Banksy: Street artist name confirmed!

A rediscovered BBC interview with enigmatic street artist Banksy suggests a revelation about his first name. In the unearthed 2003 recording, BBC reporter Nigel Wrench asks if he is known as "Robert Banks," to which Banksy responds, "It's Robbie." The artist's first name has been a topic of online speculation for years, with suggestions ranging from Robin to Robert.

The full interview, part of Radio 4's The Banksy Story, is available on BBC Sounds. A special podcast episode was created after the discovery, featuring Banksy discussing his artistic approach, likening it to microwaving meals for its speed. "It's quick," the artist from Bristol explained. "I want to get it done and dusted."

This interview, one of the earliest known radio discussions with Banksy, sheds light on the artist often labeled as "mysterious" and "secretive" by the media. Despite the artist's identity remaining undisclosed, the interview provides fans, including numerous A-list celebrities, a rare opportunity to hear Banksy's voice.

Conducted in the summer of 2003 by former BBC arts correspondent Nigel Wrench, the interview marked the opening of Banksy's Turf War show in east London. While an edited version aired on the BBC's PM programme that July, not all material was used.

Years later, Wrench discovered the full interview on a minidisc in his home while listening to The Banksy Story podcast. The unreleased material includes Banksy defending vandalism as art, expressing, "I'm not here to apologize for it. It's a quicker way of making your point, right?" Drawing a parallel to his mother's approach to cooking, he stated, "In the same way my mother used to cook Sunday roast every Sunday and says every Sunday, 'it takes hours to make it, minutes to eat'."

Addressing the legality of graffiti, Banksy encouraged people to "Go out! Trash things! Have fun!" and acknowledged that others could paint over their work, stating, "Other people, they can change it. They can get rid of it."