Culture

Could Neil From ‘Art Attack’ Actually Be Banksy? An Investigation

Sure, he denies the rumours...but that's exactly what Banksy would do.

by Michelle Rennex  8 September 2020
neil buchanan art attack banksy

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There are rumours circulating that Neil Buchanan from Art Attack is famed anonymous street artist, Banksy.

And I know what you’re thinking: How dare anyone disrespect talented king Neil Buchanan like that? How can anyone compare the crafty king of Art Attack to an ~artist~ who just spray paints stencils on walls with a hood on? Well, people seem adamant that the artistic genius and Banksy are one in the same.

The theory even spread so rapidly that Neil Buchanan’s official website had to release a statement that was simply titled: “Neil Buchanan is NOT Banksy”.

“We have been inundated with enquiries over the weekend regarding the current social media story,” the statement continued. “Unfortunately this website does not have the infrastructure to answer all these enquiries individually, however we can confirm that there is no truth in the rumour whatsoever.”

However, Neil denying that he is Banksy sounds exactly like what Banksy would do. So let’s investigate why Neil Buchanan from Art Attack could still very well be Banksy.

How Did The Rumour Start?

The claim that ‘Neil from Art Attack is Banksy’ started to spread over the weekend when @ScouseMan_ tweeted that he had just heard the rumour himself.

“[Neil Buchanan] is a musician and art has followed in the cities of shows he’s done, allegedly,” the tweet read. “This is straight in the believe without question category.”

The tweet is referencing Neil’s former metal band, Marseille, and how Banksy-style art allegedly ~mysteriously appeared~ in the cities the group had visited.

Formed in 1976, Marseille toured across the UK and US as the support act for other bands like UFO, Nazareth and Whitesnake, meaning Neil covered a lot of ground in his four years with Marseille.

However, a number of sites report that Banksy’s career as a graffiti artist started with Bristol graffiti gang, DryBreadZ Crew, in the early 1990s. Yet people are still certain that Banksy’s street art magically followed Neil’s band 14 years prior to it even being a thing.

But for the sake of investigative purpose, lets say that Banksy art did follow in the cities that Marseille recently had recently toured in…

Banksy Could Literally Be Anyone, Even Neil From Art Attack

See, no one knows who Banksy is. That’s his whole shtick.

But if no one knows who Banksy is, Banksy could literally be anyone – including Neil from Art Attack. We have yet to see the two in the same room together, so it’s not exactly impossible.

While commenting on the conspiracy theory, one woman noted that she had met the real Banksy at Notting Hill Arts Club in the late ’90s, yet still wouldn’t be able to recognise him in a line-up. By this logic, there’s no reason why Neil couldn’t be Banksy.

Then, as we all know thanks to their chosen career paths, both Neil and Banksy have a fondness for art – albeit very different forms, but still art nonetheless.

So who’s to say that the king of crafty projects couldn’t also have the skills to spray paint stencils onto walls? Neil famously loved to use different mediums to create giant outdoor replicas, much like how Banksy paints his stencil pieces outdoors too. Coincidence? I think not.

But Banksy Could Never Be Neil From Art Attack 

However, claiming that Neil and Banksy are one in the same is a disservice to the creativity of Neil Buchanan.

If we’re being honest, anyone could do what Banksy does as a graffiti artist and many do. But I’m certain that Banksy could not use everyday items and scraps to craft super-size masterpieces that children could recreate at home using toilet rolls, modelling clay and Clag glue.

Even Samwell Tarly from Game Of Thrones doesn’t believe that the street artist would posses the skills required by someone as talented as Neil from Art Attack. 

Plus, while Banksy’s identity has been hotly debated over the last few years, there are a few front-runners tipped to be the street artist.

After a slip of the tongue by a radio host, who referred to Banksy as “Rob”, people believe the anonymous street artist is either Robin Gunningham, an artist who lives near Bristol or Robert Del Naja of the band Massive Attack, who was a graffiti artist prior to becoming a musician.

Either way, Banksy could never be Neil Buchanan, so let’s put the rumours to rest.