Adam Ant Artistfacts

November 3, 1954
Shortly after taking the "Adam Ant" persona, Stuart Goddard established his punk credentials when he had the scenester Jordan (Pamela Rooke) carve the word "F--K" into his back with a razor blade; he had been reading about African tribes and wondered if he could take the pain. The mark helped get him a role in the 1978 Derek Jarman film Jubilee alongside Jordan.
He studied graphic design at Hornsey School Of Art in London, but dropped out to pursue music.
He got married for the first time when he was 20 years old. Still known as Stuart Goddard, when he took the name Adam Ant, his wife Carol showed her support by changing her name to Eve (Adam & Eve). The couple divorced after 18 months of marriage.
In 1979, Ant paid the Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren £1000 for advice on how to make it in the business. McLaren introduced him to the tribal sound - notably the group Burundi Black - that came to define Ants' music, but he also asked his backup band, The Ants, to join his new project Bow Wow Wow, which they accepted. Adam replaced the three departing members with new Ants, including guitarist Marco Pirroni, who became Adam's songwriting partner.
Ant was never a drug user, and in the late '70s he also gave up alcohol and cigarettes as well. His big indulgence was sex, which he was open about.
He dated the American actress Jamie Lee Curtis for a while. He also had a relationship with Heather Graham.
He was diagnosed as manic depressive at age 21, when he went through intensive psychiatric treatment. His depression was a challenge throughout his life, and he had made repeated trips to mental hospitals for treatment.
After moving to Los Angeles when his hits dried up, Ant picked up some acting roles, but he also acquired a stalker named Ruth Marie Torres, who believed that he was in love with her. After three years of tormenting Adam, including one incident when she entered his house and left him a cake, she was sent to prison.
Adam Ant's mum was Paul McCartney's cleaner for a time during the mid-'60s.
If you take out the space, "Adam Ant" becomes "adamant," meaning steadfast and principled. That's not why he chose the name, though. Speaking with the BBC, he explained that "Adam" was from the biblical figure (the first man) and "Ant" was because "if there's a nuclear explosion, the ants will survive."

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