksy had anything to do with Robbo being in coma.The narrator of the documentary just stated that Robbo was in a coma.Banksy knew that painting over Robbo was a hostile act as he used to be a graffiti writer himself and knows the rules of the game.So what is Banksy throwing his toys out of his pram for? Art is about freedom of expression not censoring things if you don't like them as Banksy seems to want to do if the Guardian article is correct.Is Banksy being a control freak?

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 1:40 pm, 7-Sep-2011

Robbo and others have also claimed that Banksy has painted over several of Robbo's graffiti art pieces before he painted over the Regent's canal Robbo painting so this was not the first time that Banksy painted over Robbo perhaps.Which brings into question Banksy's claim that he did not know he was painting over the robbo painting on Regent's canal.And is now denying it due to bad PR.

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 9:25 pm, 7-Sep-2011

Does Banksy's wikipedia page document Banksy's appeal to Channel4 to have the documentary "graffiti wars" censored and taken off the channel4 view again website? Or does it convieniently ignore this and this series of events involving Robbo?

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 12:41 am, 8-Sep-2011

from guardian.co.uk Charlie Brooker The Guardian, Friday 22 September 2006 Article historyHere's a mystery for you. Renegade urban graffiti artist Banksy is clearly a guffhead of massive proportions, yet he's often feted as a genius straddling the bleeding edge of now. Why? Because his work looks dazzlingly clever to idiots. And apparently that'll do. Banksy first became famous for his stencilled subversions of pop-culture images; one showed John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson in a famous pose from Pulp Fiction, with their guns replaced by bananas. What did it mean? Something to do with the glamourisation of violence, yeah? Never mind. It looked cool. Most importantly, it was accompanied by the name "BANKSY" in huge letters, so everyone knew who'd done it. This, of course, is the real message behind all of Banksy's work, despite any appearances to the contrary. Take his political stuff. One featured that Vietnamese girl who had her clothes napalmed off. Ho-hum, a familiar image, you think. I'll just be on my way to my 9 to 5 desk job, mindless drone that I am. Then, with an astonished lurch, you notice sly, subversive genius Banksy has stencilled Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald either side of her. Wham! The message hits you like a lead bus: America ... um ... war ... er ... Disney ... and stuff. Wow. In an instant, your worldview changes forever. Your eyes are opened. Staggering away, mind blown, you flick v-signs at a Burger King on the way home. Nice one Banksy! You've shown us the truth, yeah? As if that wasn't irritating enough, Banksy's vague, pseudo-subversive preaching is often accompanied by a downright embarrassing hardnut swagger. His website is full of advice to other would-be graffiti bores, like: "be aware that going on a mission drunk out of your head will result in some truly spectacular artwork and at least one night in the cells". Woah, man - the cells! He goes on to explain that "real villains" think graffiti is pointless - not because he wants you to agree with them, but because he wants you to know he's mates with a few tough-guy criminal types. Coz Banksy's an anarchalist what don't respect no law, innit? One of his most imbecilic daubings depicts a monkey wearing a sandwich board with "lying to the police is never wrong" written on it. So presumably Ian Huntley was right then, Banksy? You absolute thundering backside. Recently, our hero's made headlines by sneaking a dummy dressed in Guantánamo rags into Disneyland (once again fearlessly exposing Mickey Mouse's disgusting war criminal past), and defacing several hundred copies of Paris Hilton's new album (I haven't heard her CD, but I'm willing to bet it's far superior to Blur's godawful Think Tank, a useless bumdrizzle of an album, whose artwork was done by Banksy - presumably he spray-painted it on a brick and hurled it through EMI's window, yeah?). Right now you can see some of Banksy's life-altering acts of genius for yourself at his LA exhibition Barely Legal (yeah? Yeah!), including a live elephant painted to blend in with some gaudy wallpaper. This apparently represents "the big issues some people choose to ignore" - ie pretty much anything from global poverty to Aids. But not, presumably, the fat-arsed, berk-pleasing rubbishness of Banksy. We're all keeping schtum about that one.

Ron Wanstead 10:53 am, 9-Sep-2011

Fuck banksy the country fool . So what he's made money . Mainstream wanker . All you middle class art student wanks who never done a days work in your life . In the real world learn this . Be true . Don't disrespect your scene . Don't sell out . Earn your place . Cunts like you will move onto the next fad in a few years . And sell that out too

banksy 2:08 pm, 10-Sep-2011

get well some robbo

team robbo 4:29 pm, 10-Sep-2011

banksy your a bunnet if you know what that is ...... sho yourself you pussy

robbo rocks (team robbo) 6:42 pm, 10-Sep-2011

banksy i hope u fuckind die u fuckin cunt i hope u ROT IN FUCKIN HELL. robbo live on 4ever :)we love u

robbo rocks (team robbo) 6:43 pm, 10-Sep-2011

get well soon robbo we love u :D

johny5 11:06 am, 12-Sep-2011

banksy If there was anyone here to love you, he'd need putting away....... fuck banksy ...middle class cunt ......long live real graffiti .... remember folks ... graffiti is a way of life ... not just something you see on a wall......get well soon rober...

Lamb 9:52 am, 13-Sep-2011

People on here calling Robbo a 'prick' and other assorted insults. The geezers in a f'ing coma, show some respect, whether you rate his work or not

john caddick 1:06 pm, 13-Sep-2011

fuck banksy i am personally looking to destroy all his work shitty stencil prick ur work is shit u copied all u know so fuck u banksy and ur boys. KING ROBBO LONG LIVE THE KING banksy wanksy

john caddick 1:07 pm, 13-Sep-2011

GET WELL SOON SAFE

robbo rocks (team robbo) 7:42 pm, 13-Sep-2011

robbo live on 4ever :)

eric_k 8:59 pm, 13-Sep-2011

Respect from Russia! Robbo with us! Get well soon man

okokok 12:17 pm, 17-Sep-2011

"If you’ve got the hump about something, you send a message and discuss it like gentlemen, you don’t wipe out a piece of graffiti history it's funny that this is what he wants Banksy to do, when the dude obviously started it by acting irrational and slapping the guy....geesh

Mara Tapu 1:11 am, 23-Sep-2011

Who's Robbo? well thanks to Banksy I know who he is now. I've never considered Banksy a Graffiti artist though. He's a stencil artist. Anyone could do it? Sure I won't argue with that but the point is he DID DO IT. And he did it extremely well! Robbo sounds like an old grumpy man and Banksy is young cocky smart ass! Great article.

robbo rocks (team robbo) 5:19 pm, 26-Sep-2011

well gess wat robbo aint a old grumpy man that sounds more like banksy ok :/

Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. 10:54 pm, 27-Sep-2011

From "The Daily Telegraph".An article about Mr Brainwash who featured in Banksy's film "Exit Through The Giftshop".Are we being Mr Brainwashed? Next week sees the first exhibition in Britain of works by street artist Mr Brainwash. The show will be nothing if not controversial, says Colin Gleadell Britain will have its first exhibition by the notorious Mr Brainwash next week when the Opera Gallery in New Bond Street presents 30 of his latest works. The show will be nothing if not controversial, and before going, it would be as well to check out Exit from the Gift Shop, Banksy’s Oscar-nominated documentary film about how Mr Brainwash came to be. The film centres on Thierry Guetta, a somewhat comical Frenchman who emigrated to Los Angeles in the 1980s. His all-consuming hobby, so the story goes, was videoing everything that interested him, which, after an introduction to the clandestine world of street art in 1999, turned into an obsession. Through his friendships with street artists Space Invader, from Paris, and Shepard Fairey, who designed the Obama “Hope” poster, he met and worked with Banksy. Banksy offered to turn his videos into a street art documentary, but Guetta had no production skills, so Banksy took over, encouraging Guetta to become an artist instead. This was the spring of 2007 when street art was making waves as a commodity in galleries and auction rooms. Supported by Damien Hirst, Banksy had become a household name, a brand, with prices reaching £266,000 at auction. Guetta re-mortgaged everything he owned (he is said to have several properties in LA) to finance a massive exhibition that took place in the former CBS studios in LA in June 2008. Short-circuiting the usual artistic development routes, Guetta borrowed ideas from art books, from Warhol and Banksy especially, to make fizzy concoctions using scanning and photo-shopping devices that were then embellished by assistants. The artistic persona dreamt up for the show was Mr Brainwash. By then street art had become an even more valuable commodity, with Banksy fetching more than a million dollars at auction. With clever promotion, the Brainwash exhibition attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers and sold a million dollars of work in a few days. Because it was made by Banksy, many thought the film was a hoax. But Steve Lazarides, the dealer who put Banksy on the map and knows Guetta, says “it’s all true. It plays on the fascination with the American Dream, how someone can come from nowhere and become famous. Ultimately, it demonstrates how a market can be created.” In February 2010, a month after the film was premiered, Mr Brainwash held a second blockbuster show, this time in New York, where $6 million of art was sold. This was organised in conjunction with the Opera Gallery, a slick operation with outlets in 12 cities that sells anything from Picasso or Damien Hirst prints to any number of contemporary Russian or Chinese artists. Within months of Mr Brainwash’s New York show, his first painting, depicting Charlie Chaplin as a street artist, appeared at public auction at Phillips de Pury & Co in New York. Estimated at $50,000, it sold for $122,500. Who bought it is not known, but the following autumn another Brainwash painting rammed the message home, tripling estimates at £75,650 ($121,000) at Phillips in London. Such success has bred jealousy, says Jean-David Malat of the Opera Gallery. “Street artists hate Mr Brainwash because he’s borrowed from them and is not a real street artist,” says a PR consultant who works in the field. Even Shepard Fairey, who helped Guetta on his way, has been scathing. “It was fascinating to observe a lot of suckers buying into his show,” he said. “I wish it were about him making a statement, but it’s like, 'Throw a bunch of –––– against the wall and see what sticks.’ ” So, as the new exhibition opens, some questions are still being asked. Is Banksy the brains behind Mr Brainwash? And is the art any good, or have we been duped? “It’s happy art, and people like that,” says Malat, who has already sold 11 of the new works, which are priced from £23,000 to £100,000. Whoever is behind the Mr Brainwash marketing exercise must also be happy. Apart from art sales, the Brainwash brand includes a lengthening array of products such as postcards and T-shirts. But whether Mr Brainwash is a good investment or just a short-lived speculative phenomenon only time will tell.

Uchey 12:31 am, 10-Oct-2011

To be honest, I prefer BANKSY. His stuff is witty and I'd never even heard of 'Robbo' before I googled Banksy. Robbo's work looks like the norm, it doen't look different from all the other graffiti all around the world. Banksy, however, stands for something and I don't care what he uses. He's good.

Kaster 8:02 am, 14-Oct-2011

robbo is as much a king as Queen Latifah is a queen. he is a no talent idiot that has no respect for himself or anyone else, still acting like a child.whats funny is, all the hatefull stuff he said about Banksy , really could be said about himself. i would say Doze and PIC both have more skillz in there pinky toes then robbo on his best day. so what is/was robbo ever king of ? lies and deception. i would of been proud that Banksy took the time to merge his art with mine. Graffiti rules, dont make me laugh.

DoubleDEKA 2:37 pm, 14-Oct-2011

For those of you still oblivious to who Robbo is and what is work represents, watch - http://vimeo.com/28270015

Julian Ravage 5:04 pm, 19-Oct-2011

Excellent article. I am glad they are getting more of his side on things to even out the playing field. Even if King Robbo is going out for exposure, he earned it ten times over. ~Julian

banksy le rat 1:08 pm, 20-Oct-2011

LOL at all these kids sayin robbo has no style but wanksy stole his from blek le rat kids don't have fucking clue these days

AdvertGeek 10:47 am, 6-Nov-2011

I found it quite amusing to see a Paul Smith winter collection banner ad against this article. do you think that's targeting Banksy's Demographic or Robbo's?

Skillz Flux 7:32 pm, 9-Nov-2011

Obviously this is a useless debate. People rely too much on their perceptions and no real knowledge of graffiti. As they say in Writers: 20 ans de graffiti sur Paris. Of course everyone is going to prefer the nice beautiful walls instead of the guy who writes his name in coulor or not, on a wall but that's not the real graffiti. And like Banksy le rat said: Blek was doing it in the late '70s early 80's As for Banksy selling out: Have you seen exit through the gift shop? Everything about that movie is fake. Getting involved with Shepard Fairie just shows he's a business man who, maybe like 'obey', has a paid-team doing his shit for him most of the time.

cosmictim 11:16 am, 12-Nov-2011

Who is Robbo? Nobody knows him outside his tiny Universe so he tries to steal thunder from Banksy and to justify with the usual artbollocspeak.Defacing his work is simply childish and rather pathetic. Banksy will be known for his genuine greatness Robbo will disappear like a fart in the wind.

robbo rocks 8:06 pm, 12-Nov-2011

Mate if u start with a question sayin who is robbo then u hav no fuckin right 2 say anythin bad about him

Bin Bag 4:24 pm, 21-Nov-2011

@fuckartfags - "if you don't know about graf don't chat shit".... "obey was the original." he was probably the first to get huge and make millions running it like a business but far from the original street artist. Chatting shit indeed! @Channel 4 got Robbo's name wrong. Its pretty clear Brainwash is invented by Banksy, Lazarides and Shep are all in on it. Its a big, obvious experiment that hasn't yet been exposed. Its amazing how many people buy his work but even more amazing how many believe he isn't a stunt after watching the film. It is packed with clues but people believe what they are told. Banksy is making a mug of thousands and I applaud him for it. Use your brainwash!

Bin Bag 5:06 pm, 21-Nov-2011

as for all this 'anyone could do it' stuff - when Banksy 'arrived' everyone did start doing it - art students across the land were cutting and spraying stencils on every bus stop in their university towns. Guess who is still at the top of the stencil game? Banksy. Master rattlecan handler he is not, his real skill is his placement, message and ability to get noticed by the masses - people who don't care for 'proper' graffiti and simply ignore it.

fkin 8:23 pm, 22-Nov-2011

Banksey Panda Heart Carolyne Champion

fkin 8:26 pm, 22-Nov-2011

two black turkeys king robbo

fkin 8:28 pm, 22-Nov-2011

king rat moves banksey and king robbo champion

fkin 8:34 pm, 22-Nov-2011

champion white woollen cat matters banksey, king robbo, le rat da ve route

fkin 8:35 pm, 22-Nov-2011

queen mary lizard art champ

Adam. 12:52 pm, 26-Nov-2011

I went down the canal in Camden last night and have noticed that Robbo has repainted the wall. How long ago was this?

jess'collinson 9:34 pm, 29-Nov-2011

banksy is a inspirational artist who should honored and pround of his amazing talent.

Lux 6:07 pm, 5-Dec-2011

Bansky is not as annoying as the other fools in the graffiti-under-world, it has more insight than your foolish spray painted letters. Bansky Rules... inviting him over for tea anytime. (Robbo can suck his big-toe)

Skillz Flux 9:10 pm, 5-Dec-2011

The: Banksy is better known than Robbo argument... is like: "Kanye West is a better rapper than Immortal Technique: He's sold more records. I have never even heard of Immortal Tech." and so on... are you street level or are you watching the mainstream media? Realness and Hype, do you know the difference? That's what I thought... I get it you all have opinions... they're just stupid.

WHO THE F IS ROBBO 7:38 am, 16-Dec-2011

IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE IS BANSKY... FIGURE IT OUT BUD!

jimmy jinx 1:52 pm, 25-Dec-2011

interesting piece.thanks!

Alan Rantz 7:13 pm, 29-Dec-2011

Interesting idea for a story but I done a quick check on the net all over - seems to me like nuffin really happened here could be another of them internet conspiracy theories - some weird PR stunt or maybe the Arts Council was just doing a little community project - Robbo piece looks the same as it always did: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pranksy/6568337431/in/pool-1822346@N22/

TenThree 10:27 pm, 29-Dec-2011

@Alan Rantz. The piece has recently been changed to how it looks now (just before Xmas). Some speculate that it is the work of Banksy (or his 'team') and perhaps signifies the war is over, afterall it is Xmas! :-)

Alan Rantz 1:04 pm, 30-Dec-2011

Thanks TenThree! OK OK I dun a bit of homework if you check the Banky website you can;t find it there but the Robbo Teams website has this piece in the CREW bit...must belong to them or maybe they just scraped the wall :) ?

www.thegreenwichbarber.com 2:30 pm, 30-Dec-2011

KILROY WAS 'ERE!

Minotaur 3:40 am, 6-Jan-2012

I'm not a Banksy groupie (I like a lot of his stuff but not all), but a lot of you are missing the point- making a stencil is easy, making a good one is not. Plus why is it so wrong for graffiti to have a meaning, I get the whole bit about rebellion but Robbo's stuff doesn't seem to be rebellion, spraying your name up like that just makes you seem like a bit of an attention whore. And all this shit about Banksy selling out, where's your proof? Banksy makes art, what people do with it after he puts it up isn't his problem. Check out his "shop": http://www.banksy.co.uk/shop/shop.html he explicitly says that people sell reproductions of his stuff (though he doesn't really want them to) and he says he doesn't sell his stuff, he's mocking artists who do mass-produce their stuff. So, before you rant on about "Banksy's a fucking sell-out," or whatever it is that you said, check your facts then shut your whiny bitch mouth.

Alan Rantz 12:22 pm, 6-Jan-2012

I'm kind of getting in the rivum of all the arguments of al these Banky and Robbo fanz on web but seems to mee that both crews are kindov the biz - both doin interstin stuff - better than my brover anyway who thinks hes some kind artist..be good if this stuff all went on show in some big gallry with a bit of space, then they woodnt be arguin over the same spots. Well yu can gimme Mt Banky and Team Robbo any day and forget all that Emmin and Hirst crap these guys have a bit of hisroty and dedikation behind them not just some big arty gallry pro-motors.

Ribbon sucks...and what kind of name is Robbo? 5:22 pm, 6-Jan-2012

Robbo isn't anything special do why all the hype over him. Banksu is clever and witty with his art whereas all Robbo can do is write his name in colourful lettering...something which most 5 year olds can do. Robbos art is stupid and meaningless.

Bin Bag 6:05 pm, 6-Jan-2012

@Minotaur... Banksy does sell some stuff - mostly numbered screen prints through Pictures On Walls. On his website 'shop' banksy is just having a pop at people who sell unauthorised reproductions of his work, ie a photo of a wall stencil on a t-shirt or a mug or a 'photo canvas' (the kind of thing you get in Snappy Snaps that only tourists buy).

taz 6:56 pm, 7-Jan-2012

Ribbon sucks....who is banksu???? has B A N K S Y branched out in china???

taz 6:59 pm, 7-Jan-2012

minotaur....banksy tags his "art" aswell...so does that make him an attention whore also?

taz 7:06 pm, 7-Jan-2012

http://vimeo.com/31192195 just incase you want too but cant..

jhwdiodh 4:46 pm, 12-Jan-2012

So the writer of this article *hates* Banksy but wait not because of him but because of his fans...yeh top notch journalism

Doido 5:59 am, 25-Jan-2012

They are 2 different kind of artists that shouldn't be compared. It's just like if Robbo was a jazz artist and Banksy was a punk rocker. One is famous by his artistic ablities while another is famous by the messages he sents

Alan Rantz 1:56 pm, 25-Jan-2012

YEZ Doido ... jusst imagen tho if dare waz sumfin like a punknjazz muzak ... wooent dat be sum fun !??? I fink these artists shud comibine!

Obsidian 11:29 pm, 27-Jan-2012

All these rants about how "real" graffiti is about spraypainting your name all over the place 10000x is bullshit. Is Blek le Rat not a "real" tagger then because his tags actually has a message? If Team Robbo really wanted to prove a point, they'd have made their point classier. Instead they just look like a bunch of angry kids with bruised egos. I bet they're in gangs and carry guns and shivs around as well because its "kewl".

Jasu 2:16 am, 1-Feb-2012

Totally agree with DOIDO

J-Bag 12:20 am, 4-Feb-2012

Interesting article and left in no doubt that another media darling has jumped off the Banksy bandwagon. Shame - I'm sure Banksy will be heartbroken....Robbo has talent, that was clear from the Channel 4 programme, but hardly anyone outside of London would have heard of him were it not for Banksy. I hope Robbo makes a full recovery, they make peace and do some collaborative work rather than fuel the continuing media stink surrounding this...

the documents 6:05 am, 5-Feb-2012

“Vandalism is vandalism” both Banksy and King Robbo have notoriety from essentially breaking the law, the more they break the law the bigger the notoriety and the increased chance to make money. Who also try’s to “cash in” on this type of street art notoriety, Banos and Revok, come to mind. Do we judge a street artist by the prolificness of the work, by the organisations that pursue them like the New York Vandal Squad, London’s anti graffiti unit, Australia’s Police DRU and Melbourne’s APU, or do we look at any message, or originality of any pieces. Art for arts sake, or art for profit? What are they?

Alan Rantz 6:55 pm, 12-Feb-2012

Dem anti it graffit units r old geezers not in keepin wiv de timz - they all bort banky mugs den get paid for lookin for the mugz of the banky - shuddah to fink we all payin hour taxis for dat

LA Birth 3:09 am, 15-Feb-2012

Interesting article. Alot of people here trying to sound like they know a nibbling about graff. What is crazy though, the people buying these banksy's and eventually robbo pieces in galleries, are rich Americans who don't know jack about street-art, graff, whatever you wanna call it, and they dont realize that grafiti started right here in America, right under their noses and none of this would even be talked about if it weren't for the early scene in So-Cal.

enric 10:17 am, 15-Feb-2012

I can guarantee that every one can to cut a printed papers, previously a photoshop edit, and then sprayed over it to get a beatiful idea you planed... my cousin of 13 years old can do it... ohhhhh it´s street art this guy most be a genious!!! you lazy people

Bob 10:55 am, 15-Feb-2012

@ LA Birth - O'rly, there was Graffiti on the walls of the Coliseum in ancient Rome, is that far from 'So-Cal'? Whats really interesting about this article is.......Ooh look ponies!!!!

Lost 2:05 am, 20-Feb-2012

KILROY WAS HERE

Lost 2:07 am, 20-Feb-2012

Nah, for real now Banksy wins hands down. This Robbo fool is nothing. Banksy has been around the fucking world doing art and all Robbo can think of is to cover up Banksy's art??? Toy if u ask me....

Alan Rantz 9:42 am, 20-Feb-2012

@ fing is Lost its not just the cover up job u got 2 consider the 2 guys obveusly got the talente how to yu explain to get stuff in the gallerys?

gee one 2:09 pm, 28-Feb-2012

So i take it this interview is recent , by that i mean after Robbo's accident which put him in coma ? i was wondering how a true king of ldn graff was doing ? team robbo !

GB 8:56 am, 29-Feb-2012

...And anyone can play guitar, cook a meal, run, jump etc. etc. ad nauseum - but its those who do it to effect that get credit. Stencils are childs play, sure, but Banksy used them how few had done before. It may not be 'real art' or 'proper graffiti' but it had an effect on people/themedia/art etc. If i wrote a song that got into the top 10, damn right i'd take it and the money! screw what anyone else thinks. I'd rather that than live in a squat with 'artistic integrity' - some people like your art and your supposed to reject that?

Lost 3:53 am, 2-Mar-2012

@ Alan I hate galleries..but like Bansky's work better. Team Banksy

Lost 3:57 am, 2-Mar-2012

Also guys, there are other graf' artists out hter. Os Gemeos of (My!) Sao PAulo. Truly great guys.

Robbo can thank Banksy for all the attention 5:19 pm, 14-Mar-2012

I own a Banksy. Because it's art I want to hang on my wall. And it's fucking cool too. I will never own a Robbo.

akwardkid8D 6:25 pm, 18-Apr-2012

i think that both artist are great bansy with his stencils and robbo with his O.G graffiti....its true that stencils are a cheat but try and make a picture like that with out one hes not even tagging hes putting art on ugly walls so where is it that robbo and banksy are alike just because they had a war doesnt make anything wrong its the way of life and what you like doing not about what other people think

akwardkid8D 6:27 pm, 18-Apr-2012

another thing if your a fan of robbo learn to spell his name rite at least dont talk shit about banksy without seeing youself first

tufty22 6:37 pm, 27-Apr-2012

try google-ing robbo.... you getting all banksy results too? ironic.

BOOMPOW 4:27 am, 30-Oct-2012

IS ROBBO STILL IN COMA ? WHAT HAPPENED

Carys 8:29 pm, 30-Oct-2012

Not sure who Robbo thinks is being cocky; he's the one "backhanding" someone because they haven't heard of him. I'm not saying Robbo isn't talented or whatever, but Banksy didn't do anything wrong. Robbo's Camden Canal piece had already been wrecked before Banksy made it, frankly, cooler than it was before anyway. And just because Banksy uses stencils, doesn't make him any less talented; he's still a genius.

DoubleDeka 12:50 am, 2-Nov-2012

Bansky didn't do anything wrong?? Yeh, and Hitler was just trying to make the world a better place! Banksy's work makes me cringe, it is the epitemy of everything wrong with "street art" (even the words street are make me cringe) propelled even further by idiot Joe Citizen and their "Oh isn't that clever, he put banana's in John Travolta and Samual L Jackson's hands instead of guns" - hip fucking hooray! Anyone with photoshop and access to a stencil making tutorial on YouTube can produce "authentic" street art (there are those fucking words again). Creating a piece of graff however takes years of practice, thousands of hours sketching, developing a style, learning how to control a can, and ultimately having the bollocks to go out and get up at 4am!! All too often people are quick to dismiss real graff because they dont understand it or cant appreciate the passion and effort that has gone into it. I guess some people have there heads stuck so far up Banksy's arse they can't see the shit from the shine. TEAM ROBBO ALL FUCKING DAY!

jay kerb 2:31 am, 7-Nov-2012

robbo burns you all , he's a king and banksy is a dog ,,TEAM ROBBO !!

The Baron 7:14 pm, 8-Nov-2012

Banksy's face is fat.

none 12:47 pm, 15-Jan-2013

Me neither, never heard about you but only about your Banksy obsession. Can't remember much of your f-art, and I don't want to.

none 12:50 pm, 15-Jan-2013

Me neither, never heard about you, but only about your Banksy obsession. Can't remember much of your f-art, and I don't want to.

Ally 3:55 pm, 30-Jan-2013

Robbo is a sad excuse of an artist... he needs to stop trying to rid on Banksy's coattails and get some talent of his own.

BANKSY SUCKS ANUS 4:01 am, 11-Feb-2013

ALL BANKSY FANS SUCK THEIR MOTHER'S SHIT COVERED DICK. BTW, I JUST CAME IN YOUR MOTHER'S MOUTH - SHE LOVED IT AND SAID "HOW SAD, MY STUPID KID LIKES BANKSY - WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT." I LAUGHED SO HARD I SHIT IN HER MOUTH. YES I'M TAKING ABOUT YOU BANKSY LOVER.

Robbo all the way 12:15 pm, 11-Feb-2013

King robbo's art is amazing best graffitti artist!!! I have the top cat one! Soo talented!

angsta 2:30 pm, 1-Apr-2013

Lot's of comments by lot's of people who know nothing about Graf. #clueless

from Australia 11:24 am, 5-Apr-2013

old school writers let .......disclamer " am not inciting violence " seek justice on the father of bombings behalf , why does not scotland yard take this seriously. All the aussie support u could imagine , a true artist , free-hand and a free soul. RESPECT inter-national!

from Australia 11:25 am, 5-Apr-2013

self censcored

Street artist 2:49 pm, 20-Apr-2013

Robbo is just a bitch, that is famous only because of his ,,Graffiti War´´ with Banksy. Most of you have never seen any of his prints, paintings,... He´s fucking lame-http://www.teamrobbo.org/info/?galleries=robbo-outside-2

Ye 11:19 pm, 26-Apr-2013

The article says it was written in March 2013, but there are comments from 2011. is this article new or old?

mick mccarthy 2:33 pm, 28-Apr-2013

just looked up robbos stuff and its fucking wank. and let me get this straight - you wrote a bad review of banksys film on the basis that you didnt like the fans? thats just genuinely bad journalism. robbo sounds a little wounded that banksy actually got somewhere. it may be mass produced and impersonal, but this article seems to gloss over the fact that banksys stuff is actually GOOD

Bristol writer 10:29 pm, 21-May-2013

Im from bristol and know banksy . And his proper name . Im not his friend or ever liked him . Iv been writing since 88 chrome angelz days . Subway art , spraycan art. Was the bible . All that iv read in articles in magazines , books that banksy comes out with is a load of rubbish . He lies out his ass. I know for a fact . Robbo and drax WD did a lot for the real scene. But true writers know. Banksy is a toy and always will b. he comes from a stable family back ground but claims hes street. When the truth comes out all those art leaches will see how hes taken em in tricked. Hes a fraud and not a nice person . Remember i know who he is . Most of the old time writers from bristol know. But all the money rich sheep buy in to it . No skill in stencils but to do a wildstyle burner is what takes skill.

norml 1:34 am, 26-May-2013

long live the king robbo. and his enemy knows why he has to battle him they know something we dont but this is more than a competion both artist are the shit but is a shame to hear that the king was put down i hope he is alive and well and banksy still in the shadows.

Graffiti Against The System 8:39 pm, 12-Jul-2013

banksy has no can control. so he mainly uses stencils and wheatpastes, All real writers know banksy is garbage. That fool couldnt put up a burner even if they paid his ass

Phil 5:57 am, 5-Aug-2013

Both are Kings. Robbo's graffiti is simple because he was a pioneer. Simple stuff is good because you get up faster, Banksy's freehand stuff is simple and oldschool too you idiots. Fuck Banksy fans, they know nothing and the bunch of lame hipster art fags should fuck off.

gabriel tonka 2:38 pm, 4-Oct-2013

Banksy is the Beryl Cook of Graffiti.

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jarod 10:12 pm, 28-Nov-2013

London graf is overrated tripe, the northern writers piss all over london sheffield notts birmingham, fuck london cockney toys

Renan Matos Cyrillo 7:05 pm, 29-Nov-2013

bansky gay! Robbo has the real root of graffit, vandalism, graffit protest is exencia the free hand and not clipping technique copied from the paper blek! kkk is lame bansky BRAZIL P I X E S. IONS

Bruno 5:40 am, 6-Dec-2013

Now that I know both sides of the story.. I've growned a new respect for graffity, of any kind, maybe some works are more appealing than others, (I find "street art" more appealing than "graffiti art" for example) but now I understand that that's not the point. I don't think taking sides here is of any worth, I'd just accept things the way they are.. The problem is that people is misinformed and therefore make bad judgements.

Annoyedashell 6:25 am, 3-Mar-2014

I've read through a bunch of these comments, and all I have to say is, most of you are wrong, you've clearly received your information from a friend of yours who has heard it from another friend, do a little research about both artists, then about art in general, I tend to like Banksy more than Robbo, who btw changed his tag to King Robbo after the start of the "war" between the two artists, and I like Banksy because he's clever, faaaaar more intelligent (obviously) and gets the ridiculousness of all of this, Robbo is acting like 10 year old kid who was made fun of, and this shit he does to Banksy's work is just lame, and not well thought out, he may have been decent in the 80s, but that's about it, Banksy has got him all day long

i merked ve 7:55 am, 28-Jun-2014

banksy put a hit out on robo

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