Comments on: Banksy and celebrity

By: Larry Teabag

Larry Teabag — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:00:08 +0000

Very funny point about Banksy’s leeway in the HMV stunt – I’d not thought of that. As you say I don’t think it counts against him, because it’s not like he was depending on his celebrity to get away with it – I think his track record speaks for itself in not giving a fuck about the attitudes of those in authority.

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 22:30:16 +0000

I'm a huge fan of Julian Beever myself, Joel. His Batman piece was the first I saw (in some magazine or other) and I instantly fell in love.

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 22:28:26 +0000

Interesting point about the Paris Hilton piece, but in the end, it’s more a point about the HMV guy, not (at least not wholly) about Banksy. And even then, I think the HMV guy would probably be well aware Banksy’s a celeb of sorts for good reasons – not just for being rich and being a tart. Obviously celebrity per se is questionable, but there are degrees of its inanity.

I’m not so sure Gyrus. I very much doubt that HMV’s reaction included the assessment that Banksy is a celeb “for good reasons”. I’m pretty sure they’d have reacted very differently if it had been his first stunt… or if an equally talented, but completely unknown, artist had carried it out.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the Paris Hilton CD thing was bloody marvellous. I think it succeeded in its intent. But I also think it revealed the fact that Banksy himself can get away with things the rest of us can’t precisely because he too has become a celebrity. I don’t think that’s saying anything negative about the guy… in fact it reinforces his point somewhat… but it is a fact.

And I still think painting an elephant in order to illustrate the old saw about “the elephant in the room” is plain ridiculous. Apart from anything else, it doesn’t illustrate the point as – in the installation – the elephant is the only thing to talk about.

By: Joel

Joel — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 03:09:50 +0000

Banksy’s work seems to personify the whole idea of “recuperation” in Situationism. Dead almost as soon as it began. Pretentious as fuck, really. I prefer Julian Beever’s chalk pavement drawings. Good honest street art.

By: Gyrus

Gyrus — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 21:00:08 +0000

I didn't realise the story behind Banksy's bit on Park Street in Bristol til I moved here. A vaugely similar situation. He painted the image of a woman inside a window, with her husband looking vainly for her lover, who's hanging naked from the window ledge. Punchline: it's on the side of the sexual health clinic. Anyway, apparently the council had a vote and the public overwhelmingly supported it staying. Of course, the announcement came along with a warning that this wasn't "endorsing graffiti", the rest of which is still very naughty and will be removed. On this, I tend towards the idea that Banksy's happy about having made the council sound like normal, stupid, compromised adults. Interesting point about the Paris Hilton piece, but in the end, it's more a point about the HMV guy, not (at least not wholly) about Banksy. And even then, I think the HMV guy would probably be well aware Banksy's a celeb of sorts for good reasons - not just for being rich and being a tart. Obviously celebrity per se is questionable, but there are degrees of its inanity.