Jack Walls
Interview with New York based artist, Jack Walls:
Gone Bazaar: What’s your background in art and how long have you been an artist?
Jack Walls: At this age and at this point in my life I’d say my core background, is in art. I mean, my hardcore background in art, is what I learned during the time I was with Robert Mapplethorpe, when he was still alive. Because, well, that experience is what catapulted my trajectory into a whole other realm, if you know what I mean. I mean, I was an artist already before I met him. I believe artists are born and not made. But being around Robert Mapplethorpe didn’t hurt my reputation any.
Gone Bazaar: What’s the background behind the name ‘Hifi Bangalore’
JW: My nickname from when I was a kid is HiFi, so later when I started clubbing Bangalore was added, Hifibangalore. So people actually called me that, Hifibangalore. I did Hifi Bangalore’s Boom Boom Room in Chicago in ’93 on Monday nights in Wicker Park, it became a legendary House Music party.
Gone Bazaar: If you could ride in a time machine to any era and be whatever you want, where would you choose to go and what would you do?
JW: A spy. I like espionage, so I’d go back to the late ’30’s early mid 40’s. You know, like Josephine Baker was a spy during World War Two. With invisible ink and all that, poisoned tipped umbrella’s and fake passports and knocking around Peter Lorre, you get it right? Smoking cigarettes and looking over your shoulder all day, that would be perfect. I better be careful for what I wish for because it’s already kind of like that now.
Gone Bazaar: If you could hav ea dinner party with any 3 artists (past or present), who would you choose and what would you have for dinner?
JW: Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Robert Mapplethorpe, we’d go to Windows on the World and eat their world famous hamburgers. It would be a nice quiet dinner because none of the three of them could string a cohesive sentence together.
Gone Bazaar: What are some of your favorite things about NYC?
JW: Windows on the World was my favorite place in the whole wide world to go to. But now that no one can go there anymore it’s kind of sad.
