Banksy website FAQ
Did you paint over Robbo’s piece and have him beaten up?
His piece in Camden had been dogged for more than five years by the time I painted that spot. It’s a real shame about his accident and I hope he fully recovers. I would never deliberately cuss Robbo – he’s a graffiti legend.
And he’s bigger than me.
And he’s bigger than me.
In 1985 King Robbo painted a graffiti piece called Robbo Incorporated on a wall beside Regent's Canal in Camden, London.Over the years it became people have sprayed a few small pieces of graffiti over it, but in 2009 Banksy, most of it with a stencil of a workman pasting wallpaper. Later that same year Robbo came out of retirement so as to respond by covering the work. When he was done the workman appeared to be painting King Robbo in silver letters. Three days later Banksy painted the letters Fuc before the King.
The back and forth cover paintings continued. Angered King Bobbo followers developed Team Robbo many Banksy pieces were altered.
Banksy vs. Robbo Graffiti War
1985 - King Robbo
2006 - King Robbo's piece is graffitied over by taggers
December 2009 Banksy paints a man wallpapering up the graffiti 
Robbo takes it as a diss, comes out of retirement and paints his name 2 weeks later
Months later Banksy adds FUC
Robbo paints over it
The wall is painted in black, presumably by Team Robbo. The words Team Robbo are sprayed next to the black paint.
In 2010 Robbo strikes again with "R.I.P. Banksy's Career"
The wall is painted black once again. It is unknown who painted it.
January 2011 Banksy paints it
Robbo has an accident and then falls into a coma
In January 2011 Banksy paints an outline replica of he original Robbo graffiti piece. It appears that this is a memorial piece of sorts as a spray can is statued in the middle of the piece with a candle flame flickering from it.
On April 2, 2011 King Robbo was inflicted by a head injury. It is believed the injury happened as a result of an accidental fall. On October 2011 King Robbo remained in an induced coma.
The beginning of the annimosity between the two artists began long ago.
According to Sabotage Times, "The much told story goes, that having met at a party through mutual friends in the late 90s, a then unknown, bespectacled and apparently Ben Elton lookalikeBanksy had been on the receiving end of a backhander. “I was courteous, I even lied and said I’d heard of him but when he saw his mates saying it was a pleasure to meet me he decided to get cocky and say “I’ve never heard of you”, so I gave him a swift backhand and said “you may never have heard of me but you’ll never forget me” and that was that. Years later and my friend is doing a book on graffiti, London Handstyles, it was just as people were getting fired up about street art and so I was asked about that fall out. I’d been out the loop so unknown to me that story had become graff folklore. It wasn’t long after that book came out, that he went over the piece on Regents Canal.” The alteration was a distinctivelyBanksy -esque workman wallpapering up the now ancient original, Robbo’s riposte was simply to have the workman painting ‘King Robbo’, “it was actually pretty sloppy, I’d gone out Christmas morning, done it quickly and just thought ‘fuck it’. I didn’t even know how to post it on the Internet afterwards let alone think it would cause the fuss it did”.
According to Sabotage Times, King Robbo said in response to Banksy's cover up art: “He broke a graff code of conduct and for a lawless community we have a lot of laws, so I had to come back. What people don’t realise is that he’d already gone over loads of my stuff before and I hadn’t bothered retaliating but this time it was just so deliberate, so cowardly. If you’ve got the hump about something, you send a message and discuss it like gentlemen, you don’t wipe out a piece of graffiti history. But that’s what he does, never expresses his own opinion, he puts something out and lets people fool themselves, he’s smart in that respect”.
I'm an admirer of Banksy's work and I don't see that changing any time soon. Team Robbo is growing and they are continuing the turf wars. They are going beyond street art and are trying to get the public in on their efforts. Team Robbo has its own website and they are selling t-shirts that support the cause.
On 12/29/11 Across the Tracks posted the above photo. The original King Robbo design has been painted. The painting was restored on Christmas Eve.
My well wishes to King Robbo. I hope that he recovers.
For more information on Banksy visit the official website, here.
For more information on Team Robbo visit the official website, here.
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