Banksy's secret identity has been revealed at last. Maybe...

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      As any superhero could tell you, the tricky thing about maintaining a secret identity is that you have to trust those close to you to keep what they know about you to themselves. (We're looking at you, Alfred Pennyworth.) Banksy has managed to keep his real name under wraps in spite of widespread recognition and acclaim for his work. The true identity of the stencil-happy U.K.-based street artist has been the subject of much speculation over the years, but in a recent interview, drum 'n' bass pioneer Goldie might have let the proverbial cat out of the bag. Check out the excerpt from the Distraction Pieces podcast below:

      Now, Goldie's diction isn't great—let that be a cautionary note for anyone thinking of replacing their real teeth with gold choppers—but when the topic of Banksy comes up, he seems to refer to the secretive grafitti icon as "Rob". (Some articles have stated that Goldie is saying "Robert", but I don't hear it.) While this could be a reference to Robin Gunningham, a more likely candidate is Robert Del Naja. Del Naja, also known as 3D, is a founding member of the band Massive Attack, and a growing body of circumstantial evidence has pointed to his also being Banksy.

      Both Del Naja and Banksy are from Bristol, and each got his start in that city's street-art scene. More telling is the fact that Banksy's activities internationally have often coincided with Massive Attack tour dates, a fact detailed extensively by Scottish journalist Craig Williams in a lengthy blog post. Del Naja has gone on record and denied that he is Banksy, telling the Daily Mail last year: “Rumours of my secret identity are greatly exaggerated. It would be a good story but sadly not true. Wishful thinking I think. He is a mate as well, he’s been to some of the gigs. It’s purely a matter of logistics and coincidence, nothing more than that.”

      There are more connections between the two men (Banksy's controversial Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem initially featured a musical score curated by 3D, and Banksy wrote the foreword to a book of Del Naja's visual art), and more than a few observers have noted similarities in their visual output, both in terms of style and subject matter. A quick example:

      Del Naja's 2016 work Redmouse includes a certain iconic cartoon character...

      ...who is also featured in one of Banksy's most famous pieces:

      So, did Goldie just inadvertently reveal Banksy's identity, or was he just having a laugh? Unless Del Naja comes clean or corroborating sources come forward, we may never know...

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