Information AboutAdam 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! {Link without Title} . CAREER Early Career Ant's early career was as part of the 's 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. Adam and the Ants See Also: Adam & the Ants In 1979, having released the album '' Dirk Wears White Sox '' and gained an enthusiastic fanbase, Ant recruited former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren , whose main influence was to persuade the three other band members to leave and join his other band Bow Wow Wow . In early 1980 Adam Ant recruited old friend Marco Pirroni to reform the lineup, sound and image of the band, now featuring two drummers and pirate dress. This new look was used to market the album '' Kings Of The Wild Frontier '', and several singles charted. The band's popularity grew, and the follow-up album Prince Charming was highly successful, with three United Kingdom top-ten singles (two reaching #1). The Ants split up in late 1981. Newspaper articles of the time offered various explanations for the motivations behind the split. Initially Adam was quoted as saying that the split was amicable but later he was to say that "the interest just wasn't there anymore. It might have been Adam and the Ants on the billboards but not on stage". In addition, it is said that Marco Pirroni quit as he was tired of touring. Solo Career After the split, Ant went solo, taking his songwriting partner Pirroni with him. His greatest chart success was 1982 's ''Friend or Foe'' album, which included the hit single "Goody Two Shoes" which made it to Number 1 in the UK. Other early-80s hits were "Desperate But Not Serious" and "Hello, I Love You". Later in the 1980s, Ant worked with Phil Collins (on the ''Strip'' album) and veteran Tony Visconti (''Vive Le Rock''), achieving varying degrees of chart success. Interestingly, the video of the song "Strip" was banned by the BBC. One cannot help wondering whether Adam was hoping to have a repeat of the success enjoyed by Frankie Goes to Hollywood after their "Relax" and "Two Tribes" videos were also similarly banned by the BBC, no doubt helping both singles along to becoming roaring chart hits. In 1985, he 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 spent three months in England on stage starring in Joe Orton 's '' Entertaining Mr. Sloane ''. He also appeared on American television shows, notably The Equalizer and began taking roles in films such as ''Nomads'' and ''Slamdance''. 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'', 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 retained longtime guitarist Pirroni) played in smaller venues than they had played in the 1980s, the houses were often packed with enthusiastic fans. The tour was curtailed, however, when Ant and Pirroni both contracted a respiratory illness. A new generation of Ant-influenced artists covered Adam and the Ants' hits during the 90s, including Elastica , Sugar Ray , Nine Inch Nails , Superchunk and Robbie Williams . ''Antbox'', a retrospective box set spanning Ant's career from the late (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 :See also Adam & The Ants Albums
Singles and other releases
Remastered CDs - released 2004 and 2005
Videos
Compilations
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