How did you get into art?

I had to find something to do while in jail. Anal sex with men becomes boring after the first three months…

How do you get inspiration for the pieces you produce?

I walk around with my eyes and ears constantly open. In London, everyone is so desperate for privacy and personal space that they are constantly plugged into ipods, looking at their phones or pda's. It's so sad - they are missing out on the excitement of this incredible city. How can you ever hope to produce work that interests and excites people if you avoid interacting with them? When you are plugged in, you can only be inspired by stuff you've already chosen. So that's what I'm inspired by - life. By being constantly available to the world as an input and output for the world that exists around us all.

Oh, and crystal meth…

What has been your best creation to date?

I made quite a good summer salad with rice and peppers and pineapple last week. I served it with fried plantain, it was very refreshing. I created a pretty fun experience for that girl yesterday, at least that's what she told me. I'm also very proud of the Halloween party we had last year, when I turned our studio into Dr Frankensteins castle, complete with graveyard, laboratory, and dungeon, plus a performance piece where my friend Crazy Neil, playing the doctor, transformed me from his hunchback assistant into a half man/half monkey beast in front of an audience. The movie "Backstage Pass" about Flying Fortress and me is pretty fucking great, as is the pop video I made for the band Robots In Disguise.

How much do you think hype affects the public perception of what good art is?

Too much. There's a certain artist I know who's work I consider to be poor, it doesn't SAY anything, yet the public lap it up, and he's making good money right now (I'm not talking about Banksy. I refuse to even say the name of the person I'm talking about!). It's like the majority of literature, music, tv, film - it's aimed at a certain middle to low intelligence level (ie, the majority of the population of the world) and thus it's there as a product to make money, NOT as something to inspire and drive civilisation onwards and upwards.

Saying that, I'm gonna hype myself in 2008, lower my aim, make some money, and retire to a desert island. Suckers.

Last CD you bought/downloaded/shoplifted?

I don't download. I'm too attached to album covers to download. I need to touch as well as listen.

The last CD's that came into my possession were the new Robots In Disguise album "We're In The Music Biz" and the first Zan Pan single "Sirens Of Titan" - both of which are incredible, but won't be available til the summer.

The last CD's I bought were, I think, the Police album with the French title, and the Prince album with "Little Red Corvette" on it (second track). I'm filling in the gaps in my music collection.

How did you feel when you realised that art could make you some money?

Elated. I knew I'd never have to wear a shirt and tie and run with the creeps! I think I was in my mid-teens, and I discovered they paid £15 each for the one frame cartoons they print in English newspapers! Which would mean I'd only have to sell 4 cartoons to buy a new deck or pair of sneakers!! A year later and I was earning money drawing cartoons for local businesses, and I've been paying my bills by drawing stuff ever since.

But wait, the question was "How did you feel when you realised that art could make money" and, to be honest, my "art" has never made me money, it always costs me more too be an "artist" than I can make selling work. Which is why I have a day job. Making a drawing for money is a totally different thing than making money from something you made for no reason other than for the experience and adventure and spiritual journey - which is what I consider art to be for.

Why do so many people spend money on music yet so few buy art?

Music is art. Why do people spend so much money getting their haircut?? Why do people spend so much money on alcohol??

Money should never be a reason to make art. Though it can be a happy side effect.

How is your local art scene?

"Street Art", as a scene, seems dead in London. A few years ago lots of people were putting work in the street, but it seems like it was just a short cut for them to get "fame" so they could get gallery shows or t-shirt collections out or whatever. Pretty lame.

I went out the night before last to paint a nice big spot I'd found, and as I rolled down the street towards it I saw there was a crime scene with four cops and a CSI photographer RIGHT NEXT TO THE SPOT!! How's a man supposed to keep the streets alive with art when idiots be going out committing crimes and filling the streets with cops!?!?

As for the "proper" art scene, I couldn't tell you, I don't move in those circles…

Describe your ideal day?

Wake up with the sun streaming in my window and a hot, smooth female body next to me. Make use of the morning wood, then go make a coffee and use the toilet. Shower. Listen to some good music while eating breakfast (fresh fruit, yoghurt, maybe more coffee and some cake, or scramble some eggs) then go ride my skateboard in the sun at one of London's fine concrete parks (the new Cantelowes park, followed by Finsbury Park bowl, or Stockwell and Kennington). Hopefully I'm not preparing for an art show or in pre-production for a video, and I can spend all day in the park. Head homewards, and hopefully bump into a friend on the way, chat, drink more coffee. Get home and shower, and as it's my ideal day someone else makes dinner while I read on the balcony. And also, as it's my ideal day, I have unlimited energy, so after dinner we'll go out for a few drinks, maybe to see some bands or to a bar where friends are playing records, so we can have a dance. On the way home someone will have a skateboard, so we'll take turns riding that. Someone else will have a marker, and we'll randomly draw on things. Get home and smoke a pipe of some mellow weed, nothing too strong. Sit around chatting and doodling. When everyone else goes to bed I'll grab some paint and go out and find a few nice spots, finishing up as the sun is rising and the birds are singing. Get home to find that girl is in my bed again…

Sex, drugs or rock n roll?

The phrase is "Sex, Drugs AND Rock n Roll" - all or nothing baby!!

Last book you read?

I just finished "Homage To Catalonia" while sitting on the toilet this morning. Kinda interesting, but I don't know much about politics, so a lot of it was over my head. I'm not into war, but I find books about how war used to be fought/experienced pretty interesting. Real. Interesting account of being shot in this book. I quite like George Orwells writing, especially "1984", and the "Paris" section of "Down and Out in Paris and London".

Most treasured possession?

My friends. Except they are not a possession. Uh, I guess my skateboard(s) - though they can be replaced. I'm quite fond of my bike, Schwinn Cruiser SS. But once again, it's just a thing and can be replaced. I guess, though I have a lot of stuff, there's nothing that feels too precious, in the end it doesn't matter, it's all just stuff.

I guess my collection of zines by me and my friends are what I'd call treasure. And my sketchbooks.

Tell us a secret?

When I got jumped by a gang of four kids and got beaten up six years ago I released a jet of piss in my pants out of pure shock and surprise. Though the last time I got beaten up (two kids, a month ago - they split my face open and I had to have 12 stitches) I wasn't surprised, so no pee pee.

Quote us your favourite song lyric?

See the "age" question and the "making money" question…

I don't think I have a favourite lyric, there are too many good ones.

Words create worlds. That is a very important fact of life people don't seem to realise. We create the world through language, so better say good things, positive things. When you talk about how shit everything is, you just create a reality where everything is shit.

Since I decided that my life is great, it just keeps getting better and better!

"I just want to celebrate another day of life"

THAT'S my favourite lyric, but I don't know the name of the song…

Is there a downside to being so talented?

Hate. Lazy people don't understand how hard you have to work every day of your life to get where you want to be. But fuck 'em, let them hate, they're just wasting their time, which means they're not spending enough time working, so they'll never catch me!! Ha ha! Suckers!!!

Ask yourself (and answer) a question?

Q: "Why have so many girls told you that you are the best lay they ever had?"

A: "Because I treat every girl with love and respect and passion because I know you only get out of life what you put in - and I want them to be the best lay I ever had!!"

What's your worst habit?

Talking about what a great lay I am…

Any close encounters with the law?

Been arrested twice for possession of marijuana, spent a night in the cells (no big deal - I slept, I was stoned!)

Been stopped a bunch of times while painting and postering, but politeness and basing my lies in fact have always enabled me to talk my way out of any further trouble.

See my section in the book "The Art Of Rebellion 2" for a nice Police story…

What else do you like other than art?

Fun. Freedom. Friendship. Fruit. Dogs (but not how they smell). Childrens drawings. Punk Rock. Funk. Music with soul. Concrete skateparks. The idea of swimming (not so much the reality!) Tea. Books. Open windows. Wearing black in the spring sun. Losing my shit to loud music. Watching B-Boys dance to the beat. Dancing to the beat. Originality. The girl from another planet. The new Bwana Spoons toy because it looks like him. Roast vegetables. Ginger preserve. Sami on a skateboard. Ichi's curry. Passion. Truth. Integrity. Most things that are positive. Noa's eyes. Teeth. Nails. Hips. Walk. In fact, all of her…

Any regrets?

The Butthole Surfers said "It's better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do"…

Final thoughts?

Not really, kinda tired now, so I'm gonna go make a cup of tea.

Turn the computer off and go outside please. Thankyou.

Oh, and come to the opening of the Backjumps exhibition in Berlin on June 22 nd - we're gonna party like it's 1999!!!

UPDATE!

This interview was conducted early June. Since then I read another three books (including Tracey Emin's biography. It was pretty good. I'm glad I'm not her) shot another pop video for Robots In Disguise (released September) and painted both sides of a 40 metre long corridor for this years Backjumps exhibition (which runs until mid-August)

Interview - Mr. Burrows 07/06/07