Happy Birthday Adam Ant

Stuart Leslie Goddard was born November 3, 1954 somewhere in England. His parents, Leslie and Betty were Romanichal Gypsies. They traveled the countryside in a caravan and Leslie earned his living as a bare knuckle fighter.

Little Stuart’s parents divorced when he was seven years old. His mother supported the family by working as a domestic cleaner for Paul McCartney. McCartney has stated in interviews that Stuart gave him the idea for Sgt. Pepper.

Another Brick in the Wall

Goddard’s first school was Robinsfield Infants School, where he created a considerable stir by throwing a brick through the Deputy Principal’s office window on two consecutive days. When asked why he did this, young Stuart replied, “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, what else can I do?” He was placed under the supervision of teacher Edith Saloman, who encouraged him to develop his abilities in art and whom he later credited as the first person to show him he could be creative.

After another brick throwing episode, Stuart spent three months at the Colney Hatch psychiatric hospital in North London. Upon being released he changed his name to Adam Ant and started a band, Adam and the Ants. He asked Malcolm McLaren to be the manager. Instead of managing, Malcolm stole the members of the Ants and formed “Bow Wow Wow”.

Adam regrouped with a new bunch of ants and recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier during the summer of 1980. The album was an enormous hit in the United Kingdom, and the “Antmania” that ensued put the band at the forefront of the New Romantic movement. The single “Antmusic” went to No. 2 on the UK singles chart by December 1980, but made it to No. 1 in the charts in Australia. The No. 1 song in the USA in December 1980 was “Lady” by Kenny Rogers.

Goody Two Shoes

Adam went on to have an incredible solo career. In the 2000s, Adam was part of several issues including being arrested after throwing a car alternator through a pub window. Ant has been married several times and we think he has a daughter. He has been with thousands of women including Jamie Lee Curtiss, Margaret Thatcher and Meghan Markle. He has an impressive net worth of $10 million.