Adam Ant (born
Stuart Leslie Goddard, 3 November 1954,
MaryleboneMarylebone is an affluent, inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster...
,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
) is an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
, who gained popularity as the lead singer of
New WaveNew Wave is a genre of rock and pop music that emerged in in the middle to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, and...
/
post-punkPost-punk is a popular musical movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
group
Adam and the AntsAdam and the Ants were a British rock band band during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were one of the bands at the time that marked the transition from the 70s punk rock era to the New Wave/post-punk era....
and later as a solo artist, scoring ten UK top ten hits between 1979 and 1983, including three No.1s. Goddard was also a star in America where he not only scored a string of hit singles and albums, but was once voted sexiest man in America by the viewers of
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
. He is also an actor, having appeared in two dozen films or television episodes between 1985 and 1999.
Early life
Goddard was born an only child in Marylebone. One of the themes he used in his later work - suppressed minorities - was part of his inheritance; he is of
RomnichalThe Romanichals are groups of Romani people found in some parts of the United Kingdom, notably England. The word "Romanichal" is derived from Romani chal, where chal is Angloromani for "fellow"....
stock. His maternal grandfather, Walter Albany Smith, was a full-blooded Romany. Home was two rooms in De Walden buildings,
St John's WoodSt John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
. He recalls "There was no luxury, but there was always food on the table." His father, Leslie Goddard, worked as a chauffeur and his mother, Kathleen Smith, was a domestic cleaner, briefly working for
Paul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE , is an English singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record and film producer, painter, and animal rights and peace activist. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings, McCartney is the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music...
.
His parents divorced when Goddard was seven years old, mainly on account of Les Goddard's chronic alcoholism and abusive behaviour. Goddard's first school was Robinsfield Infants School, where he created a considerable stir by heaving a brick through one of the headmistress's office windows. Matters were presumably settled to everyone's satisfaction as he continued to attend Robinsfield. He then gained a place at
St Marylebone Grammar SchoolSt Marylebone Grammar School was a grammar school in London from 1792 to 1981.-Philological School:Founded as the Philological School by Thomas Collingwood, under the patronage of the Duke of York, its object was to help "the heads of families, who by unexpected misfortune, have been reduced from...
and later became a school prefect.
After taking and passing his A levels, Goddard went on to the famous
Hornsey College of ArtHornsey College of Art is a former college centred in Crouch End, London, now part of Middlesex University.Founded in 1880, it became the Hornsey College of Arts and Crafts in 1955.- The 1968 Sit-In:...
to study graphic design and for a time was a student of Peter Webb. He later dropped out of Hornsey, short of completing his B.A, to focus on a career in music.
Early career
The first band the young Stuart Goddard joined was
Bazooka JoeBazooka Joe or Bazooka Joe and the Lillets was a British pub rock band formed by John Ellis and Danny Kleinman in 1970. It featured Stuart Goddard, who would later change his name to "Adam Ant". Both Ellis and Goddard would go on to find success with The Vibrators and Adam and the Ants, respectively...
, in which he played bass. It was at a gig in November 1975 at St. Martin's College, London, that Stuart was witness to the first-ever public performance of the
Sex PistolsThe Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They are responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, who were billed as Bazooka Joe's support act.
After leaving Bazooka Joe and forming a group called the B-Sides (which never gigged), Goddard married a fellow Hornsey student named Carol with whom he lived at her parents' residence in
Muswell HillMuswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross.Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :...
. Shortly after, he suffered a nervous breakdown which led to a suicide attempt and hospitalization. Upon his discharge from the hospital, Goddard renamed himself Adam Ant. He formed Adam and the Ants in 1977 after seeing
Siouxsie & the BansheesSiouxsie & the Banshees were a British rock band formed in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin, the only constant members....
perform at the Vortex club in London's
Covent GardenCovent Garden is a district in London, England, located in the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwestern corner of the London Borough of Camden...
.
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants started as part of the burgeoning punk rock movement. Goddard later acted in
Derek JarmanDerek Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, artist, and writer.-Life:Jarman was born Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman in Northwood, Middlesex, boarded at Canford School in Dorset and from 1960 studied at King's College London. This was followed by four years at the Slade School of Art,...
's "punk" film
Jubilee in 1977, as Adam and the Ants were beginning to gig around London with manager
JordanJordan in Seaford, East Sussex, is a model and actress noted for her work with Vivienne Westwood and the SEX boutique in the Kings Road area of London in the mid-1970s....
from the Sex boutique on
Kings RoadKing's Road or Kings Road, known popularly as The King's Road or The KR, is a major, well-known street in west London, England...
. His debut as a recording artist was the song "Deutscher Girls", which featured on the film's soundtrack, along with "Plastic Surgery" which was performed in the film itself, and was re-released as a single in 1982. The band toured extensively around the UK, but proved to be unpopular with much of the British music press who disliked their fetishistic lyrics and imagery. Late 1979 saw the release of their début album
Dirk Wears White SoxDirk Wears White Sox is Adam and the Ants' first album, released on Do It Records in 1979, before Adam went on to fame with "Kings of the Wild Frontier". Dirk Wears White Sox features a much more eclectic, sometimes brooding sound than Ant's later work...
(1979,
Do It RecordsDo It Records was an independent record label in London started in 1978 by Robin Scott, Max Tregoning and Ian Tregoning. Over the next six years, they released several recordings by M, Adam and the Ants, Anthony Moore and Yello....
).
Adam approached and asked
Malcolm McLarenMalcolm McLaren is a performer, impresario, self-publicist and most famously, former manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
(the manager of The Sex Pistols) to manage the band. McLaren subsequently stole the rest of the Ants from under Adams feet when he introduced the singer Annabella Lwin and began the process of honing Bow Wow Wow for chart success. A new version of Adam and the Ants was formed with
Marco PirroniMarco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist and singer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie & the Banshees and many others in a career spanning the late 1970s to the present day.-Biography:Born in Archway, he lived with his parents in Camden Town, until at 15 years...
(guitar),
Kevin MooneyKevin Mooney is an English rock bassist and guitarist from who has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, and others.-Career:...
(bass guitar), and two drummers, Terry Lee Miall and Chris Hughes (ex-
Dalek I Love YouDalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
), called also Merrick. The band signed a major label deal with
CBS RecordsCBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
and recorded
Kings of the Wild FrontierKings of the Wild Frontier is a New Wave album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1980 . This album introduced the new Burundi drum sound. After having his previous backing band wooed away by producer Malcolm McLaren, who used them to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam Ant recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier...
during the summer of 1980. That album was an enormous hit in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and the "Antmania" that ensued put the band at the forefront of the
New RomanticNew Romanticism was a youth fashion movement that peaked in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. Originally centered around part of the Synthpop music scene, it has seen several revivals since then, and continues to influence popular culture...
movement. The single "
Antmusic"Antmusic" was the third single released in the UK in 1980, from the hugely popular Adam and the Ants album Kings of the Wild Frontier. The first single from the album Kings of the Wild Frontier was relatively unsuccessful at first, only making number 48...
" went to #2 on the U.K. singles chart by December 1980.
In November 1981, Adam & the Ants released another highly successful album,
Prince CharmingPrince Charming is the third and final album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1981 . Unlike Kings of the Wild Frontier, Prince Charming showed the Ants moving away from their earlier Burundi drum style. It is also noticeable that this album is the first without Kevin Mooney, the bassist from...
. The album featured two
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
#1 singles — "
Stand and Deliver"Stand and Deliver" was Adam and the Ants' most successful single. It entered the UK Top 40 at Number One and stayed there for five weeks. It was featured on their Prince Charming album...
" and the title track "Prince Charming" — as well as the #3 UK hit "Ant Rap". This trio of singles were promoted by some of the most lavish music videos of the period, and paved the way for Adam Ant's later acting career.
In March 1982, feeling certain band members "lacked enthusiasm", Goddard disbanded the group. A few months after the split Goddard launched a solo career (though he retained Marco Pirroni as guitarist and co-songwriter). Merrick returned to the band
Dalek I Love YouDalek I Love You may refer to:* Dalek I Love You, a synthpop group* Dalek I Love You , the group's self-titled album* Dalek I Love You , an audio play broadcast on BBC Radio...
and would subsequently produce many hits of
Tears for FearsTears for Fears are an English pop rock duo formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesizer bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
.
Solo career
After the split, Goddard went solo, taking his song writing partner Pirroni with him. His greatest chart success was 1982's
Friend or FoeFriend or Foe was the first solo album by Adam Ant, released after Adam and the Ants disbanded in early 1982. Friend or Foe also became Adam Ant's most successful solo album giving him the hit song "Goody Two Shoes" which peaked at #1 on the UK charts, and at #12 in the USA; along with the...
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 the title song (which made #9 on the UK chart) and "Desperate But Not Serious".
Around this time, Goddard also received an endorsement contract from
Hondais a Japanese multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. Honda is the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume. Honda surpassed Nissan in 2001 to become...
to promote their new line of motor scooters, where he appeared with model
Grace JonesGrace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model, and actress.-Early life:Jones was born in Jamaica, the daughter of Marjorie and Robert W. Jones, who was a politician and Apostolic clergyman. Her parents took Grace and her brother Randy to relocate to Syracuse, New York in 1965...
. In the commercial, Goddard is being persuaded by Jones to try the new scooter. Goddard, who has never driven anything in life, finally submits. The commercial ends with Jones biting him on the ear, which was edited out for the American market, but left intact when it aired overseas. Goddard did successfully obtain a driver's license a short time after the commercials began airing.
In 1983, Goddard worked with
Phil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins LVO is an Academy Award-winning English singer-songwriter, drummer, keyboardist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for English progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
and
Richard James BurgessRichard James Burgess is a studio drummer, music-computer programmer, recording artist, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor. He was the producer for Spandau Ballet's first two albums.-Education:...
on the
StripStrip is the second solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1983. The album marked a decline in Ant's success, as it only reached #65 in the United States and #20 in the UK....
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. Although
Strip had some highlights and hit singles, it marked the end of his reign as one of Britain's top pop stars for a while. That same year, Goddard also memorably appeared as a guest performer on the
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
television network's
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, ForeverMotown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to commemorate Motown's twenty-fifth year of existence. Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to...
special that aired in May.
In 1985, he worked with veteran producer
Tony ViscontiAnthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of notable performers, including the Moody Blues, as well as T.Rex, Mary Hopkin, Thin Lizzy, Ralph McTell, Sparks, Gentle Giant, Semi Precious Weapons, The...
on his third solo album,
Vive Le RockVive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1985. This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at #131. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at #42...
. He secured a spot at the
Live AidLive Aid was a multi-venue rock music concert held on . The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Billed as the 'global jukebox', the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium, London and JFK Stadium, Philadelphia...
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 single underwent a pressing error and the album received mixed reviews. As a result, Adam decided to end his career in music and focus on his acting career.
Acting career
As the 1980s wore on, Goddard's attention turned toward acting, especially television and movie roles. He spent three months in England on stage starring in
Joe OrtonJohn Kingsley Orton was an English playwright.In a short but prolific career lasting from 1964 until his death, he shocked, outraged and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies...
's
Entertaining Mr. Sloane. He also appeared on American television shows, notably
The EqualizerThe Equalizer was an American urban vigilante television series initially broadcast on CBS between 1985 and 1989.-Overview:The series stars British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former secret agent of an unnamed organization, which was often referred to simply as "The Agency" or "The...
, Sledge Hammer!Sledge Hammer! is a satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and starred David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a preposterous caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character, with a...
,
Tales from the CryptTales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is a horror anthology American TV series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
and
Northern ExposureNorthern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a transplanted New...
. He began taking roles in films such as
NomadsNomads is a 1986 horror film which was written and directed by John McTiernan and stars Pierce Brosnan.The story involves a French anthropologist who is an expert on nomads. He stumbles across a group of urban nomads who turn out to be more than he expected...
and
Slamdance. He moved to Hollywood and appeared in a wide range of productions and shows, including his musical BeBopalula, designed by
Michael PearceMichael Pearce is a British, California-based figurative painter, installation designer and sculptor.-Life and work:Michael Pearce was born in Lincolnshire, Britain in 1965. He grew up in London and then Wiltshire, where his father introduced him to megalithic structures like Stonehenge and...
.
Return to recording and touring
In 1989, whilst maintaining an interest in acting, Goddard returned to America and re-entered the
pop musicPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
world with the album
Manners & PhysiqueManners & Physique is the fourth solo album from Adam Ant. It was released by March 1990 by MCA Records. The single "Room at the Top" peaked at number 13 in England and number 17 in America...
, a collaboration with
André CymoneAndré Cymone is an American bassist, songwriter and record producer. Cymone was a 'God Sent helper', playing bass guitar for Prince and his touring band, pre-Revolution,. Cymone began a solo career in 1981. His song, "The Dance Electric" , reached number ten on the R&B charts...
, 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 TopRoom at the Top is a 1959 British film based on the novel of the same name by John Braine. The novel was adapted by Neil Paterson with uncredited work by Mordecai Richler. It was directed by Jack Clayton and produced by James Woolf and John Woolf....
". "Rough Stuff" became the second 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
PersuasionPersuasion is the fifth studio album by Adam Ant, planned for 1993 but was never released. The album was however leaked onto file sharing networks and surfaced as bootlegs...
. On account of a regime change at
MCAMCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part...
, the record company made the unilateral decision not to release this album on the basis that
Manners & Physique had failed to achieve a gold sales certification. Ant was subsequently released from his contract with MCA and later signed by
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
.
Persuasion remains unreleased to this day and, as a result, it has become something of a lost legend among "Antpeople."
In 1995, Goddard released his last album to date,
WonderfulWonderful may refer to:*"Wonderful" , a 2009 song by Gary Go*Wonderful , a 1985 album by Circle Jerks*Wonderful , a 1988 album by Rick James...
, still under the stage name Adam Ant. The title track was a successful single, as was a tour of the U.S. in support of the album. While Goddard 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 cut short due to Goddard and Pirroni both contracted glandular fever. Goddard also played three shows at
Shepherds Bush EmpireThe O2 Shepherds Bush Empire is a music venue in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, run by the Academy Music Group. It was built in 1903, as a music hall, and in 1953 became the BBC Television Theatre...
in London and did a mini tour of
Virgin RecordVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. It was later sold to Thorn EMI, and then, in the US, merged with Capitol Records in 2007 to create the Capitol Music Group....
Shops playing selected tunes from the album
Wonderful and signing records. Adam and his band also played shows in
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough is a town in the Tees Valley conurbation of North East England and sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It is the largest and most populous settlement within the Borough of Middlesbrough, which encompasses the town and several outlying villages which have become...
and
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove, Stoke forms the The Potteries Urban Area...
.
Arrests for causing affray and psychiatric hospitalisation
Goddard was poised to join the '80s-focused
Here & Now tour in January 2002, but was unable to do so after he was charged with throwing a car alternator through a pub window and then threatening patrons with an imitation firearm (actually, his late father's World War II starter pistol). By his own account, he was in an agitated hypomanic state at the time and had gone to a pub in
CamdenCamden Town is an inner-city district within the London Borough of Camden, situated in the northern part of London, England. It is well-known for its markets, liberal attitude and associations with popular culture. Since the 1960s, The Roundhouse theatre and music venue has been a centre of...
to look for a man (apparently, the jealous husband of a female acquaintance) who had been bothering him with threatening telephone calls. When Goddard showed up, some of the pub patrons made fun of his appearance and told him that the man he was looking for was not present. Goddard angrily told them he would be back before storming off and finding the car alternator in the street.
Goddard was brought to court at Old Bailey, where his late father, Leslie Goddard, had been tried and sentenced fifteen years previously for having made indecent suggestions to a minor. The charges against him (which included criminal damage and threatening members of the public) were reduced to a single count of causing
affrayIn many legal jurisdictions related to English common law, affray is a public order offence consisting of the fighting of two or more persons in a public place to the terror of ordinary people...
, to which he pleaded guilty. He was fined £500 and ordered to psychiatric care with a
suspended sentenceA suspended sentence is a legal construct. Unless a minimum punishment is prescribed by law, the court has the power to suspend the passing of sentence and place the offender on probation. It is the passing of the sentence, not the sentence itself, that is being suspended...
.
In June 2003, Goddard was arrested again by police after a conflict with a neighbour resulted in his attempting to smash the neighbour's patio door in with a shovel and then lying down on the concrete floor of a cafe basement with his trousers pulled down, curled up and trying to sleep. Once again he was charged with affray and criminal damage and spent time in psychiatric wards.
In September of that year, he was sectioned under the
Mental Health Act 1983The Mental Health Act 1983 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom but applies only to people in England and Wales. It covers the reception, care and treatment of mentally disordered persons, the management of their property and other related matters...
and spent a further six months of in-patient psychiatric care. He was eventually granted a
conditional dischargeA conditional discharge is a sentence passed by a court whereby the defendant is not punished provided he or she complies with certain conditions...
by the judge at
HighburyHighbury is an area in the London Borough of Islington.- Early Highbury :The area now known as Highbury was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all Islington, the areas north and east of...
Magistrates Court.
Recent activity (2003 - present)
In 2003, Goddard and
Wonderful collaborator,
Boz BoorerBoz Boorer is a British guitarist and producer most known for his work founding the new wave rockabilly group The Polecats and later for his work as a co-writer, guitarist and musical director with Morrissey.-The Polecats:The band "Cult Heroes" was formed in 1977 by Tim Worman , Boz Boorer...
teamed with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (now called The Gorilla Organisation) in a reworking of "Stand and Deliver" as "Save the Gorillas". Originally intended as a benefit record for the endangered mountain gorilla, it was never released, due to copyright and licensing issues.
In 2003, the successful Antbox was re-released due to popular demand, but presented in a different form. A television special entitled
The Madness of Prince Charming was aired in the UK in 2003 documenting Goddards's career and his struggle with mental illness (he was diagnosed as suffering with
bipolar disorderBipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, manic depression or bipolar affective disorder, is a serious mental disorder that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if...
). Recently, the TV special was made available on the online video website
YouTubeYouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google...
.
In 2004 and 2005, six remastered compact discs were released, spanning the years 1979 (
Dirk) through 1985 (
Vive Le Rock). The CDs include previously unreleased demos and material from the "Ant vault". The project was overseen by
Marco PirroniMarco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist and singer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie & the Banshees and many others in a career spanning the late 1970s to the present day.-Biography:Born in Archway, he lived with his parents in Camden Town, until at 15 years...
, and includes a written message from Adam Ant. A limited edition box-set, 'Adam Ant Remasters', was made to hold all 6 of the albums and
ReduxRedux an album by Adam Ant & Adam and the Ants. It is a 15 track bonus disc that only came with the Adam Ant Remastered box set. It features previously unreleased demo versions of songs from his previous albums...
. This product was re-released with all 7 albums in 2006.
In September 2006, he published his autobiography,
Stand & Deliver. Marking the release of the book Adam Ant did a UK book signing, he went from
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
. After the success of the first edition the paperback edition was published (a year later, September 2007); it contains a new epilogue which covers the year following the initial hardback release.
Goddard performed a live reading from his autobiography and played some of his songs at the
Bloomsbury TheatreThe Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre on Gordon Street, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, owned by University College London.The Theatre has a seating capacity of 535 and offers a professional programme of innovative music, drama, comedy and dance all year round.Funded by a UGC grant and a...
in London on 24 September 2007. It was his first live performance in 11 years.
The special performance is available on CD via adam-ant.net. The CD was officially released on the 12 December 2008. The CD is not available in the shops, only as an online purchase. It includes parts of the readings and songs performed on the night, complete with snatches of unscripted dialogue between Adam and his guitarist for the gig, Dave Pash.
In early October 2008, Goddard was awarded the
Q Music Icon AwardThe Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicized music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event.Perhaps the most...
. Receiving the award from The
SugababesSugababes are an English all-female pop trio based in London, currently consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen.The group were formed in 1998 by original members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan...
, he said how flattering it was to get an award that last year had gone to Paul McCartney, and that it was an honour to be chosen for the work that he’d done in the past. He mentioned was looking forward to next year with anticipation, not only because it would be the 30th anniversary of his first album release.
On August 2009, "Cherry Pop" Records UK re-released "Manners & Physique" remastered with bonus tracks.
Future projects
Goddard is planning on putting a new record out in 2009, with "sources" telling
The Sun that labels are involved in a bidding war over the new material. Adam Ant has also expressed interest in working with The Kaiser Chiefs.
Musical style
Adam Ant has been regarded by some critics as "one of the last true versatile performers".
The tone of Adam's debut solo album,
Friend or FoeFriend or Foe was the first solo album by Adam Ant, released after Adam and the Ants disbanded in early 1982. Friend or Foe also became Adam Ant's most successful solo album giving him the hit song "Goody Two Shoes" which peaked at #1 on the UK charts, and at #12 in the USA; along with the...
, was defined as glitzy glam pop with "tongue-in-cheek tunes, delivered with an excess of flair and good humour". It was also described as being "one of Ant's best records and one of the best new wave albums".
In a review for
StripStrip is the second solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1983. The album marked a decline in Ant's success, as it only reached #65 in the United States and #20 in the UK....
, the songs were considered to contain a "mixture of driving, danceable rock with humour".
The music on
Vive Le RockVive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1985. This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at #131. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at #42...
has been said to be a "50s-style rock & roll sound".
The fourth studio album,
Manners and Physique was said to be a combination of "contemporary dance tracks" and Adam's "old flair for mockery".
Personal life
Goddard has one child, Lily, from divorced second wife Lorraine.
Goddard was teetotal for 23 years, but he took up alcohol again on his 47th birthday. He said, "My daughter Lily made me realise I should loosen up, live a bit."
He suffers from
bipolar disorderBipolar disorder, also known as manic depressive disorder, manic depression or bipolar affective disorder, is a serious mental disorder that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood clinically referred to as mania or, if...
, and has spoken candidly about his experiences.
Goddard has dated
Amanda Donohoe-Early life:Donohoe was born in London, the daughter of Joanna and Ted Donohoe, antique dealers. Her father , is of Irish/Russian descent and her mother is Swiss. She left home at sixteen, and in her early twenties she was accepted at the Central School of Speech and Drama...
, whom he met when she was just fifteen and whom he lived with for six years, the relationship ending in 1981 after she had appeared in the video for "Stand And Deliver". He has also dated
Jamie Lee CurtisJamie Lee Curtis is an American actress. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers many genres...
,
VanityDenise Katrina Matthews , better known as Vanity but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born singer, actress, and model...
and Heather Graham. Out of all his relationships he has married twice, once to Carol Mills in 1975 (then divorced her shortly after) and married again, to Lorraine in 1997, but they divorced shortly after their daughter Lily's birth in 1998.
Adam and the Ants
- Dirk Wears White Sox
Dirk Wears White Sox is Adam and the Ants' first album, released on Do It Records in 1979, before Adam went on to fame with "Kings of the Wild Frontier". Dirk Wears White Sox features a much more eclectic, sometimes brooding sound than Ant's later work...
- Kings of the Wild Frontier
Kings of the Wild Frontier is a New Wave album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1980 . This album introduced the new Burundi drum sound. After having his previous backing band wooed away by producer Malcolm McLaren, who used them to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam Ant recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier...
- Prince Charming
Prince Charming is the third and final album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1981 . Unlike Kings of the Wild Frontier, Prince Charming showed the Ants moving away from their earlier Burundi drum style. It is also noticeable that this album is the first without Kevin Mooney, the bassist from...
Adam Ant
- Friend or Foe
Friend or Foe was the first solo album by Adam Ant, released after Adam and the Ants disbanded in early 1982. Friend or Foe also became Adam Ant's most successful solo album giving him the hit song "Goody Two Shoes" which peaked at #1 on the UK charts, and at #12 in the USA; along with the...
- Strip
Strip is the second solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1983. The album marked a decline in Ant's success, as it only reached #65 in the United States and #20 in the UK....
- Vive Le Rock
Vive Le Rock is the third solo album by Adam Ant, released in 1985. This album at first received only minor attention in the United States, peaking only at #131. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at #42...
- Manners and Physique
- Wonderful
Wonderful is Adam Ant's last solo album to date. The album topped at #143 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band for this album included ex-Ruts drummer Dave Ruffy and Morrissey's guitarist Boz Boorer and Marco Pirroni. This album is significant showcasing more acoustic songs than Adam Ant's...
TV & Film
- Junk (2003) (short British film)
- Sweetwater (1999) Tele-film based on the 1960s band.
- La Femme Nikita
La Femme Nikita is a Canadian television spy drama based on the original French film directed by Luc Besson, co-produced by Jay Firestone and Warner Bros., and created for television by Joel Surnow, who later co-created 24 with fellow La Femme Nikita executive consultant Robert Cochran...
(1999) TV Episode
- Face Down (1997)
- Lover's Knot (1996)
- Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series adaptation of the comic book series starring the DC Comics superhero, Batman. The series is noted for being the first to take place in the DC Animated Universe. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation.The visual style of the series is...
(1995) TV Episode
- Cyber Bandits (1995)
- Desert Winds (1995)
- Drop Dead Rock (1995)
- Acting on Impulse (1993)
- Love Bites (1993)
- Northern Exposure
Northern Exposure is an American television series that ran on CBS from 1990 to 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. The series was given a pair of consecutive Peabody Awards: in 1991–92 for the show's "depict[ion] in a comedic and often poetic way, [of] the cultural clash between a transplanted New...
(1992) TV Episode
- Spellcaster
-Plot:Winning a trip to Italy through a contest, Jackie and her brother Tom join other winners Myrna , Yvette , Terri , Harlan and Tony . They settle into the rooms of an old castle, together with Cassandra , a rock star playing along in the contest...
(1992)
- Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is a horror anthology American TV series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
(1992) TV Episode
- Midnight Heat (1991)
- Trust Me (1989)
- Out of Time
Out of Time is a 1988 science fiction film, starring Bruce Abbott and Bill Maher. It was a failed TV pilot made into a TV movie.-Synopsis:...
(1988)
- World Gone Wild (1988)
- Cold Steel
Cold Steel is a 1987 thriller film directed by Dorothy Ann Puzo and starred Brad Davis, Sharon Stone, Jonathan Banks and Adam Ant.-Plot:It begins when detective Johnny Modine gets his Christmas celebration spoiled with the news about his father's death, which is the work of psychopathic junkies...
(1987)
- Sledge Hammer!
Sledge Hammer! is a satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and starred David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a preposterous caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character, with a...
(1987) TV Episode
- Slam Dance
Slam Dance is a 1987 thriller directed by Wayne Wang and starring Virginia Madsen, Tom Hulce, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. It was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
(1987)
- Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories is a television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987. It was somwehat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes airing at any time from early on Sunday...
(1987) TV Episode
- Nomads
Nomads is a 1986 horror film which was written and directed by John McTiernan and stars Pierce Brosnan.The story involves a French anthropologist who is an expert on nomads. He stumbles across a group of urban nomads who turn out to be more than he expected...
(1986)
- Amazing Stories Season 2 (1986)
- Honda Advert with Grace Jones (1986)
- The Equalizer
The Equalizer was an American urban vigilante television series initially broadcast on CBS between 1985 and 1989.-Overview:The series stars British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former secret agent of an unnamed organization, which was often referred to simply as "The Agency" or "The...
(1985) TV Episode
- Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to commemorate Motown's twenty-fifth year of existence. Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever was a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to...
(1983)
- Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball are an English comedy double act consisting of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball. The duo met in the early 1960s while working as welders in Oldham...
Show (1982) TV Episode
- Jubilee
Jubilee is a 1977 cult film directed by Derek Jarman. It stars Jenny Runacre, Ian Charleson, and a host of punk rockers. The title refers to the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 1977.-Plot:...
(1977)
Theatre
- Funeral Games (1996)
- Be Bop A Lula (1993)
- West (1993)
- Entertaining Mr. Sloane (1985)
Awards and nominations
| Year |
Nominated work |
Award |
Result |
| 1982 |
Adam and the Ants |
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
s: Best New ArtistThe Grammy for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1960. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
|
|
| Kings of the Wild Frontier Kings of the Wild Frontier is a New Wave album by Adam and the Ants, released in 1980 . This album introduced the new Burundi drum sound. After having his previous backing band wooed away by producer Malcolm McLaren, who used them to form Bow Wow Wow, Adam Ant recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier...
|
BRIT Awards The Brit Awards, often simply called The Brits and stylized as The BRIT Awards, are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British" or "Britannia", but has subsequently become a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
: Best British Album |
|
| Stand and Deliver "Stand and Deliver" was Adam and the Ants' most successful single. It entered the UK Top 40 at Number One and stayed there for five weeks. It was featured on their Prince Charming album...
|
Ivor Novello Awards: Songwriters of the Year |
|
| 2008 |
Adam Ant |
Q Awards The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicized music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event.Perhaps the most...
: Q Icon |
|
Literature
- Ant, Adam. (2007), Stand and Deliver: The Autobiography, London: Pan Books. ISBN 978-0-330-44012-7
External links