Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard on 3 November 1954) is an English musician who gained popularity as the lead singer of 1980s New Wave/post-punk group Adam & the Ants and later as a solo artist. He is also an actor, having appeared in two dozen films or television episodes between 1985 and 1999.
Early life
Goddard, an only child, was born in Marylebone, London. His first school was Robinsfield Primary where he created a considerable stir by heaving a brick through one of the windows. Matters were presumably settled to everyone's satisfaction for he continued to attend Robinsfield. He also attended St Marylebone Grammar School. One of the themes he used in his later work - suppressed minorities - was part of his inheritance; he is of Romnichal stock. His grandfather, Walter Albany Smith, was a full-blooded Romany. Home was two rooms in Dewalden buildings, St Johns Wood. Adam Ant recalls "There was no luxury, but there was always food on the table." His father worked as a chauffeur and his mother was a cleaner, briefly working for Paul McCartney. Although Adam didn't actually meet Paul until many years later, his mother was able to get him an autograph by one of The Beatles.
Career
Early career
Ant's early career was as part of the punk rock movement, firstly as one of the "Art School Punk" contingent who followed the original punk groups that included Siouxsie and the Banshees, Generation X, and The Clash. The first band he joined was Bazooka Joe,in which he played bass. It was at a Bazooka Joe gig that Adam was witness to the Sex Pistols first ever public concert, billed as Bazooka Joe's support act. He acted in Derek Jarman's 1977 "punk" film Jubilee. His debut as a recording artist was the song "Deutscher Girls", which featured on the film's soundtrack, and was re-released as a single in 1982.
Adam and the Ants
In 1979, having released the album Dirk Wears White Sox and gained an enthusiastic fan base, Ant recruited former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. Mclaren's persuaded the three other band members to leave and form Bow Wow Wow.In early 1980 Adam Ant recruited old friend Marco Pirroni to reform the lineup, sound and image of the band, now featuring two drummers and pirate dress. This new look was used to market the album Kings of the Wild Frontier. Several singles rom this album were chart successes. The band's popularity grew, and the follow-up album Prince Charming was highly successful, with three UK top-ten singles (two reaching #1). At the same time he and actress Jamie Lee Curtis had a brief relationship.The Ants split up in early 1982. Newspaper articles of the time offered various explanations for the motivations behind the split. Initially Adam was quoted as saying that the split was amicable but later he was to say that "the interest just wasn't there anymore. It might have been Adam and the Ants on the billboards but not on stage." In addition, it is said that Pirroni quit as he was tired of touring.
Solo career
After the split, Ant went solo, taking his songwriting partner Pirroni with him. His greatest chart success was 1982's Friend or Foe album, which included the hit single "Goody Two Shoes" which made it to #1 in the UK and Australia, and #12 in the U.S. Other hits from that album included "Desperate But Not Serious", the fan-loved "Place In The Country", and the title track.In 1983 Ant worked with Phil Collins and Richard James Burgess on the Strip album which was recorded at Polar Studios in Stockholm. The single "Puss 'N Boots" reached #5 on the UK charts, but the BBC banned both the video and the song for the follow-up single "Strip," which peaked at #41. In the same year he was involved in a court case (Merchandising v Harpbond), where it was argued his face-paint was a painting and should be therefore protected by copyright. This claim was rejected by the Court of Appeal, which preferred to opt for the more traditional image of a painting as canvas on a wall.In 1985, he worked with veteran producer Tony Visconti on his third solo album, Vive Le Rock. He secured a spot at the Live Aid concert, but was asked to cut his set to one song. He chose his new single, "Vive le Rock."Vive Le Rock was intended to be his ultimate hard rock album but the album and single resulted in disappointing reviews and sales, and Adam decided to end his career in music and focus on his acting career.As the '80s wore on, Ant's attention turned toward acting, especially TV and movie roles. He spent three months in England on stage starring in Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr. Sloane. He also appeared on American television shows, notably The Equalizer, Sledge Hammer! and Northern Exposure. He began taking roles in films such as Nomads and Slamdance. He moved to Hollywood and appeared in a wide range of productions and shows.In 1990, whilst maintaining an interest in acting, Ant returned to America and re-entered the pop music world with the album Manners and Physique, a collaboration with André Cymone, a solo artist and an early member of Prince's band. The album was another moderate success, and featured the UK and U.S. hit single "Room at the Top". "Rough Stuff" became the 2nd single for the United States and Germany as "Can't Set Rules About Love" charted in the United Kingdom. In 1993, he toured in support of a planned album called Persuasion. For reasons unknown, however, this album remains unreleased.Ant returned to Los Angeles where he had a relationship with actress Heather Graham. He also acquired a stalker, which placed him under great stress. Ant's illness began taking a larger toll on him, and he and Graham decided to end their relationship.In 1995, he released his last album to date, Wonderful. The title track was a successful single, as was a tour of the U.S. in support of the album. While Ant and his group (which retained longtime guitarist Pirroni) played in smaller venues than they had played in the 1980s, the houses were often packed with enthusiastic fans. The tour was curtailed, however, when Ant and Pirroni both contracted a respiratory illness. Adam also played three shows at Shepherds Bush Empire in London and did a mini tour of Virgin Record Shops playing selected tunes from the album Wonderful and signing records. Adam and his band also played shows in Dublin, Glasgow, Middlesbrough & Stoke.Recently, a new generation of Ant-influenced artists covered Adam and the Ants' hits during the '90s, including Elastica, Sugar Ray, Nine Inch Nails, Superchunk and Robbie Williams.Antbox, a retrospective box set spanning Ant's career from the late 1970s through the 1990s, was released in late 2000. The box set included 66 tracks on three CDs, and quickly sold the initial 10,000 units. The box set was re-released in a different form (with the same tracks) and sold once again in 2003.Ant was poised to join the '80s-focused Here & Now tour in early 2002, but was unable to do so after he was charged with threatening members of the public with an imitation firearm in a London pub. The court also ordered that he undertake rehabilitation, although he was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder (manic depressive disorder).Since the 2002 incident, Ant has occasionally been featured in news stories surrounding potential projects and his medical condition. A television special entitled The Madness of Prince Charming was aired in the UK in 2003 documenting his career and his struggle with mental illness.In 2004 and 2005, six "remastered" compact discs were released, spanning the years 1979 (Dirk) through 1985 (Vive Le Rock). The CDs feature previously unavailable songs, including demos and material culled from the "Ant vault." The project was greatly overseen by Marco Pirroni, and includes a written message from Adam Ant himself, circa 2005. A limited edition boxset, 'Adam Ant Remasters', was made to hold all 6 of the albums and Redux. This product was re-released with all 7 albums in 2006. (It was stated on his website that he was writing new music for a new album titled Fist In The Skull.)In September 2006, he launched his autobiography, Stand and Deliver. The book recounts his career to date, relationships, as well as the more personal aspects of how his bipolar disorder has affected his life.In September 2007 Adam released the paperback version of Stand and Deliver, updated with a new epilogue which covers the year between the release of the hardback and the paperback. He also performed live for the first time in 11 years at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London on 24 September 2007, where he read extracts from the book, told some stories not in the book, and performed acoustic versions of many of his songs, plus some cover versions to the packed theatre. A new album is also planned for 2008.
Discography
See also Adam & the Ants for Adam's first three albums.
Albums
- Friend or Foe - October 1982 (UK #5/US #16)
- Strip - November 1983 (UK #20/US # 65)
- Vive Le Rock - September 1985 (UK #42/US #131)
- Manners and Physique - March 1990 (UK #19/US #57)
- The Very Best of Adam Ant - September 1993 (UK #6) (some UK versions came with an 18 track live Bonus CD)
- Persuasion - unreleased 1993
- B-Side Babies - April 1994 (US)
- Wonderful - April 1995 (UK #24/US #143)
- The Very Best of Adam And The Ants - April 1999 (UK #33)
- Stand and Deliver - September 2006 (UK #39) (some UK versions came with a DVD featuring 8 music videos)
- Anthology CD - January 2007 (UK release) Sony/BMG licenced to United
- Dandy Highwaymen (The best of..) - 2007
- TBA - 2008
Singles and other releases
- "Goody Two Shoes" / "Red Scab" - CBS single- released 1982 (UK #1, US #12 + Aus #1)
- "Friend or Foe" / "Juanito the Bandito" - CBS single- released 1982 (UK #9)
- "Desperate but not Serious" / "Why do girls love horses?" - CBS single- released 1982 (UK #33, US #66)
- "Puss n Boots" / "Kiss the Drummer" - CBS single- released 1983 (UK #5)
- "Puss n Boots" extended version / "Kiss the Drummer" extended version - CBS 12" single- released 1983
- "Strip" / "Yours Yours Yours" - CBS single- released 1983 (UK #41, US #42)
- "Strip" extended version / "Yours Yours Yours" extended version - CBS 12" single- 1983
- "Apollo 9" / "B side baby" - CBS single- released 1984 (UK #13)
- "Apollo 9" (Orbit Remix) / "B Side Baby" - CBS 12" Single
- "Apollo 9" (Splashdown Remix) / "B Side Baby" / "Apollo 9" (Dub Mix) - 12" Single
- "Vive le Rock" / "Greta X" - CBS Single - released 1985 (UK #50)
- "Vive le Rock" (Remix) / "Greta X" - 12" Single
- "Room at the Top" / "Bruce Lee" - MCA single - released 1990 (UK #13, US #17)
- "Can't Set Rules About Love" / "How to steal the World" - MCA single- released 1990 (UK #47)
- "Rough Stuff"/ "Bright Lights, Black Leather" - MCA single- released 1990 - Germany & US only
- "Wonderful" / "Goes Around" - EMI single - released 1995 (UK #32, US #39)
- "Gotta be a Sin" / "Dog Eat Dog (Live)" EMI Cassingle and double CD - released 1995 (UK #45)
- "Beautiful Dream version" / "Let's Have A Fight" EMI single - unreleased 1995
Remastered CDs - released 2004 and 2005
- Friend or Foe - Remastered
- Strip - Remastered
- Vive Le Rock - Remastered
- Redux - (bonus CD w/ unreleased tracks available exclusively in the Adam Ant Remastered box set)
- Adam Ant Remastered - 4 CD box set (May 2005) - A slip case with 3 remastered albums (Friend or Foe, Strip, Vive Le Rock), room for the three Adam and the Ants remastered albums, and the Redux bonus CD.
- Adam Ant Remastered - 7 CD box set (October 2006) (re-release with all 6 remastered albums and the Redux bonus CD. )
Videos
- Prince Charming Revue - Concert video - released 1981
- Antics in the Forbidden Zone - Compilation - released 1990
- The Very Best Of Adam Ant - Compilation - released 1993 (UK #1)
- Live in Tokyo - Concert video - released 1994
- Antvideo - Compilation - released 2001
- Stand & Deliver: The Very Best Of Adam & The Ants - Compilation - UK Limited edition CD & DVD - released 2006
- Digital Tenderness: Definitive Video History 1977 - 1996 - DVD - cancelled due to alleged licencing issues
(Note: Although Digital Tenderness was cancelled, a revised version of Digital Tenderness without the offending tracks was released as Stand and Deliver - The Very Best of Adam and the Ants in 2006. Reportedly, a very few promotional copies of the complete Digital Tenderness DVD were released to critics prior to the cancellation).
- Stand and Deliver - The Very Best of Adam and the Ants - DVD - 2006
(Revised DVD with early videos Plastic Surgery, Cartrouble, Tabletalk and others removed, and with an added bonus DVD with the televised Documentary added in an extended cut)
Compilations
- Antics In The Forbidden Zone
- B-Side Babies
- ANTBOX (3-CD Box Set) (2001)
- ANTBOX (3-CD Box Set) Re-released (2003)
- Extra Wonderful (EMI Download Release 2006) including unreleased Beautiful Dream single tracks.
Filmography
- Sweetwater (1999) Tele-film based on the 1960s band.
- La Femme Nikita (1999) TV Episode
- Face Down (1997)
- Lover's Knot (1996)
- The Animated Series (1995) TV Episode
- Cyber Bandits (1995)
- Desert Winds (1995)
- Drop Dead Rock (1995)
- Acting on Impulse (1993)
- Love Bites (1993)
- Northern Exposure (1992)
- Tales from the Crypt (1992) TV Episode
- Midnight Heat (1991)
- Trust Me (1989)
- Out of Time (1988)
- World Gone Wild (1988)
- Spellcaster (1988)
- Cold Steel (1987)
- Sledge Hammer! (1987) TV Episode
- Slam Dance (1987)
- Amazing Stories (1987) TV Episode
- Nomads (1986)
- The Equalizer (1985) TV Episode
- Jubilee (1977)
References
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External links
1954 birthsLiving peoplePeople from LondonPeople from MarylebonePeople with bipolar disorderAlumni of Middlesex UniversityEnglish male singersNew Wave groupsAdam AntAdam AntAdam AntAdam AntAdam AntAdam Ant
