Adam Ant
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Adam Ant is the stage name of Stuart Leslie Goddard (born November 3, 1954, London, England), lead singer of 1980s pop group Adam and the Ants and also a solo artist. His name allegedly comes from the 1960s BBC television series Adam Adamant Lives![1].
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, and can be seen in the audience in film of early Sex Pistols gigs. His first band was Bazooka Joe
which got big enough for the Sex Pistols to open for them. He acted in Derek Jarmans 1978 "punk" film Jubilee. His debut as a recording artist was the song "Deutscher Girls", which featured on the film's soundtrack LP, and which was re-released as a single in 1981, after the Ants had achieved mainstream chart success.
In 1980, having released several punk recordings, Ant decided to re-engineer his sound and image. He recruited former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, who dressed the band as pirates. This new look was used to market the album Kings of the Wild Frontier, and several singles charted. Accordingly, the group began to acquire a large mainstream fanbase.
The high point of Ant's career came in the period 1980-1983. Firstly with Adam and the Ants, he had several chart-topping hits, including "Stand and Deliver," "Dog Eat Dog," "Prince Charming," and "AntRap." He seized the opportunities provided by music videos on the new MTV channel to develop a theatrical, charismatic onscreen persona. With romantic costumes and heavy make-up, he was an early example of the New Romantic movement, with contemporaries such as Duran Duran dressing similarly.
After the band split in 1981, Ant went solo, with his greatest chart success being 1982's Friend or Foe album, which included the hit single "Goody Two Shoes." Other early-80s hits were "Desperate But Not Serious" and "Hello, I Love You." Later in the 1980s, Adam worked with Phil Collins (on the Strip album) and veteran Tony Visconti (Vive Le Rock), achieving varying degrees of chart success. In 1985, Ant still had enough appeal to secure a spot at the Live Aid concert, but rather than perform a crowd pleasing set of old hits - as Queen did to revive their career - he presented songs from the latest album. His sales continued to decline.
As the 80s wore on, Ant's attention turned toward acting, especially TV and movie roles. He moved to Hollywood and appeared in a range of largely unsuccesful productions.
In 1990, whilst maintaining an interest in acting, Ant returned to London and re-entered the pop music world with the album Manners and Physique, which was a collaboration with Andre Cymone, a solo artist and an early member of Prince's band. The album was another moderate success, and featured the hit single "Room at the Top". In 1993, he toured in support of a planned album called Persuasion. For reasons unknown, however, the 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. As Graham became more successful, the relationship faltered.
In 1995, he released another new album, 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 included longtime guitarist Marco 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 both Ant and Pirroni both contracted a respiratory illness.
A new generation of Ant-influenced artists covered Adam and the Ants' hits during the 90s, including Elastica, Sugar Ray, Trent Reznor, and Robbie Williams.
Antbox, a retrospective box set spanning Ant's career from the late 1970s through the 1990s, was released in late 2001. The box set included 66 tracks on three CDs, and quickly sold the initial 10,000 units. Ant was poised to join an 80s-focused tribute tour in early 2002, but was unable to do so after he was charged with threatening members of the public with a firearm in a London pub. The court also ordered that he undertake rehabilitation, although he was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the mental illness commonly known as "manic depression".
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 through 1985. The CDs featured 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 Ant himself, circa 2005.
Discography Highlights
Albums
- Dirk Wears White Sox - released 1979, re-issued with bonus tracks 2004
- Kings of the Wild Frontier - released 1980, re-issued with bonus tracks 2004
- Prince Charming - released 1981, re-issued with bonus tracks 2004
- Friend or Foe - released 1982, re-issued with bonus tracks 2005
- Strip - released 1983, re-issued with bonus tracks 2005
- Vive Le Rock - released 1985, re-issued with bonus tracks 2005
- Manners and Physique - released 1990
- Persuasion - unreleased 1993
- B-Side Babies - released 1994
- Wonderful - released 1995
Singles and other releases (non album material)
- "Young Parisians" / "Lady" - single - released 1978
- "Deutscher Girls" / "Plastic Surgery" - single - released 1979
- "Zerox" / "Whip in my Valise" - single - released 1979
- Antmusic EP - extended play - released 1980
- Antbox - box set - released 2001
Remastered CDs - released 2004 and 2005 - all with bonus tracks / demos - previously unreleased material
- Dirk Wears White Sox - Remastered
- Kings of the Wild Frontier - Remastered
- Price Charming - Remastered
- Friend or Foe - Remastered
- Strip - Remastered
- Vive Le Rock - Remastered
- REDUX - Remastered (bonus CD w/ unreleased tracks)
Videos
- Prince Charming Revue - Concert video - released 1981
- Antics in the Forbidden Zone - Compilation - released 1990
- Live in Tokyo - Concert video - released 1994
- Antvideo - Compilation - released 2001
SOON TO BE RELEASED - ANT DVD (Definitive Video History 1977 - 1993)
Compilations
- Antics In The Forbidden Zone
- B-Side Babies
- ANTBOX (3-CD Box Set)