Last week you may have seen it reported around the web that Banksy had been interviewed on video by Adult Swim. Or, at least that he might have been interviewed by Adult Swim. While kinda funny (especially the last question), the interview is pretty obviously a fake. That’s fine. I’m not saying we should all go boycott Adult Swim for posting a fake Banksy interview. It’s parody. But just in case people were being fooled by the video, I just wanted to clear up that it’s a parody and not a genuine interview.
First of all, Adult Swim’s Banksy sounds nothing like how Banksy sounds in Exit Through the Gift Shop. Voice modulation can disguise someone’s voice, but in this case it’s pretty clear that it’s two different people’s voices being disguised.
And in Exit, Banksy’s face is properly hidden. I went to Netflix and took a screenshot of Banksy being interviewed in Exit Through the Gift Shop. When I put that image in Preview and turned up the exposure to a ridiculous level, as shown below, everything gets brighter except for Banky’s face. His face was subtly covered with a dark black splotch in the editing room so that people couldn’t try to trick to figure out what Banksy looks like.
Adult Swim didn’t do that with their interview (thanks to commenter mgk1 on Complex.com for picking up on this). Their Banksy’s face can be seen from time to time even without turning up the exposure. But, just to make it more clear, I’ve brightened a few images from Adult Swim’s video. Here they are:
Okay, you don’t get a great shot of the actor, but his face definitely isn’t completely blacked out. Do you really think that Banksy would give his first interview in at least a year, the first video interview I can ever recall him giving (or did he give one to a British newspaper a while back?) and not properly conceal his identity?
So there you have it. Adult Swim’s interview with Banksy might make you laugh, but it’s not the real deal. Honestly though, Adult Swim’s version isn’t as funny as most Banksy interviews, so maybe that should have been a dead giveaway right there.
Edited stills originally from Exit Through the Gift Shop and Think Talk: Banksy