1981: The Year of Adam & The Ants ("Kings Of The Wild Frontier") | New British Canon

[@TrashTheory]

Every now and then I get people asking for a playlist of every song mentioned in my videos: Well here's a Spotify link for this one: open.spotify.com/playlist/6ohSl4NkT5PBMrjqmcpkl8?si=7885192d9ca64a22 and the KZbin Music one: music.kzbin.info/aero/PLooaZ33lSalf0pq-FjONUrI4-a1gQgvbK&si=WvFSNb6fCJCde-MW

[@goredongoredon]

Thanks, I was going to research some of those tracks on my own so you saved me a bunch of time.

[@riseofthethorax]

talking heads.. and I really love that you covered this, I always felt like adam ant was a gimmick band, but seeing a lot more thinking went into it, makes me feel like it wasnt so much a fossil but that I hadnt been as much aware

[@riseofthethorax]

Something to note, he passed himself as androgynous, which was confusing cause his girls in his videos were friggin hot..

[@riseofthethorax]

hey if you look at madonnas lucky star, she stole a lot of her look from adam ant..

[@riseofthethorax]

her dance is obviously adam ant like

[@markpalmer9844]

Kings of the Wild Frontier is one of the most remarkable things ever committed to tape. It’s just bewildering and majestic.

[@blackpopepaul]

An absolute masterpiece

[@wecandothiswarriors]

Yes ❤️

[@TheSilverDubberII]

A call to arms.

[@dfsilversurfer]

you can really start to hear their sound maturing that would be uniquely attributed to them.

[@Nick-ov8sm]

My fav track!! 👌

[@montybrewster7]

Adam ant was my bowie. I was too young for bowie at the time (10) but adam ant was everything i thought a popstar should be. He looked cool, his bands songs were high energy & memorable & the girls loved him. Personally i still think all those singles are awesome. A great band from a muched loved era of music. Cheers TT, another awesome video.

[@kalaalefaio5108]

I just listened to Kings of the Wild Frontier end to end a few days ago

[@joaomarcelo742]

me too ​@@kalaalefaio5108

[@CatchersCatch]

I remember bowie saying about adam ant "He's an ant" then laughing.

[@montybrewster7]

@@CatchersCatch And he was a spider. Albeit one from mars haa haa.

[@ktm4rt1n]

Bowie had gone on to being the thin white duke, Adam Ant was the revolutionary. That is what my 13 year old mind latched on to; anything disruptive and unruly was all that.

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

One of my strongest memories from my childhood was from when I was around 8 years old in Catholic school. I happened to be in the bathroom when there was an older girl with two angry teachers flanking her at the sink. She was cleaning off the infamous white 'warrior stripe' across her face, as they chided her for coming to school that way. I remember her saying in defiance that she was doing it for Adam Ant (who was recently gaining popularity here in the States at the time -- 1981 -- but still a bit subversive and not that mainstream yet), as she wiped away the paint in frustration and full snarky rebellion. I thought she was the coolest girl EVER in that moment! 😍

[@markgreet3543]

Hi, they made fun of me and the teacher at school for saying i like adam ant, seems in retrospect the joke was on them, this was 1985 when i was 11, adam was not so famous during that period, but true fans are allways fans.

[@sandgrownun66]

Your school had a bath in it?

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

@@sandgrownun66 Nope.

[@sandgrownun66]

@@NicoleM_radiantbaby Why was it called a bathroom then?

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

@@sandgrownun66 Because American English.

[@tlcrf80mins73]

I was 14 in 1979. Bought Dirk Wears White Sox with my own money and went all-in. I joined a band - because of Adam Ant. Ditched university and went to Art College because of Adam Ant. His influence on me has been massive. An absolute warrior. Got tickets for his tour later this year (seen him dozens of times) - the 14 year old me would be proud that we made it this far. Great summary of his - and Marco's - career. Cheers.

[@wecandothiswarriors]

I used to paint my then boyfriends face like Adams, I was so obsessed. I was 14

[@maryhaddock9145]

True fan!

[@Agatesforbrains]

I was 12 two years later I bought kings. First LP I ever spent coin on.

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

I was 14 and travelling through Britain with my family when 'Stand and Deliver' was at the top of the charts. I'd never heard of Adam and the Ants, and when I came back home I excitedly told my friends about him, but they all just sorta stared at me blankly. I was happy when he finally got some love here in Canada and in the US with 'Goody Two Shoes'. But I tell you, that first glimpse of him on Top of the Pops...I was absolutely smitten. He was the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes upon. Such talent, drive, showmanship and beauty in one man!!

[@Lola-AreaCode212]

I had posters of him on my walls and even my mom was smitten. I remember her saying "Oh my god, he's almost TOO beautiful!" Haha, yes, he was. 😊

[@stormstereo]

In 1981, my walls were covered in Ants posters, feathers and various patches, buttons and pins. The records and cassettes played so frequently, driving my parents nuts. GOOD TIMES! They've been such an important soundtrack to my life. Even bought a new Warrior Ant logo t-shirt a couple of years ago. :D

[@wecandothiswarriors]

Oh the nostalgia. I adored him

[@yeetkunedo]

Hell yeah. _Desperate But Not Serious_ is one of my favorite songs, ever. Glad to see someone giving Adam Ant his due. Also, his name is a split of the word “adamant,” which feeds right into the “survivor” motif as the perfect double entendre.

[@shafiqjan1474]

I agree on the favorite but never put the words together before. Thanks for the ❤

[@antipatsy]

There was a British TV show called Adam Adamant. I've often wondered if it influenced his name choice. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Adamant_Lives!

[@shafiqjan1474]

@@antipatsy could be, never got it in NYC

[@frederickleo2386]

My fave too!! It reminds me of Blondie's ATOMIC. Brilliant song.

[@andrewrobertson444]

It's also a split of the name Adamant, a famous brand of urinals in the UK.

[@BitzboxTV]

I love that they had two drummers and created such an epic drum sound with them.

[@discordia013]

So many fantastic underated bands with two drummers. Genesis, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Big Pig, Grateful Dead, and so many were arguably alternative like Combichrist & Foo Fighters. I reckon most people wouldn't have realised Adam & Ant had two, but that sound. You cant mistake it when you hear it live.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@discordia013 Simple Minds used two drummers on their proto-rave classic "New Gold Dream". Even the Fall used two drummers sometimes. They sound awesome on the song "God-box".

[@djinnxx7050]

It's a shame that the recording makes them sound a bit weak. Perhaps I'm just spoiled though since I'm more into hardcore and the heavier metal genres where everything is kinda in your face, drums especially, and some would argue they're overdone in the mix. Those people are wrong of course, but they can certainly argue. I imagine the drums for Adam and the Ants have solid raw power when heard live, and it's just dialled back for commercial purposes. It reminds me of Royal Blood, they sounded weirdly thin on record but then you heared them live and it was an impressively thick noise for a two-piece.

[@Tetsuito]

@@discordia013 How is Genesis underrated? 🤣

[@pipthekidd]

Had the pleasure of meeting Jordan a few times a year or so before she passed. Last time we spoke we had a great chat about the nature of creativity. Huge fan of Adam Ant, first album doesn’t get the love it deserves

[@Stepherner]

being a 16yr old kid in a small town in germany i loved him instantly. yrs later, i rediscovered his complete work again and realised that he was the spark igniting my rebellion against narrow minded people. he was a seed of tolerating things besides a "normal" standard. therefore, i will bear him in my heart forever.

[@gregsmith7949]

Adam Ant is SOOO underrated. "Desperate But Not Serious" is one of my favorite songs to this day. The video is top notch.

[@CatchersCatch]

he was dreadfully overrated - he was a flaky bandit in a swampy sandpit and didn't last because his ideas were backwards when everything was moving forwards.

[@jamesjennings-yd2bc]

As amount teenager I was introduced to KotWF and was absolutely hooked. Bored my poor mum to tears reading everything about the band and then one Christmas morning I got the Dirk Wears White Sox album off of my mum. Bearing in mind we had little money, this was huge. That was 1981, I still have that album, but unfortunately not my mother.

[@sardonic_irony]

As an American kid living in England due to my father being in the military, Adam Ant being on the telly in the afternoon on BBC1 after school watching whatever they decided to show (and also with random music videos on Multi-Colored Swap Shop), I can say, "Stand and Deliver" was absolutely a transformative video for music being presented as art along side anything shown as popular shows at the time. I was enthralled. I've been a fan ever since, and I loved being at his show a few years ago in Dallas watching him do what he's always done. Definitely a highlight watching a childhood icon performing on stage to an enthralled crowd. A showman to be envied.

[@ladariusmcdonald]

When I was a kid, my first exposure to Adam Ant was not his music, but as an actor. I remember his guest appearance on a really weird episode of Tales from the Crypt in which Blythe Danner plays a paranoid librarian. I didn't hear his music until I was in middle school when illegal music downloading reign supreme in the 2000s. A truly underrated artist.

[@michaelg5005]

Kings of the Wild Frontier is a nearly perfect album. Still listen to it regularly.

[@namur1962]

You are so right, every song is great especially Killer in the home.

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@namur1962 "Jolly Roger" could definitely have been omitted without it hurting the album one little bit!

[@nathane6368]

I always look forward to a new Trash Theory, especially New British Canon. Top notch stuff, every time.

[@williestyle35]

Yep. Well researched and with good interesting back history.

[@jonkomatsu8192]

And don't forget Adam's '95 single "Wonderful." What a sweet single! Sort of his last, and very sublimely understated, hurrah. A great and timeless artist. Great job, sir! Thanks! 🎶🎸🤙

[@lainiwakura1776]

Everclear had a song by the same name and that's all I can think of lol

[@TheGodParticle]

Yeah I think that was one of his best songs. Cheers

[@ericmarcoullier]

Born in 1973 and Dirk was the very first album I ever bought with my own money. It was in the cutout bin at a record store and I had zero idea that it would be so different than the Goody Two Shoes I was watching on MTV at the time. I truly think this is what started me down the indie music path.

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

Thanks for putting the Ant phenomenon in perspective. I was a young lad in the '80's and fell for their music heavily. You could swing from Depeche Mode to Roxy Music, from New Order to Adam and the Ants in a glorious orgy of great music. You could sit quietly in a corner too, listening to OMD or Big Country or the Pet Shop Boys as the '80's massaged your soul.

[@KeiPalace]

Love Love Adam Ant, so proud of where he's gone, and how he's surrvived, after I saw my uni instructor make some art with Adam as a character in a series of 80s pop icons, I found out he was Adam's roommate around this time, :D

[@brianoneil9662]

I saw Adam Ant in 1983 with INXS opening. Adam was absolute riveting. A master showman and brilliant front man.

[@williamrae9954]

I saw INXS with Sinead O'connor opening in 1986...amazing the progression

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@williamrae9954 Funnily enough, Sinead O'Connor worked with Marco Pirroni.

[@kittycat6195]

Haha. I just got done writing the same thing!!!! INXS was the real treat we did not know at the time!!!! I was about 15 feet from the stage. What a treat, after seeing the stadiums they filled in the years later.❤

[@bookaufman9643]

I was as big and Adam and the ants fan as could be for a kid in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. I think a lot of people forget that MTV didn't have a lot of videos when they first started and bands that had made videos got a lot of AirPlay even if the music wasn't necessarily what was considered popular music. Adam and the ants were played every day for a couple years. Not always the same video or even from the same record but they did have pretty elaborate videos in a time where people didn't do that much. Nowadays I kind of find that it's a little goofy but then I remember how I would sing those songs for hours a day. I saw him on his first American solo tour with Wang Chung opening and it was an amazing show. Wang Chung was actually good too and I never liked that band.

[@culleysmith]

Thanks for this! I was born in 1975 and the very first music purchase I made with my own money was a 45 of "Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant. That marked the beginning of my journey into exploring music/collecting music for myself. His records will always hold a special place for that reason. Love your content. I'm not sure I can adequately convey how grateful I am that you put this together. Cheers.

[@saskhiker3935]

Me too!!

[@DaveSCameron]

Antmusic 45rpm here 😂🥁

[@figglebop]

The tape Friend or Foe (with Goody Two Shoes on it) was my first music purchase! I had to borrow a little money from my big bro to buy it though. I clicked on this video immediately when I saw the words Adam & the Ants

[@ant-trouble]

Thank you so much for doing this! We are an Adam and the Ants tribute band based in the UK and have been DYING for you to do something on Adam, and boy did you deliver! Long time followers of the channel and was over the moon that you finally came to do the Ants. Hopefully your awesome video will help tune some new ears into pure unadulterated ANTMUSIC!

[@marcusbagshaw6511]

Can you share your band name? I appreciate you didn’t want to just use this video as a platform for PR but as a lifelong ant fan I have not heard of any tribute bands

[@tankinam]

​@@marcusbagshaw6511Ant Trouble .

[@marcusbagshaw6511]

Thank you. I am based in Japan now but will see if I can track down any recordings of your band.

[@ant-trouble]

@@marcusbagshaw6511 There are some live videos on this page and hopefully we’ll be putting out a live CD soon, but we’re just here for the ant love anyway!

[@danpreston564]

Ant was my first ever live gig in 1982, when it was just Adam Ant, no other Ants, although Marco was still there. I enjoyed punk as a little kid, but I think the Ants were the first band whose music I truly got into. I still love many songs on the Kings album to this day. Ants invasion, Killer in the Home and the singles are all straight up bangers.

[@68Warpigs]

Really enjoyed this one, I was a bonkers ant fan in 1981 in my first year at high school. I turned up to the school disco in full Adam dress that my Mum helped me make including the hussars jacket, biker boots, feathers, war paint the lot. Absolutely stole the show with the dance moves, it worked just as it worked for Adam, I got it.

[@user-tp6fo7im3d]

Adam And The Ants in 1981 wasn't a band, it was a movement.

[@wecandothiswarriors]

I miss those days

[@melgrant7404]

Agree.

[@georgebailey8179]

Indeed. Throw your safety overboard and join our insect nation.

[@namur1962]

I'm 62 and was a huge Adam and the Ants fan. Even went to see them in Amsterdam in 1981. I must have played their album, frontier, a thousand times that year. A great time it was.

[@solitarianihilista1454]

Who else used to drive their teachers nuts by tapping out the drum intro from Antmusic with pencils on the edge of their desk? Phew, punk rock, eh?

[@Stepherner]

BIG grin here!

[@CollapsingRealities]

13:13 "Is there really anyone who'd like to be in Joy Division?" 😆

[@littleblackpistol]

Thing is .. YES THERE IS. I know a lot of men who would sacrifice a bloody limb for it!

[@shockashocka]

Pete Burns and Dead or Alive. Punk to Pop perfection. His flowers are overdue. Total icon.

[@wtorules4743]

Brilliant video. I was a 13 yo wannabe drummer when Ant Music came out. It’s difficult to express how hypnotised I was by that drum intro song and video. It was sensational. It got me started and I never really stopped. Some of the many former punk bands like XTC, The Jam, The Stranglers etc were brilliant. But, I thought The Clash reinvented themselves well without changing too much. Top bands.

[@DokkaChapman]

Saw him perform live a couple of years ago, and by Zod he still had it! I was doing music journo stuff at the time, and I had to sign a contract that allowed him exclusive rights to one of my images (of his choice) that he could potentially use on merch. He's the only act I remember covering that allowed me to use a flash gun on my camera kit (though in the end I didn't need it). He had an amazing presence on stage, playing a massive piece of his back catalogue (even the rare demo 'rubber people', which is a personal favourite). I couldn't believe it was the same guy I'd read about all the way back in 2002. He'd obviously gotten the help he needed and was able to keep going with gusto!

[@MisAnnThorpe]

"Rubber people" is a a great track; along with "Boil in the bag man"!

[@LividImp]

As an old school punk I took so much shit for loving the Ants. Which is ironic, because a big part of the punk ethos is breaking molds and doing the thing you love even when it is at its most unfashionable. And while yes, the whole MTV _look_ was fashionable, there was no one making music that sounded like that. I loved the Burundi beats mixed with the hard guitars. There is still no band that sounds like the Ants, and I still throw on an album once in a while (especially the earlier stuff). I think the time is ripe for the Ants to get a renaissance with the new generations. Maybe this mini-doc will usher that in.

[@cleancut1799]

Punks in uniform spittin' " sell out!", but forgetting what punk was at the beginning. Adam Ant, a true punkröcker

[@LividImp]

@@cleancut1799 To be fair, none of my punk friends wore any kind of punk uniform. They approached it intellectually, they just got too puritanical about it.

[@djinnxx7050]

There is probably a band out there that sounds similar or carries a similar vibe, or some inspiration at the very least. Gotta go down the rabbit hole for it I imagine, listen to Adam and the Ants on youtube and then see what comes up in the recommends that you've not heard before, it'll offer something interesting eventually. Just keep following it, get the algorithm working. Maybe Springtime's "Will To Power" offers a similar feel in terms of its powerful drums and guitar.

[@cleancut1799]

@@LividImp some of my punkmates were : spikes, or mohawk,paraboots and safety pins... And they hated Adam and the ants for being sell out. France, 1980

[@LividImp]

@@cleancut1799 Ah. I'm from Los Angeles, so most of us leaned more on the hardcore scene. Practical clothing from thrift stores was the norm. Big mohawks/spikes and the like were considered self-indulgent and ostentatious by a lot of us. We saw those guys as no different than attention seeking glam metal peacocks. There were a lot of guys you would have no idea they were into punk until you ran into them at a show. Of the people I hung out with, I was one of the few that had a patch jacket and spiked hair (although, practically spiked like Tomata du Plenty's).

[@KC-gy5xw]

At school a lad kept telling me and my mate to come and see his brother's friends at a pub (we were old enough to get in with his brother's help). When we asked the name of the band, he told us it was Adam and the Ants. We looked at each other and gave him a great big slap for asking us to see some band with that name How dumb were we?

[@djinnxx7050]

Considering that you, according to your own story, beat up a kid for inviting you to see a band, I'd say incredibly. Apart from that, meh, the band name didn't catch your attention which is fair. It's hardly Tropical Fuck Storm, is it. You hear of a band with that name, you're kinda compelled to find out what it sounds like. But Adam and the Ants, not the most compelling band name, it isn't silly or out there, it just sounds generic. You missed out, certainly, but you can't be blamed when the band has such a lacklustre name and it's all you had to go on.

[@jefferycorley8006]

I saw Goody Two Shoes on a VH1 “whatever happened to?” Countdown back in 1992. I was totally transfixed by it, the guy had such charisma and style you couldn’t help but think, “damn I wanna be cool like that!”

[@kneillx1523]

One of your finest videos thank you! KOTWF is top 3 albums of all time for me. i bought it in about 1983 when i was 7 years old and its still as amazing today as it was then. I played bass with Killing joke from 2006 onwards and i know Geordie (RIP) from KJ loved it as much as i did!

[@MisAnnThorpe]

Interesting! I see many similarities between Killing Joke and the early Adam and the ants.

[@kneillx1523]

@@MisAnnThorpe Thanks for the reply! Have a listen to the Killing joke songs 'Exit' and 'The hum' and you will hear the similarity for sure!

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@kneillx1523 I don't suppose you'd happen to know Jeremy "Jaz" Coleman's opinion of KotWF?! What was he like?

[@johnhudson9167]

I used to know a girl that lived in Adam Ants old flat in London. There was the most amazing fitted wardrobe in her/his old bedroom that was lined with crushed purple velvet.

[@properjob2311]

What a wonderful time for British music. Adam and the Ants were so great.

[@marshalsea000]

As everyone is saying Adam Ant is now hugely under-rated and from someone who took the UK by storm to the influences throughout modern music. Would love a reunion of him and Marco, even if it's not a tour but an EP or album. The whole Friend or Foe album is end to end greatness. How many people can get the word Shreddies in a song? Genuine genius. Ending with their Morricone influences writ large on "A Man Called Marco"...

[@kentune38]

Totally! Such a good album. Every rebel that I've met / Says they're going to die & yet / Seen them around and they ain't dead yet. So true ...

[@ronbo11]

I'm glad you mentioned Diana Dors in "Prince Charming", but having Caroline Munro in "Goody Two Shoes" could have been another good call-out to make. Munro stole my heart in "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" and she looked so amazing in Adam's video, especially when she goes wild and ditches her reporter's glasses. He definitely made great pop music and music videos! Being American, that was my first exposure to Antmusic, but I did go back and get earlier albums with "Kings of the Wild Frontier" displacing "Friend or Foe" as my favorite.

[@opietwoep1247]

His music is still fresh as the day i first heard it back in 82

[@marSLaZZ66]

Nearly 45 years later, "Kings of the Wild Frontier" give me always the same goosebumps !! The best album of 1980 imo.

[@wecandothiswarriors]

Wow I feel old . Best days in my opinion though ❤️

[@tunejunky]

i was just about the only guy playing Adam & the Ants in L.A. in early '80 having just returned from London. London was still grim but i went there to go to concerts, where i saw Adam & the Ants. at the time i was New Romantic af. great documentary

[@BontempiLoveOrgan]

I honestly look forward to a Trash Theory. My favourite channel on KZbin.

[@RolandoRatas]

People who weren't alive in the 80s wouldn't know how big Adam and the Ants were in that time. I always thought they were just a flashy New Romantics pop band but a year ago or so I saw Dom old footage of Adam Ant performing live on stage and he was sublime.

[@mauricerevelle8451]

The influence they had on kids at the time can’t be overlooked, a lot took up playing the drums after hearing them. Taught them different rhythms from the basic . The videos also complimented the song , using the complete art form and changing things around from one to the next kept it fresh. Great times to have grown in. It was much better.

[@davidnelson7786]

Got hooked on the Ants in ‘81. Loved the music. The kids struggled to believe i was into punk/glam rock. Then they heard Kings of the wild frontier. The 80’s. when great music was every where.

[@thevoid99]

i grew up on adam ant as a kid in the 80s but by the time i was in my teens. he was forgotten until i bought NIN's "broken" ep that had a cover of "physical (you're so)" as i was shocked that my new favorite band at that time (still my favorite band) covered a song by that guy who did "goody two shoes" as i realized there was so much more than that about him. i love him more than ever as i'm now in my 40s.

[@Pobafett]

This is how I got into Adam Ant too. Hearing these early 80s bands through Trent Reznor’s covers. He also opened me up to Gary Numan and let me love his music too.

[@thevoid99]

@@Pobafett that's what i loved about NIN. it was a gateway to other kinds of music. it introduced me to bowie's late 70s period as i only knew him from his "let's dance" period when i was 2 years old. i didn't know he was ziggy stardust. i didn't know about the velvets or iggy pop prior to NIN. that's why i'm so grateful to trent for opening up to so much great music during that time between albums.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@thevoid99 Here's another obscurity: Trent and Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) covering "Warm Leatherette", a classic early electronic/industrial track that has been covered literally dozens of times over the years (including a great version by Suzie Quatro of all people).

[@TheTriumfAnt]

I was a huge fan of Adam & the Ants during the 80s and I finally got to see Adam Ant live this year. He was as good as you'd expect.

[@Bodyknowledge77]

As I just start watching this latest installment of T.T's fine edutainment I must type how I admire Adam Ant for surviving what he's gone through in his life beyond the obvious appeal he has/had in other regards.

[@effortless_choice]

Received one of Adam and the Ants albums by accident; in 1983 I was a member of one of those record clubs and forgot say “don’t send that crap!” Boy was I glad I forgot, turned out to be one of my all time favorite albums. Hell, I’m 64 now and still listen to it…loud! Then, in 1985 they had a concert in my hometown; I had to talk a buddy into going with me. With two drummers, Ant tore the house down! Best concert I’ve ever been to. 👍😎🇺🇸

[@sheydoll]

I saw him in concert in April for the 1st time ever. He was amazing ❤ I have loved him since the beginning 💋

[@jelleepit]

Some artists managed to create a brand that lends itself perfectly to an era, an age group. I was 13 when Ant Music was released and my best friend and I were into the drums. That cool drum intro with the clashing drumstick raps blew us away. It was them and the Police and that was us done. I remember the sheer excitement when a new single was released. Good times.

[@ReleaseTheQuackers]

*ADAM ANT IS AWESOME!!!* I remember seeing him on a late night music video show that I snuck into the den of my house to watch on weekends. Adam was one of my first crushes along with David Bowie and Grace Jones. I was 8 in 1980 and none of my friends (at that time) were as into music as I was and had no clue what I was talking about from the video music shows I watched. The came MTV and suddenly ALL of my friends were all about Duran Duran while I was still crushing on Adam Ant and Jon Farris of INXS. While I really liked Duran Duran, I was loyal to my first loves. I am truly hoping that soon I will be able to see Adam Ant in all his beautiful glory in person.

[@OtherMike5000]

Kings is FLAWLESS start to finish!!!

[@blackpopepaul]

It is a perfect masterpiece

[@MisAnnThorpe]

Er, "Jolly Roger"?!

[@OtherMike5000]

@MisAnnThorpe INCLUDING THE SWASHBUCKLING HIT *JOLLY ROGER!!!!*

[@13_13k]

Thank You for producing this video. As a kid growing up in Los Angeles and of the age when I graduated high school in 1983, being into music my whole young life, the punk scene had taken place and the 1980s arrived with post punk, new wave, Rodney Bingamheimer's World Famous radio station out of Pasadena, just a couple miles outside of L.A., and his underground British and American music and then MTV coming on strong into everyone's living room. Being a teenager in L.A. between 1977 and 1985 was incredible musically, culturally, and for experimenting with who you wanted people to see you as. You could be a punk, a Mod, New Glam, Goth, Rockabilly, New Romantic, etc... Adam was different. I got to see him in concert and it was a great show. But like the guitar player said in this video, they were a pop band and they have a 3 year lifespan, Adam made it 5 years barely but made a huge impression on the music world that has endured to this day.

[@djinnxx7050]

Has there ever been more positive and succinct lyrics than those of Prince Charming? I was in a real bad way awhile back and listening to random stuff, decided to listen to Adam & The Ants, I'd heard little bits here and there but never really listened, as soon as I heard the lyrics to Prince Charming i cheered up quite a bit. Ridicule really isn't something to be afraid of, it hasn't cured my anxieties or depression, but it helps a lot when I'm fighting to get myself out the door. Gotta get out there and show the world that I'm handsome, right, then I laugh at myself and it cheers me up just enough to get me going. Likely not the only one, if I ever met him I'd let him know that it truly helps gets me out the door when all I want is to hide away and forget the world exists. I may be listening to other music during that fight to leave, but his lyrics will pass through my mind and give me that nudge I need. It's the simple things that help the most.

[@markjones4457]

I was 7 when Stand and deliver burst into the charts. It changed my life. Even as a 17 year old, i was a glam rocker. Loved that pirate image Adam invented back then. Found that a bit of foundation, eye liner and pink shimmer lippy made me very popular with the girls. Time of my life!!!

[@Phule77]

Thank you, I've been waiting for years for somebody to contextualize this band.

[@getinthevantim]

This series just gets better and better. For me, New British Canon now ranks alongside such essential references as Terry Hounsome's New Rock Record and Pete Frame's Rock Family Trees for students of that ethereal skein of connection that runs throughout modern British popular music. Bravo !

[@Huly241072]

The first girl I had a crush on when I was 8 (Blanche Martin) loved Adam and the Ants and I pretended to like them so she’d think I was cool. It’s only now when I’m 51 that I realise genuinely how awesome Adam and the ants were and it’s thanks to your video 🙏

[@assistantto007]

I was born in 1967, A&TA made a huge impact on my view of the world.

[@antipatsy]

I saw Adam live a few months ago and the only thing missing was the horn section. So good!

[@SuperPhilly1234]

Live in the USA and was a senior in high school in 1983 got a Sony Walkman and my first cassette was Friend or Foe. Greatest music ever. Still remember all of it. Adam Ant deserves all accolades.

[@sambagogo777]

Superb video, thank you! Their song Antmusic is one of the greatest songs of the '80s and still sounds fresh today, in my opinion.

[@richardfowler5163]

Excellent work. I remember painting Tippex over my nose back in the day. Still got the singles upstairs.

[@tod3msn]

Adam Ant was humorous in his presentation both in videos and in concert. He had a great sense of pop music and how to perform it but like Greg Kihn they both shared a good natured humorous take on life that came out in their art.

[@kevincastellanos538]

Underrated figure in the history of punk. I would say he was the first international "pop punk" sensation.

[@greva2904]

Adam Ant blew my mind when I first saw him on TOTP. He was an absolute revelation, and single handedly got me into following music big time. So it was a big shock to me when about five minutes later, his career fizzled out and he was gone for good. But I owe him everything - all the bands I’ve liked and loved over the years, I owe it all to Adam Ant.

[@pandorski35000]

Merci d'avoir raconté cette épopée d'Adam, groupe, personnalité et musique que me fascinent toujours aujourd'hui

[@Philoceratops]

I can't be the only one who thinks that the girl he's dancing with in the music vid for "Puss 'n Boots" looks uncannily like Kate Bush...

[@ebbhead20]

Thats Karen Landau, his then gf. I dont know if she was, but she looks like one of Benny Hills ladies. He had those types around him all the time..

[@debless9572]

I genuinely thought it was her

[@philwildcroft1764]

I saw the Ants live at the peak of their fame in January 1982, because the people the tickets were intended for were snowed in somewhere in mid Wales. I was used to the cosy bonhomie of Motorhead fans, so the feral rage of a teenybop audience was quite a shock. I think it was even more of a shock to the security at the Birmingham Odeon, who were bravely enforcing the "no entry to the front stalls without a front stalls ticket" rule against massed charges down the aisles. :) The Ants were great.

[@matthewreed2614]

kings is one of my fave albums all time

[@aestroai8012]

Back in the mid 90's I was a kid going to record shops, and discovering stuff I barely knew about from MTV. One of those things was Bow Wow Wow. Into my early 20's after the internet became accessible I learned the backstory of the group, and Mr. Adam Ants. By then I was steeped in post punk, and No Wave. There's a strong contrast between the very real early punk of White Sox, and Goody 2 Shoes. I'm grateful for my teenage mix tapes, and Trash Theory for making all this history accessible.

[@kentune38]

Great documentary. Ant was simply thrilling - a splash of technicolor that has never been equaled. My personal favourite - the 'Friend or Foe' album - 'Here comes the Grump', 'Something Girls', 'Crackpot History' , 'Made of Money' - brilliant songs all.

[@captainfncreepy]

I consider myself a huge ant fan, I've been a fan since 1999, when I got my first record player and picked up 'kings' on a whim and subsequently bought every record i could find. I've seen every tour since the 2013 revival. i gotta say I was surprised to see something I didn't know about the band on here. I thought I knew it all. Good work.

[@ocelotsly5521]

My favourite punk-to-pop artists? Scritti Politti.

[@bruceandt]

What Adam managed in those few years was the perfect transition. Perfect for him in the way his music was truly independent for its very short life span. It’s sad that the wave washed over him so quickly. He had his wave. It was perfect. The bigger wave was to wash him over.. The flavour of music had changed. The door was already closed. It’s an interesting thought that his music was born from so much of the past to bring a new sound. It was! All be it a very short time.

[@rhyno754]

I spent 3 years in the UK as a kid, leaving in '82 just as Adam and the Ants ruled the airwaves. The Smash Hits center fold posters were on my wall for years after. Thank you so much for helping me understand his early music and what his influences were! I couldn't get into punk as a 10-year old. Another movie call-out - Adam was in Nomads (1986) with Pierce Brosnan. No lines, but a magnetic presence as the leader of a mysterious group on the fringes of society.

[@DejanOfRadic]

In the 90s i was a waiter in Yorkville, Toronto. I served Adam Ant a cup of boiling hot water, which is what i thought he had asked for. He chugged it quickly, and then spit it out with a British sounding screach. "That's boiling water!!!", he said. "Yes", i said.

[@duncanfairbrother5209]

I remember 1981 and it really was the year of Adam and the ants. Everyone was donning warpaint like Adam ant, with all the great music that came out - it was a great time to be a kid discovering music......

[@AB-wr8vl]

I've only recently found this channel. GREAT STUFF! Intelligent, balanced and well researched. Refreshing and entertaining given the often embarrassing drivel that is so frequently on KZbin 👍🏽

[@reneelyons6836]

I LOVE the Dandy Hi-Way Men!! 💙💙🎵🎶🎶🎶

[@johngudgeon7454]

Unashamedly enjoyed the hell out of Adam and the Ants. That percussion and drive still appeals to my pre-historic genes.

[@matts.1042]

Not surprisingly, the litany of songs they drew inspiration from catalogued in this video absolutely slap. Loved Adam & the Ants back in the day, and this video lends great insight into why.

[@hdoglesby]

You've helped me create so many eclectic Spotify playlist. While the video plays and you give snippets of musicians/artists that influenced the subject matter I'll search them and related bands. A lot of the times they are songs that I've forgotten but other times they are gems I've never heard. Thank you for helping make the soundtracks of my life

[@CraigLockley]

Had no idea about the Bow Wow Wow connection when I was into Adam in 1980. If only we’d had the internet then.

[@petermgruhn]

The interview quotes make Ant come off introspective and intelligent. I read a bio way back in the day. Came off creative and hard working. I'm impressed by the nice things he has to say about McLaren whom I've always rather looked down on. Still, nice to see Malcolm lose that fight. He done wrong and deserved it. Thanks for reminding me of "Puss 'n Boots."

[@claudiabothma]

I am so very glad I found your channel! Still listen to Adam and the Ants and just last week watched him in an old episode of Amazing Stories. I thought that I must check up what he is getting up to, but forgot. Then this pops up on my feed. My hubby and I always say adam ant instead of adamant (insistant). Really thought Stuart Goddard used that word play for his stage name. Thanks for a great doccie!

[@Sab_MJsMama]

I never purchased any of AA's music as a Gen X but boy was he my jam. I can spout off his hits off the top of my head like no other which is honestly kinda weird (I'm horrible with song titles...but his songs were super catchy and distinctly him). "Stand and Deliver", "Prince Charming", "Desperate But Not Serious", "Goody Two Shoes" MTV definitely brought him to a wider audience....he doesn't get near the kudos he deserves ;)

[@20thCB]

Marco, Merrick, Terry Lee, Gary Tibbs and Yours Tru-ly! That's been engraved in my memory for 40 years haha. Thanks Adam!

[@KRISTIANSMILJANIC]

I would honestly be very interested in an episode about catfish and the bottlemen and The Fratellis, great work as always!

[@saskhiker3935]

I had a poster of Adam Ant on my wall as a kid. I loved him.

[@Strimbles]

Well done. Glad you did this one, might even say about time! AATA were my heroes in 80-81. I was 10. I was Adam for halloween.

[@edvincent]

I saw Adam live a few months ago. He put on a great show! He played literally everything I wanted to hear including Killer in the Home and Beat My Guest. I couldn't get over how small he was though. He looks like he could wear child size clothes no problem 😂

[@IainFrame]

I bloody loved Adam and the Ants. Literally the first band that I ever got properly into. Those drums on Kings of the Wild Frontier = 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@idlehands1238]

This is a blast from the past. AATA were my first music love but I was too young to really understand any of it. We all just loved them for a year or two. I guess I was the target audience but not the ideal target wallet size. By the time Live Aid came along they were ancient history and weren't one of the bands I was desperate to watch on the day. Probably never crossed my mind again until he rocked up in a pub I walked past every day with a gun! I think he's the ideal example of the "burn fast and burn bright" principle. Glad to see he's still doing his thing and hasn't lost his vocals. NB Surprised Robbie Williams' cover of Antmusic didn't get a mention. I thought he was able to draw out what a top quality and cool song that was.

[@ronr6450]

Went to a number of concerts back in the day. None of them compared to A and the A when it came to getting the audience wound up...especially the female portion :). Two drummers, a brass section, Adam flipping the mic stand around, the HOT TUB and multiple layers of leather briefs for "Strip". Those were the days.

[@andrewhinds6560]

In 1980, Kings of the Wild frontier was well ahead of its time and still sounds brilliant today. The guitar was heavier than many heavy metal bands of the time.