music
'We met Princess Margaret and she was paralytic!' My wild life onboard the Adam and the Ants Antmania rollercoaster
With their twangy sound, madcap outfits, lusty yodelling and pirouetting pirate frontman, the band became global superstars almost overnight. But, as their guitarist Marco Pirroni recalls, the thrill ride soon hit the buffers
TL;DR
- Adam and the Ants, formed in 1980 with Marco Pirroni on guitar, aimed to bring sex, subversion, style, and humor back to pop music.
- Pirroni brought his punk background and eclectic influences to the band's sound, shaping the landmark album 'Kings of the Wild Frontier'.
- The band's unique look, combining Native American imagery with a pirate frontman, and their Burundi beat sound, led to rapid global success and influenced early MTV.
- Pirroni reflects on the band's surreal experiences, including appearances on children's TV and encounters with celebrities, contrasting with their bedroom origins.
- The band's success was short-lived due to Adam Ant's erratic personality and Pirroni's eventual disillusionment with the music industry and performance.
- Pirroni expresses his current detachment from music creation, viewing modern records as promotional tools, and admits to being scared by the profound impact his music had on fans.