Adam Ant | |
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.jpg) Ant in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stuart Leslie Goddard |
| Born | (1954-11-03)3 November 1954 (age 70)[1] Marylebone, London, England[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | adam-ant |
Stuart Leslie Goddard (born 3 November 1954), known professionally asAdam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer ofnew wave groupAdam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten hits from 1980 to 1983, including three UK No. 1 singles. He has also worked as an actor, appearing in many films and television episodes.
Ant began his musical career playing bass in the bandBazooka Joe. From 1977 to 1982 he performed with Adam and the Ants. Their debut albumDirk Wears White Sox (1979) reached number one on theUK Independent Albums Chart. Before recording his debut album as Adam and the Ants, he asked producerMalcolm McLaren to manage his band; McLaren instead took his backing band to formBow Wow Wow. Ant regrouped with new members, includingMarco Pirroni, to release his second albumKings of the Wild Frontier (1980). It reached number one in theUK Album Chart, spawned three hit singles, became the UK number-one selling album in 1981, and wonBest British Album at the1982 BRIT Awards. He released his third and final album with the group,Prince Charming (1981), which spawned two UK number-one singles "Stand and Deliver" and "Prince Charming".
In 1982, he began a solo career, retainingMarco Pirroni as co-songwriter. His first solo album wasFriend or Foe (1982), from which the debut single "Goody Two Shoes" reached number one in the UK and Australia in 1982, and became his first top 20 hit in the United States on theBillboard Hot 100. The album reached number five on the UK Albums Chart and number 16 on the USBillboard 200 album chart, becoming his most successful solo album. His next two solo albumsStrip (1983) andVive Le Rock (1985) were less commercially successful. Ant began to focus on an acting career, performing on stage and in film and television roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He released his fourth solo albumManners & Physique (1990) which was produced byAndré Cymone and featured aMinneapolis sound. Despite the US top 20 success of the single "Room at the Top", Ant was dropped fromMCA Records, and his albumPersuasion (1991) was shelved and never officially released. He signed withCapitol Records to releaseWonderful (1995). The single "Wonderful" became Ant's third US top 40 hit single.
Since 2010, Ant has continued his music career, recording and releasing a new albumAdam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter (2013, UK number 25), and completing eight full-length UK national tours, five US national tours, and two Australian tours. A further album,Bravest of the Brave, was recorded in 2014[3] and is still awaiting release.
Stuart Goddard was born inMarylebone,London, the only child of Leslie Alfred Goddard and Betty Kathleen Smith. His father had served in theRoyal Air Force (RAF) and worked as a chauffeur, and his mother was an embroiderer forNorman Hartnell.[4]: 4 His home was two rooms in the De Walden buildings,St John's Wood.[4]: 5 He recalls: "There was no luxury, but there was always food on the table." He is of partialRomani descent; his maternal grandfather, Walter Albany Smith, wasRomanichal.[4]: 10 This heritage became a basis for a theme in his later work: a concern for oppressed minorities.
Goddard's parents divorced when he was seven years old[4]: 35 and his mother supported him by working as a domestic cleaner, being briefly employed byPaul McCartney.[5] Goddard's first school was Robinsfield Infants School, where he created a considerable stir by throwing a brick through the head-teacher's office window on two consecutive days.[4]: 28 In the aftermath of this incident, Goddard was placed under the supervision of teacher Joanna Saloman, who encouraged him to develop his abilities in art and whom he later credited as the first person to show him he could be creative.[6][7]
Goddard then attended Barrow Hill Junior School where he boxed and was a member of the cricket team.[4]: 32 He passed theeleven plus exam to gain a place atSt Marylebone Grammar School,[4]: 56 an all-boys school, where he enjoyed history, playedrugby,[4]: 57 and became a schoolprefect.[7] After passing sixO levels and threeA levels, in English, History and Art,[4]: 72 Goddard attendedHornsey College of Art to study graphic design, and was a student of art historian Peter Webb for a time.[8] He dropped out of Hornsey, short of completing his BA, to focus on a career in music.[4]: 4
The first band Goddard joined wasBazooka Joe, in which he played bass guitar.[1] He has said that the idea of Adam Ant came to him after watching theSex Pistols play their first gig opening for Bazooka Joe atSaint Martin's School of Art in 1975: "After seeing the Pistols, I wanted to do something different, be someone else, but couldn't work out what and [whom]."[4]: 92, 94
He renamed himself Adam Ant, choosing the name because "I really knew I wanted to be Adam, becauseAdam was thefirst man. Ant I chose because, if there's a nuclear explosion, the ants will survive."[9] He formed his own band, the B-Sides, withLester Square andAndy Warren.[4]: 94 In 1977, together with drummer Paul Flanagan, they went on to form Adam and the Ants (initially named just "The Ants"), with the inaugural band meeting held in the audience at aSiouxsie and the Banshees performance atThe Roxy in London'sCovent Garden.[10]
Adam and the Ants began performing around London while Ant acted inDerek Jarman's filmJubilee in 1977. They were initially managed byJordan from theSEX boutique onKings Road. 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. In late 1979 they released their debut albumDirk Wears White Sox (1979,Do It Records) featuringMatthew Ashman on guitar,Andy Warren on bass andDave Barbarossa on drums.
Ant approachedMalcolm McLaren to manage the band, who subsequently hired the rest of the Ants to formBow Wow Wow fronted byAnnabella Lwin. The second version of Adam and the Ants featuredMarco Pirroni (guitar),Kevin Mooney (bass guitar), and two drummers, Terry Lee Miall andChris Hughes (formerly ofDalek I Love You), who used the name "Merrick". The band signed a deal withCBS Records and recordedKings of the Wild Frontier during the summer of 1980. The album gained success in the United Kingdom, and the "Antmania" that ensued put the band at the forefront of theNew Romantic movement. The single "Antmusic" went to No. 2 on theUK singles chart by December 1980. Following the departure of Mooney in February 1981, bassistGary Tibbs, formerly ofRoxy Music, joined the band.
In November 1981, Adam & the Ants released the album,Prince Charming, that featured two United Kingdom No. 1 singles – "Stand and Deliver" and the title track, "Prince Charming" – as well as the No. 3 UK hit "Ant Rap".[11] In March 1982 the group disbanded.[12]
A few months after Adam and the Ants split, Ant launched his solo career and retained Pirroni as guitarist and co-songwriter.[12] Merrick also briefly stayed as drummer and producer for the UK edition of the first solo hit single "Goody Two Shoes"—which made it to No. 1 in the UK—and demos for the upcomingFriend or Foe album, before moving on to other production work.[13] TheFriend or Foe album also produced another top ten single, "Friend or Foe", which reached No. 9 in September 1982.[14]
Ant recruited a new band for touring, consisting of new dual drummers Bogdan Wiczling (ex-Fingerprintz) and Barry Watts (ex-Q-Tips), plus guitaristCha Burns (also ex-Fingerprintz), bassistChris Constantinou and the former Q-Tips brass section of trumpeter Tony Hughes and twin saxophonists Stewart van Blandamer and Steve Farr.[15] The new band made its debut at London'sAstoria Theatre on 1 October 1982. A US tour began in New York on 8 November. On the 19th tour date on 20 February 1983 inCleveland, Ohio, Ant suffered a knee injury onstage (a relapse of a previous injury suffered while filmingJubilee in 1977), forcing the postponement and/or cancellation of dates throughout February and March while he recuperated. Ant eventually returned to performing, appearing as a guest on theNBC specialMotown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, singing "Where Did Our Love Go" withDiana Ross. He resumed the US tour, completed on 18 May 1983 at the Bronco Bowl inDallas, Texas.[16]
During his recuperation from the knee injury, Ant worked with Pirroni on new material[4]: 214–215 that formed the basis of Ant's second solo album,Strip. With promotion on theStrip album complete, Ant reduced his band to the quartet of himself, Pirroni (now out of retirement again), Wiczling and Constantinou.[17] The latter two adopted the stage namesCount Wiczling and ChrisDe Niro respectively and were upgraded from live backing musicians to being full-time band members, featured on record sleeves,[17] logos[18] and even in song lyrics.[19] The LPStrip produced a top ten single, "Puss'n Boots", that reached No. 5 in the UK charts in October 1983.[20] Ant formally unveiled his new four-piece band at the 1984 Montreux Pop Festival,[4]: 234
In July 1985, Ant secured a spot at theLive Aid concert – the first live performance of the "Ant/Marco/Wiczling/De Niro" band – but was asked to cut his set to one song, for which he chose his new single, theVive Le Rock title track[21] Ant later claimed to regret playing the fundraiser, saying, "I was asked bySir Bob to promote this concert. They had no idea they could sell it out. Then in Bob's book, he said, 'Adam was over the hill so I let him have one number.'... Doing that show was the biggest f**king mistake in the world. Knighthoods were made,Bono got it made, and it was a waste of f**king time. It was the end of rock 'n' roll."[22]
A year after the hit single success of "Apollo 9", which reached No. 13 in September 1984, the parent albumVive Le Rock was released in September 1985, to mixed reviews. As part of the promotion, the band performed a live TV session forChannel 4 music showBliss hosted byMuriel Gray. Several songs were recorded, although only two – "Miss Thing" from the new album and "Killer in the Home" fromKings of the Wild Frontier – were actually transmitted.[23]
Ant paused his career in music at the end of 1985 to focus on his acting career.[4]: 244 HisFort Lauderdale show was Ant's last full-length concert until February 1993. Indeed, between December 1982 and February 1995, Ant's only public live concerts outside North America were the four aforementioned UK/Spanish shows, Live Aid,[24] a 1987 fanclub party performance,[25] and a September 1994EMI corporate event inBrighton.[26] He severed ties with CBS in late 1986, following the release of theHits audio/VHS compilation.[4]: 248 In 1990, Ant returned withManners & Physique, a collaboration withAndré Cymone, a solo artist and an early member ofPrince's band. The album was another moderate success, and featured the single "Room at the Top", which was a Top 20 hit on both sides of the Atlantic. "Rough Stuff" became the second single for the United States and Germany as "Can't Set Rules About Love" charted in the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
In 1992,Nine Inch Nails released a cover of Adam & the Ants' "Physical (You're So)" on theirBroken EP, originally released on theKings of the Wild Frontier LP."[27] Subsequently in 1995, Adam Ant performed "Physical" live with Nine Inch Nails on theirSelf Destruct Tour for two nights in a row.
In 1995, Ant released the album,Wonderful. The title track was a successful single, as was a tour of the US in support of the album. While Ant and his group, which retained longtime guitarist Pirroni alongsideKris Dollimore (The Godfathers,The Damned), Bruce Whitkin, Dave Ruffy (The Ruts) and Dave Barbarossa (Adam and the Ants, Bow Wow Wow),[28] 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 Ant and Pirroni both contractingglandular fever.[4]: 298 Ant also played three shows atShepherd's Bush Empire in London and did a mini tour ofVirgin Record Shops playing selected tunes from the albumWonderful and signing records. Adam and his band also played shows inDublin, Glasgow,Middlesbrough andStoke-on-Trent.
In 1996, Ant and Pirroni recorded two new songs, "Lamé" and "Inseminator", for the soundtrack to Ant's latest filmDrop Dead Rock. Also around this time, they recorded a cover version of theT. Rex song "Dandy in the Underworld". The duo continued to demo other songs around this time, including such titles as "Tough Blokes", "Justine", "Picasso MeetsGary Cooper" and "Call Me Sausage" (the last of which leaked out into bootleg circulation among fans).[29] These new songs with Pirroni were for Ant's own new label Blend Records. Pirroni later referred to these recordings as theBlend Demos. They also guested with such bands as Dweeb andRachel Stamp. In 2001, following the11 September attacks, Ant recorded a charity single for New York firefighters; a double A-side ofNeil Diamond's "America" with his own song "Big Trouble".[30][31] In interviews from the time, Ant talked of numerous varied plans, including starting another new record label, reforming Adam and the Ants, and a star-studded benefit concert for a forest inPatagonia.[32]
In 2003, the Channel 4 television special titledThe Madness of Prince Charming[7]was aired in the UK documenting Ant's career and his struggle with mental illness (he was diagnosed as suffering withbipolar disorder).
In 2003, Ant andWonderful collaborator,Boz Boorer, teamed with theDian Fossey Gorilla Fund (now called The Gorilla Organisation) in a reworking of "Stand and Deliver" as "Save the Gorillas" for an EP of the same name along with four primate/rainforest-themed covers. Originally intended as a benefit record for the endangered mountain gorilla, it was never released, due to copyright and licensing issues relating to the title track. One track from the EP, "Jungle Rock", was eventually released on Boorer's 2008 solo LPMiss Pearl.[33][34][35]
Ant made a guest appearance on an EP released in 2005—Mike's Bikes by former Ants bassist Kevin Mooney's new band, the Lavender Pill Mob, on Mooney's own label Le Coq Musique. Ant provided lead vocals for "Black Pirates", a reworking of the song "Chicken Outlaw" by Mooney's earlier band Wide Boy Awake, inspired by Mooney's departure from the Ants.[36]
In September 2006, he published his autobiography,Stand & Deliver. Marking the release of the book, Ant did a UK book signing, which went from London toEdinburgh.[37] After the success of the first edition the paperback edition was published in September 2007, which contains a new epilogue that covers the year following the initial hardback release. As part of the promotion of the paperback, Ant performed a reading of selected passages of the book along with acoustic songs (accompanied by childhood friend Dave Pash on guitar) at theBloomsbury Theatre, London on 24 September. A live CD of highlights of the gig,Live at the Bloomsbury was released the following year.[38][39]
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On 4 March 2010, Adam Ant registered his new label Blue Black Hussar Ltd. as aprivate limited company atCompanies House.[40] That month also marked a return to live music. Ant's first live performance since The Bloomsbury in 2007 was at Through The Looking Glass bookshop in London on 18 March, at which he played "Ants Invasion", "Cartrouble", "Physical", and a cover ofIggy Pop's "The Passenger". A day later, on 19 March, Ant guested at aZodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction gig at the Pipeline Bar, London E1, in which he provided lead vocals for the band's Top 20 hit "Prime Mover".[41]Ant performed another low key show at theSouthwark Playhouse on Saturday 20 March.[41] During the intervals Ant talked aboutSony Records, how he rejected an alleged £2.6 millionO2 deal, and a new album collaboration withChris McCormack.[42]
Ant played a sold-out headline concert, dubbed The Pirate Metal Extravaganza at theScala in London on 30 April.[43] He also performed some smallerguerilla gigs in Autumn 2010, which received no advance billing, including a solo show at the Dark Mills festival at London's Colour House Theatre on 4 September 2010, the launch party of the Illamasqua store on 16 September (at whichBoy George served as DJ), and a guest spot at theMonster Raving Loony Party's annual conference inFleet, Hampshire, on 25 September. On 21 October, Ant performed at theUnion Chapel, London.[44]
Ant headlined at the Scala again on 18 November,[45] joined by a trio of female backing singers. The gig received positive reviews and three days later again topped the bill at a tribute concert for former Ant Matthew Ashman on 21 November at the same venue, in a show also featuring later Ashman bands Bow Wow Wow,Chiefs of Relief,Agent Provocateur and London rock act Slam Cartel. Ant was back playing live two days later on 23 December, when he and backing vocalistGeorgina Baillee guested onstage at the Christmas party of West Rocks at Shepherds Bar inShepherd's Bush and played live again at Proud,Camden on 5 January 2011[46] and atMadame Jojo's inSoho on 17 January.[47] He finished the month by playing further dates of his World Tour of London with a two-night stand at the100 Club on 26 and 27 January 2011.[48][49]
Ant spent time in Paris where he played low-key shows (his first gigs outside the UK in nearly 16 years.).[50] On 29 March 2011,BBC Radio 4 transmitted an interview of Ant byJohn Humphrys for theOn the Ropes series in which Ant discussed his bipolar condition and its impact on his career. That same day, Ant held a press conference and media preview gig at Under The Bridge inChelsea at which he formally unveiled plans for an eleven date UK concert tour (as with the Paris concert, the first such event in 16 years) due to run from 16 May to 4 June 2011. Also announced at the Chelsea event was a public screening of the December 1981 Prince Charming Revue concert video plus a question-and-answer session to be held inSouth London'sCoronet Cinema on 11 May 2011.[51] By the time the tour got underway on 16 May inBrighton, the original eleven date itinerary had been expanded to fifteen dates.[50] Ant completed the schedule of tour dates[52] which were overwhelmingly enthusiastically received.[53]
There was one negative onstage incident at Fat Sam's inDundee on 21 May 2011 when Ant reacted angrily to some crowd elements who booed his kilt decorated with theSt George's Cross.[54] The tour closed inManchester on 5 June with a show at the city'sManchester Academy.[52]
The Seaside Tour follow-up to the main UK tour and a warm-up to Ant's appearance atHard Rock Calling 2011 inHyde Park, London, on 26 June 2011,[55] third on the bill toRod Stewart andStevie Nicks before an audience of 45,000.[56] Ant later slotted in some more solo gigs, including the Soho Festival in London'sWardour Street on 11 July.[50][57]
Ant also announced a follow-up UK tour (described as the "second leg" of the 2011 tour), initially scheduled to run for twelve dates from 11 November 2011 inBristol until 13 December 2011 inNewcastle.[58] As with the previous leg, Ant passed the time until the tour playing one-off dates, appearing with his tour band inBedford on 10 September[50] before three days later reuniting with 2010 band membersWill Crewdson and Johnny Love for a charity show on boardHMS Belfast.[59] As with the previous tour, the itinerary was expanded from the initial 12 dates to an eventual 21 dates running from 10 November inFrome until 16 December inNorwich.[50] Just three days after the final Norwich date of the tour, Ant was back onstage again with two members of his live band on 19 December at a charity event atRonnie Scott's.[60] The first record release of Ant's 2010s comeback also occurred at this point, with the release of theSex Drugs and HIV compilation album featuring Ant's version of "Get a Grip" which had been recorded a year earlier while the World Tour of London was in progress.[61]
A few days before the end of the second leg of his UK tour, it was officially announced that Ant would make his return to the US with a 15-date North American tour in February 2012, starting on 2 February in Ant's former adopted hometown of Los Angeles and running until 25 February in nearbyAnaheim.[47] A few days into the new year, however, it was announced that the tour was postponed until the autumn.[62] A five-date warm-up UK mini tour for Ant and his band nonetheless went ahead for 19–24 January 2012.[47]
An exhibition of photographs of Ant – titledAdam Ant – Dandy in the Underworld ran from 7 March 2012 to 29 April 2012 at Proud Camden in London, featuring images of Ant throughout his career, including the work of Chris Duffy, Gerard McNamara,Jill Furmanovsky, Denis O'Regan, Chris Cuffaro, Hannah Domagala, Robert Matheu, David Corio andJanette Beckman. To promote this exhibition, Ant performed a solo charity concert at the gallery on 6 March[63] with the same two band members as theRonnie Scott's Jazz Club concert from the previous December. The concert was well received, although an inebriatedChrissie Hynde who was in attendance, heckled throughout the performance.[64] While this exhibition was on, Ant took his band on tour to Australia with an initial five date schedule spread over a two-week period from 23 March to 8 April, taking inSydney,Perth,Melbourne,Adelaide andBrisbane.[65] In mid February, Ant made a warm-up visit to Australia, including an appearance on theAdam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight show recorded on 13 February 2012 for transmission on 15 February[66] and promotional work in Melbourne and Sydney.[67]
Although poor ticket sales forced the cancellation of the Adelaide gig,[68] the remaining four concerts all went ahead. TheSydney Morning Herald gave a reservedly positive review of the opening Sydney date on 23 March (which it rated three stars out of five), noting "In a set plus two encores (the first cheered for; the second not really but played anyway) comprising 30 songs, it was kind of the equivalent of throwing a lot of make-up at the mirror and seeing what stuck."[69] Ant also made further Australian TV appearances including a return toAdam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight recorded on 26 March for transmission on 28 March, including live performances of "Stand and Deliver" and new album track "Vince Taylor" with his full band.[70]
Subsequently, for the second year running, Ant was scheduled to make appearances on the summer festival circuit, interspersed with various one-off dates around the UK. This got off to an early start when Ant stepped in as replacement headliner at theBearded Theory festival in Derby on 18 May 2012, when theLevellers had to pull out due to one of the band members being injured. Ant also played the first full band concert in continental Europe of his 2010s comeback on 24 June 2012 at theParkpop festival in theZuiderpark inthe Hague, Netherlands, with his set broadcast on Dutch national TV. After six assorted dates around the UK in early July, Ant's next major show was a headline slot at theSilverstone Classic Festival on 21 July[71] followed the next day by an appearance at Rewind inPerth and then atCamp Bestival on 27 July 2012.[72]
The rest of the summer saw Ant mix festivals such as theSummer Sundae Weekender on 18 August,Solfest on 24 August and theIsle of Wight Festival with dates in such locations asSwindon,Southend-on-Sea,Warrington andCroydon.[47][62] Later in the year, Ant's postponed US tour finally went ahead, commencing 13 September in Los Angeles and finishing on 20 October in nearby Anaheim. The third UK tour of the 2010s, the Blueblack Hussar Tour, commenced on 1 November inGlasgow and ran to 30 November at London'sShepherd's Bush Empire.[47] During the tour, the first single of the new album was released – "Cool Zombie", with the formerly planned A-side "Gun in Your Pocket" now as the B-side. On New Year's Eve 2012, Ant and his full band appeared onJools Holland'sHootenanny New Year music show, performing new album track "Vince Taylor" as well as old hits "Stand And Deliver" and "Antmusic".[citation needed]
Ant's album, the focal point of the comeback since 2010, finally received its release on 21 January 2013. Its gestation had a long history which had been running alongside the live comeback; in 2009, it was announced that Ant was planning on putting a new record out. He also expressed interest in working withThe Kaiser Chiefs.[73][74]
In an April 2010 interview for the NME, Ant announced he was also working on a new album, with the titleAdam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter. This featured collaborations with former3 Colours Red guitarist Chris McCormack, Ant's long-time songwriting partner Marco Pirroni,Morrissey's writing partnerBoz Boorer and was also due to feature a member ofOasis (later identified asAndy Bell).[75] According to Ant, the album is a "live record that lends itself to performance" and will feature a "kind of concept. It's a very old-fashioned, old-school, step-by-step album". He also described the album as "very autobiographical, very personal."[76] In addition, Ant re-recorded a song in tribute to the late Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, who died earlier that month, and who also once managed Adam & The Ants. Named "Who's A Goofy Bunny Then?", the track was only previously available as a demo recorded in the early 1980s, but Ant stated he wanted to release a new version in tribute to the late punk manager. "Malcolm was a sort of mentor in my life", he said. "As close as you can get to a surrogate father". The song took its name from a term of endearment bestowed upon McLaren by Ant – referring to his "quite prominent teeth".[77]
On 31 December 2010, Ant gave an interview forThe Sun (featured in the "Something for the Weekend" segment) in which he discussed in considerable detail the various controversies surrounding his recent life and musical activities. He summed up his upcoming album thus: "The Blueblack Hussar is me coming back to life. I'm likeThe Terminator —- I was a dead man walking".[78] He also discussed individual songs on the album — as well as "Gun in Your Pocket" (which, aside from theTroubador live performance, had also been given a club dancefloor play by Ant himself as guest DJ at the Family Affair club night inShoreditch, London on 24 April 2010),[79] The interview inThe Sun also made mention of "Shrink", a song about Ant's experiences in the mental healthcare system. Ant had previously discussed both of these songs in his April 2010 interview withSimon Price for online fanzineThe Quietus.[80] On his second visit toIain Lee's show on Absolute Radio on 4 January 2011, two further new tracks were debuted, "Hard Men, Tough Blokes" and "punkyoungirl" [sic].[81] In an interview forBizarre magazine published that month, Ant named the song co-written with Andy Bell as "Cool Zombie".[82]
21 January 2013 release date was officially announced by Ant onstage at his September 2012 concert inChatham[83] by Ant's own record label Blueblack Hussar Records.[40] Despite the decidedlyDIY nature of the release, the album reached number 25 on theUK Albums Chart, only one place lower than its predecessor had managed when released on the corporateEMI label nearly eighteen years earlier. It had previously been at number 8 in theMidweeks.[84] To promote the album, Ant performed a series of concerts around theBritish Isles during April and May (billed as a "Spring Tour") culminating in a gig atThe Roundhouse on 11 May. A free concert in Rome took place on 14 June and a second full length 40 plus show US tour got underway on 17 July inSan Diego and ran to 21 September in Anaheim.[47] Prior to the tour, Ant and his band appeared onNBC'sLate Night with Jimmy Fallon to promote the new album, performing a live version of the track "Vince Taylor".
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During early 2014, Ant was at work recording his next album, titledBravest of the Brave. On 19 April, Ant performed his debut albumDirk Wears White Sox at theHammersmith Apollo with a band including former Ants Dave Barbe and Lee Gorman, preceding this with several UK tour dates. He also reissued theDirk album on white vinyl on his Blueblack Hussar label, with a launch party gig at the100 Club. Both London concerts were filmed by noted film director Leigh Tarrant and later released as the DVD albumDirk Live At The Apollo. Ant subsequently performed the full album again with his regular band for four nights at theIslington Assembly Hall in November 2014 and a full UK tour in Spring 2015.[citation needed]
Jack Bond's documentary on Ant,The Blueblack Hussar, covering his life and performances from late 2010 to mid 2011, was released on DVD in July 2014 by Sunrise Pictures. Leigh Tarrant's film was released by Ant's own production company BlueBlack Hussar but has now been out of print since its initial release in late 2014 and remains a highly sought after concert release.[according to whom?] This remains Ant's last professionally filmed concert to date. Further, Tarrant's originally commissioned insider documentaryWhite Sox which captures a candid look at Ant during his Spring 2014 UK tour is currently unreleased and awaits distribution as of 2024.
Ant toured the UK in 2016 and North America in early 2017, performing hisKings of the Wild Frontier album in its entirety. Sony Records issued a deluxe box set of the album linked to the UK leg of the tour, including a gold vinyl pressing of the album (as previously announced by Ant at the 100 Club gig in 2014). After his January 24, 2017 show in Boston, Ant's guitarist and music director, Tom Edwards, suddenly died due to suspected heart failure; he was 41.[85] After cancelling shows in New York and Philadelphia, the tour continued. Later the same year, he toured the UK and announced he would return to North America with another tour, titled Anthems: The Singles[86] in the autumn, and afterwards would be taking the Kings tour to Australia and New Zealand.
Ant announced theFriend or Foe tour, which traveled North America and the United Kingdom from September to December 2019.[87][88] He performed the album in its entirety in an 18-date tour in North America before returning to the United Kingdom for 26 shows. A further North American tour originally planned for April–May 2020 was shifted back to 2021 then 2022 as result of theCOVID-19 pandemic. It was eventually scrapped due to the glut of rescheduled tours, but a 19 date Antics Tour of the UK did go ahead.
In 2023, Ant was scheduled to perform at theCruel World Festival inPasadena,California on May 20.[89] However, shortly before the festival was to take place, Ant cancelled his appearance, due to "unforeseen circumstances".[90] He played at the festival in 2024 and toured the United States later that year,[91] but a planned United Kingdom leg was postponed until late 2025 after Ant was taken ill days before the schedule started.[92]
The tone of Ant's debut solo album,Friend or Foe, 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".[93]
In a review forStrip, the songs were considered to contain a "mixture of driving, danceable rock with humour".[94]
The music onVive Le Rock has been said to be a "50s-style rock & roll sound".[95]
The fourth studio album,Manners and Physique, was said to be a combination of "contemporary dance tracks" and Ant's "old flair for mockery".[96] Ant himself later said that the album was styled after the bass heavyMinneapolis sound of whichAndré Cymone, in Ant's words, was "one of the architects".[97]
In addition to the above, seven London concert dates between October 2010 and January 2011 were promoted as theWorld Tour of London.Also, seven dates in April 1978, four in London and one each in Nottingham, Liverpool and Sheffield were advertised on a handbill as being the "Dirk Wears White Socks Tour"
Marquee Club, London, England
5–26 January 1978 (four successive Thursdays)
Ant's acting career began in 1977 when he appeared inJubilee.[98] During the 1980s and 1990s he was living in Hollywood and pursued his acting career, taking roles in films such asNomads,[99]Slam Dance,[100]Sunset Heat,[101] andLove Bites.[102] Ant also appeared on American television shows, includingThe Equalizer,[103]Sledge Hammer!,[104]Tales from the Crypt[105] andNorthern Exposure[106] in which he played a rock musician.
Ant has also worked in theatre: he starred inJoe Orton'sEntertaining Mr. Sloane and appeared inFuneral Games.[4]: 257, 326 He produced the musicalBe Bop A Lula about rock 'n' roll singersGene Vincent andEddie Cochran's days on tour in England, with a set designed by L.A. artistMichael Pearce.[107]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Jubilee | Kid | Film | [98] |
| 1982 | The Cannon and Ball Show | Himself | TV series 4, episode 4 | [108] |
| 1983 | Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever | Himself | TV special | [109] |
| 1985 | The Equalizer | DeGraumont | Episode: "The Lock Box" | [103] |
| 1986 | Honda advert withGrace Jones | Advert | ||
| 1986 | Nomads | Number One | Film | [99] |
| 1987 | Amazing Stories | Ted Hellenbeck | Episode: "Such Interesting Neighbors" | [110] |
| 1987 | Slam Dance | Jim Campbell | Film | [100] |
| 1987 | Sledge Hammer! | Lionel Dasham | TV series 2, episode 12 "Icebreaker" | [104] |
| 1987 | Cold Steel | Mick Duran | Film | [111] |
| 1988 | World Gone Wild | Derek Abernathy | Film | [112] |
| 1988 | Out of Time | Richard Marcus | Film | [113] |
| 1989 | Trust Me | James Callendar | Film | [114] |
| 1992 | Sunset Heat | Danny Rollins | Film; also known asMidnight Heat | [101] |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Pipkin | Episode: "Maniac at Large" | [105] |
| 1992 | Spellcaster | Diablo | Film | [115] |
| 1992 | Northern Exposure | Brad Bonner | Episode: "Heroes" | [106] |
| 1993 | Love Bites | Zachary Simms | Film | [102] |
| 1993 | Acting on Impulse | Eric Boggs | Film | [116] |
| 1995 | Drop Dead Rock | Dave Donovan | Film | [117] |
| 1995 | Desert Winds | Crazy Venezuelan | Film | [118] |
| 1995 | Cyber Bandits | Manny | Film | [119] |
| 1995 | Batman: The Animated Series | Bert | Voice, episode: "The Lion and the Unicorn" | [120] |
| 1996 | Lover's Knot | Marvell | Film | [121] |
| 1996 | Face Down | Derek Fry | Film for TV | [122] |
| 1997 | Junk | Film: short British | ||
| 1997 | Never Mind The Buzzcocks | Himself | TV series 1, episode 8 | [123] |
| 1999 | La Femme Nikita | Simon Crachek | Episode: "Threshold of Pain" | [124] |
| 1999 | The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries | Sir Charge-A-Lot | Voice, episode: "Whatever Happened to Shorty Twang?" | [125] |
| 1999 | Sweetwater | Todd Badham | Television film | [126] |
| 2003 | The Madness of Prince Charming | Himself | TV documentary, Channel 4 | [7] |
| 2013 | The Blueblack Hussar | Himself | Documentary on Ant's return to music in 2010–2011, directed byJack Bond | [127] |
| 2014 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Himself | TV series 28, episode 5 | [128] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Entertaining Mr. Sloane | Sloane | [4]:257 | |
| 1992 | Be Bop a Lula | none | Ant was Theatrical Producer | [107] |
| 1993 | West | Ant rehearsed the play but did not appear on stage due to a recurring knee injury. | [4]:292 | |
| 1996 | Funeral Games | Caulfield | [4]: 326 |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Adam and the Ants | Grammy Awards:Best New Artist[129] | Nominated |
| Kings of the Wild Frontier | BRIT Awards: Best British Album[130] | Won | |
| "Stand and Deliver" | Ivor Novello Awards: Songwriters of the Year[131]
| Won | |
| 2008 | Adam Ant | Q Awards: Q Icon[133] | Won |
Ant married Carol Mills in 1975 — when they were both still students at Hornsey College of Art[4]:92 — and they divorced in 1977. He datedAmanda Donohoe between 1977 and 1981,Jamie Lee Curtis in 1983 andHeather Graham in the early 1990s.[30] He featured a song aboutVanity ofVanity 6, the female vocal group associated withPrince, on theStrip album. In 1997, Ant married Lorraine Gibson, a 25-year-oldPR assistant forVivienne Westwood. The ceremony took place inDayton, Tennessee. They divided their time between Dayton and London, and on April 10, 1998, the couple had a daughter, Lily Caitlin Goddard. The couple divorced four years later, by 2002.[134]
Ant, who does not own a television, enjoys reading, particularly historical novels. He has tattoos depictingLord Nelson's last prayer before theBattle of Trafalgar, an image of his grandfather and a quotation fromOscar Wilde: "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."[135]
Ant has spoken candidly about his mental health issues and experiences with the effects of the illness.[7][9] In 1975, when he was living with his first wife at her parents' home inMuswell Hill, he suffered from depression and became dangerously underweight. "I just didn't eat," he has said of this period, "I wasn't attempting to slim, I was attempting to kill myself." He took an overdose of pills and, after having his stomach pumped, was sent to Colney Hatch psychiatric hospital in North London; he was diagnosed as havingbipolar disorder and discharged after three months.[12] "I was totally fucked-up in the head. Things went wrong and something snapped. I just became a vegetable for three months. I couldn't talk to people. I was very ill and that was part of the reason I left college."[32]
In 2002 Ant was poised to join the 1980s-focusedHere & Now tour, but was unable to do so when he was arrested and charged, after throwing acar alternator through a window at the Prince of Wales pub inCamden and then threatening patrons with astarting pistol.[4]: 312–315 Ant's court trial was held later that year at theOld Bailey in London. The charges against him, which includedcriminal damage and threatening members of the public, were reduced to a single count of causingaffray, to which he pleaded guilty. He was fined £500 and placed under a 12-monthCommunity Rehabilitation Order for psychiatric care, with asuspended sentence.[136][137] In June 2003, it was reported that Ant had been arrested again on suspicion of criminal damage, before it was decided that he should be hospitalised for treatment.[4]: 319 [138][139]
On 18 May 2010, Ant was returned to psychiatric hospital, where he remained until mid-June, subsequently returning home under outpatient supervision. In his 31 December 2010 interview forThe Sun, Ant discussed theside effects of medication for his bipolar condition: "In the past I've been a robot. It's been an out-of-body experience. Bipolar means up and down and that's me... Music has always been the best medication. I was onsodium valproate for seven years.... I couldn't get to sleep and I didn't make love for seven years. My hair fell out and I couldn't pick up a book as I couldn't concentrate. I didn't write a song or pick up a guitar in that time – and piled on the weight. I might as well have been dead. I work very closely with myGP and any decisions I make are made with him".[78][140] During an interview withBBC Radio 6 Music, he declared that "mental health needs a great deal of attention. It's the final taboo and it needs to be faced and dealt with."[9] Ant is involved in theBlack Dog campaign, which promotes better understanding of mental illness.[135]
