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adam & the ants
When London art-school escapee Adam (Stuart Goddard) turned up with the Ants
on the awful Jubilee movie
soundtrack in 1978, you'd never have guessed he'd amount to anything. Like much
of the record, his two cuts were very ordinary punk. Nor was the ambitious Dirk
Wears White Socks all that encouraging, despite the considerable effort
Adam obviously expended on it. The self-produced LP's word-heavy tunes examine
sexual excess (Cleopatra), bizarre visions (Day I Met God),
alienation (Digital Tenderness) and the like.
The band started off in early 1977, one of a dozen bands trying to keep up
in the wake of The Sex Pistols. What turned them
into a top-of-the-bill band was the bondage routines - the sadomasochist set
pieces between Adam and the band's manager Jordan, a punk ex-crony of Malcolm
McLaren's and with just as much attitude. Although the music was nothing
exceptional, the stage act kept the crowd away from the bar and landed Adam
(and Jordan) parts in Derek Jarman's film, Jubilee.
In it, he played 'Kid', who sang a couple of songs, pouted a bit and eventually
got killed - all good promotion for the first LP, Dirk Wears White Socks,
released in 1979.
Adam's old Ants subsequently left for the employ of Malcolm
McLaren, transmuting into Bow Wow Wow. In their
place, Adam teamed up with guitarist Marco Pirroni (who proved to be a
significant collaborator) and recruited drummer/producer Chris Hughes (aka
Merrick). Undeterred, Adam recruited a new band, found himself a new image
(appearing in a bizarre mix of pirate costume and Red Indian makeup) and now
fronted a drum-heavy pop band, inspired by the African drummers of Burundi.
A re-recorded single of Car Trouble got Adam's new era off the ground
in the mid-80's. Adam found his groove with Kings of the Wild Frontier.
Goodbye heaviness and failure, hello hit parade. Adam and his merry crew
bounced through a delightful program of modern bubblegum. Dog Eat Dog
used the pseudo-tribal drums Adam picked up from McLaren, while Antmusic
shamelessly self-promoted (as did many of Adam's early lyrics) to the
accompaniment of an irresistible stop-start melody.
Prince Charming was a letdown, Stand and Deliver offered more
percussive entertainment (a la Dog Eat Dog) and the title track was
florid melodrama, but much of the LP seemed forced, ill-tempered and silly.
Adam hit rock bottom on Ant Rap, an embarrassing stab at rap filled with
braggadocio.
'Antmania' was briefly newsworthy and, with the help of flamboyant
promotional videos, sold a lot of records, especially in the UK. Between 1980
and 1982 Adam released eight singles - all hits in Britain, including three
that reached the Number 1 spot.
After dumping all the Ants except for Marco, Adam went solo and came up with
Friend or Foe, an LP with plenty of energy and variety. Adam and Marco
tried a little of everything; soul, rockabilly, his usual weightless pop, all
with convincingly joyful results. Highlights included Goody Two Shoes
and The Doors' Hello, I Love You. Following that
triumph, it was time for another bad album, and Strip was pathetic.
Adam's attempt to grow up was recorded at ABBA's
state-of-the-art studio in Stockholm and featured two tracks produced by Phil
Collins! By taking a less sensational approach, Adam exposed the weakness
of his melodies and the inherent silliness of his sleazoid attitudes.
Adam pulled in his horns and, with the production suss of Tony Visconti,
made a big-league pop album even a mother could endure. Vive le Rock's
spirited title track is a perfect send-up of ELO's Dave
Edmunds phase; Rip Down likewise recalls Marc
Bolan. The songs (Razor Keen, Miss Thing) proffered
Bolanesque lyrics but suffered from characterless backing. Apollo 9, a
wonderfully gimmicky single (also included in an acapella version), proved that
the old boy still had it, whatever it may have been. Yabba yabba ding ding,
indeed!
Monsieur Ant spent a few years concentrating his energies on an acting
career. His best role was in 1987's stylish Slamdance, but he also
appeared in Trust Me (1989) and Nomads (1986) as well as on
television and in the theatre. In the meantime, his British label issued Hits,
a compilation of his biggest singles.
In 1990, Adam resurfaced in Los Angeles with the confident and entertaining Manners
& Physique, diving into electronic dance music without drowning in
synthesized rubbish. Marco contributed to the song writing (as did ex-Dexys
Midnight Runners leader Kevin Rowland, surprisingly enough) and played
guitar. But the thrill had really gone by now, and it all went quiet until
early 1995 when Adam brought his sexpot looks and downright dirty voice back
with Wonderful, aiming to warm another generation of underwear.
In 2002 he was arrested when he returned to a North London pub brawl dressed
as a cowboy and threatening to use the pistol he was carrying. he was placed
under 12-month community rehabilitation and entered a psychiatric hospital. In
2003 he was nabbed on suspicion of criminal damage for chucking rocks through a
neighbour's window.
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Stuart "Adam" Goddard
Vocals
Marco Pirroni
Guitar
Andy Warren
Bass
Lester Square
Guitar
Paul Flanagan
Drums
Mark Gaumont
Guitar
Matthew Ashman
Guitar
Dave Barbarossa
Drums
Leigh Gorman
Bass
Terry Lee Miall
Drums
Chris 'Merrick' Hughes
Drums
Kevin Mooney
Bass
Gary Tibbs
Bass
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