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

[@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.

[@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!! 👌

[@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.

[@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.

[@Tony_Regime]

I was 14 in 1979 as well. a friend at school taped Dirk Wears White Sox for me and I wore the tape out. ironically, the friend that taped it for me looked like Malcom McClaren. I don't know if my school days were the happiest of my life, but they definitely had the best soundtrack

[@derin111]

I saw them back in 1978, supporting Xray Spex. I had only just turned 15 at the time. 🙂

[@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. 😊

[@pauliewogmastercertifiedli535]

Oh my god, I had almost exactly same experience.

[@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.

[@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

[@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? 🤣

[@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.

[@CatchersCatch]

@@s3lfl3ssn3ssFleeting success. Ant music lost its resonance very quickly. Now's he probably talking to ants in a looney bin 🙂

[@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.

[@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.

[@ADHDIYuk]

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.

[@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

[@astra-rb6sz]

Same !

[@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!

[@markkinder6275]

Me too.

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@mauhau3839]

Adam and the Ants were amazing. Adam was an incredible onstage performer. I still listen them. This Documentary was superb. Thank you so much. I really enjoyed it. Cheers !

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@Phule77]

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

[@jasminechristi5758]

Thank you for putting this together! I'm a hardcore Ant fan, especially his early work. I've seen him live 24 times and met him twice. I loved seeing all the musical references and history of influences.

[@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?

[@kneillx1523]

As crazy as ever! But also a great talent. He's very warm to the right people though, and still a good friend. ​@@MisAnnThorpe

[@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.❤

[@properjob2311]

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

[@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.

[@opietwoep1247]

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

[@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.

[@wetleyrocks3092]

Half-way through this documentary, this has got to be one of the best docs about music out there. The detail into the history is second to none. Must confess, the 1st album I ever bought/owned was... you guessed it. I felt like a God telling friends in high school!

[@BrianRoberson-k7g]

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.

[@burntumbrage6868]

Excellent retrospective-and much needed, especially in the landscape of music now. I was a young teen girl when Adam and the Ants were being played on the radio (and a bit later, MTV) and oh boy, let me tell you: I bought in big! To all of it; the music, the style and the unabashed lusting after Adam himself! 😉 The super-stardom and relevance of a pretty unique (for pop music at least) musical and esthetic vision may have been short-lived but it was pivotal in my life and forever holds a fond spot in my memory-and I do periodically listen through Kings of the Wild Frontier and Prince Charming front to back! Thanks for the welcome walk down memory lane.

[@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.

[@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.

[@BontempiLoveOrgan]

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

[@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. 👍😎🇺🇸

[@peacexlove]

I was obsessed with Adam Ant’s look and music when I was in high school. I still love him and think he’s fascinating.

[@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.

[@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

[@shockashocka]

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

[@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!”

[@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"!

[@Mike-eo5jk]

WOW! Thank you so much! I was 13 years old in 1982 when Friend or Foe came out and it was my favorite cassette :-) Then I heard his other great hits. I saw him a few years back when he was performing Friend or Foe in concert and unfortunately, I was squirming in my chair a little. Many of the album's effects are hard to replicate on stage, and he was kind of a shadow of himself. I always wanted to dress up like him for Halloween but alas, I don't have the cheekbones! hahaa I'm going to check out his biography and try to find his comic! This was great.

[@14bellas]

Great video! I loved Adam Ant sooooo much! I actually have 3 copies of that comic book haha. My dad opened a comic store in 87 that's still open today. It was pretty awesome to run that store from 16-21. Best job ever! I left for my little brother to have a turn and he's still running it today.

[@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 !

[@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.

[@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).

[@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 ...

[@KarinaDebbage]

I remember dancing to Ant music at the local disco every Friday night at the community centre, 50p to get in😅.. I remember it with such a Huge Smile on my face... Dancing to it knackered every one out... I remember asking my mum to sew a big Adam and the Ants patch on the back of my Denim jacket 😂... I had Such a blast in those earlier teenager times... I'm 57 in a couple of days time and Still Love Anything to do with the 80s... Thankyou UTube for Putting a Big Smile on my Face Today 🙏🙏😻😂🥰💖❤️💂🇬🇧🌹🍒

[@oxouk]

Adam and the Ants was my first musical obsession. I had posters of them all over my walls and bought every magazine with him on the front. I'm not sure what the fascination was, the music or the imagery, but I liked it. I was 8 years old and 42 years later, I have toured with some of the biggest acts in the world. I'd like to say that Adam and the Ants was the catalyst to the lifelong musician I became.

[@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.

[@helencourtnell5621]

Adam and the Ants were totally amazing, one of the first groups to get the power of 'story telling'. Went to see Adam Ant perform Kings of the Wild Frontier in its entirety in Sydney 2017. He could still belt out the album from start to finish - awesome.

[@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.

[@jamescree6732]

My first lp. Kings of the the wild frontier. 6 of the tunes on there still hold up today. Great music documentary...keep it up mate

[@MisAnnThorpe]

Dog eat dog, Antmusic, Kings of the wild frontier, Ants Invasion, Killer in the home, Don't be square be there, Magnificent five, Making history and The Human being; I make that nine!

[@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!

[@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 ❤️

[@strickblog]

Prince Charming was the first single I bought. I saw the video and instantly fell in love with that man. I was ten, I still own that single and I still love the music. Still think he is very attractive. Well. This is my music style. All the songs you played around the Antmusic are my world. Thanks for the video.

[@scottw.3258]

I had just turned 7 when i sat down to watch Top of the Pops, and on came 'Ant Music', the video. I was instantly hooked. That 'crack' of the sticks on the drum rim, the pounding beats, the way Adam and the band looked. I was mesmerised, instantly. I remember my Dad driving me into Edinburgh, to the old HMV at the St James Centre so i could buy 'Kings of the Wild Frontier'. I'll always remember taking the Cassette up to the counter(i'm sure it cost something like £2.99), and the guy serving me saying that he'd just bought it, that he loved the album, and he knew i would too. It was a magical feeling. I still have that cassette tucked away. I loved the Ants(i have to admit to losing interest in his solo stuff. It just didn't hold that same appeal), and still now, when i listen to them, i get those shivers down my spine, and the hairs on my neck stand on end. They were my first band, my first musical love. I'll always love the Ants, 44 years and counting.

[@sheydoll]

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

[@fluorosco]

My Son is 14 and loved Adam Ant since He was 6 or 7 We love listening to Him together in the car ... the volume always goes up a bit when Stand and Deliver, Goody Two shoes comes on 😊❤ I was 10 in 1980 I've loved Adam and the Ants all My Life ❤

[@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.

[@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.

[@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 = 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@daniellekiey-thomas1327]

Same here. Used to drive my parents mad. My Walkman just didn’t contain the drums when I was travelling in the car with them. 😂

[@nickh2519]

Thanks for clearing up a lot of the lyrics! Great memories, especially of my 14yo sister going to a tour concert at Manchester Apollo with her white stripe across her nose. All the best

[@donny2327]

His band and music were such a source of power in my youth. Still are when I play those records ... Great video

[@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.

[@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.

[@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!

[@20thCB]

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

[@knitemarettv]

In the naughty North and the sexy South! ❤

[@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).

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@johngudgeon7454]

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

[@kevincastellanos538]

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

[@annablackwell2625]

Great trip down memory lane, thank you. Favourite eighties bands that went from punk to pop for me were Adam & the Ants and Blondie ❤

[@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.

[@assistantto007]

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

[@nicholasbuttery511]

I Recently bought a Re-Pop 11th Hussars Dolman Jacket like Adam Ant wore in his Kings snd The Wild Frontier period of which i could never afford when i was 11 and now in my Mid-Fifties i still remenber how i loved the early eighties.

[@gringogreen4719]

My first concert was Adam Ant in 1995 for Wonderful! It definitely was an eye-opener with two drums, still one of the best concerts that I went to!

[@richardfowler5163]

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

[@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

[@InfamousMS]

Should’ve come down to OC. We were all over Adam & the Ants at that time.

[@tunejunky]

@@InfamousMS i did... but not for Adam. my sister went to UCI

[@johannwolf1]

I will never forget the first time I heard those drums... and then saw his look. I think.. I thought... other people thought they were cheesy,... but I loved the whole tribal sexy dramatic thing.

[@LaurieValdez-zk3dy]

Philadelphia USA 🇺🇸 Thank you very much GOD bless Everyone Always ❤❤❤❤❤

[@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.

[@SMBorthwick]

Many thanks for this documentary. I really enjoyed it. Adam and the Ants were my first favourite band as a kid, and will always have a special place in my heart. Discovering and tracking down his lost 1992 album 'Persuasion' was a real thrill. If you're haven't heard it, you should try to find it.

[@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!!!!*

[@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.

[@pauliewogmastercertifiedli535]

Loved Nomads...ground meat in plastic wrap.

[@hawsrulebegin7768]

Another great video. Adam was my first pop hero. When Prince first appeared in the U.K. news I thought he was ripping off Adam’s image. His sound was unique and brilliant but doomed to burst its bubble. Wish Adam had been able to reinvent himself like Bowie did but let’s face it, only Bowie had that level of talent. Glad Adam is still with us and still touring.

[@matthewreed2614]

kings is one of my fave albums all time

[@pandorski35000]

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

[@DrewDesign]

Fantastic as always. I only heard the story of McLaren stealing Adam's band from under him recently, so I really appreciated it being laid out here so neatly. Thanks for all your work.