adam-ant.net

Last December, Sony UK released ANTBOX, the long-awaited three CD compilation of hits, rarities and unreleased tracks. In addition to solicited questions from regular adam-ant.net visitors, Marco Pirroni met with journalist Claudia Spicks in London to discuss everything from the Antbox, the Decca Demos, Persuasion and cardboard boxes.

First off, your admirers just want to say thanks for all of your fantastic music over the years! You will be considered heroes to many forever. So let's talk about Antbox. How are sales overall?

Antbox sales are extremely good - so I'm told. Sony seem very happy and they have no reason to lie to me (at least I can't think of one) and you will be our hero too (if you like)

A-AN: What source was used for the Young Parisians and Lady/Catch A Falling Star tracks? They seemed to be of lesser quality than some of the bootleg versions.

Those two tracks were taken directly from Adam's original acetates, it was a bit scratchy but I liked that. I 'm afraid I left a lot in on purpose - to give it a real 1977 sound -- it was punk rock, you know!

A-AN: How did you decide which songs to be put on Antbox? I am sure you had to listen to a lot of demos, etc. Was it hard to decide what to put on it?

The difficult thing was deciding what to leave off! I just ultimately tried to strike a balance between what was interesting to hard core fans, and what was exciting to first timers and what I liked.

A-AN: Tell us about the recording with Adam playing drums on a cardboard box.

After seeing a TV documentary about Buddy Holly and the Crickets, in which the Crickets drummer demonstrated how he recorded the drums on Peggy Sue on a cardboard box in a tiled bathroom, I thought Wow that's sounds great. But who could I persuade to sit in a toilet, on their own and bang a cardboard box? Only one person would fall for this and so it was that Adam Ant. He found himself sitting in a toilet at Townhouse studios on his own armed only with a pair of drumsticks, a pair of headphones and various cardboard boxes of different sizes. It was there that he valiantly laid down various takes for the Friend or Foe album, some of which you can hear on the boxset.

A-AN: Can you tell us about the KPM studios recording in 1982? A lot of good songs came out of those sessions that are featured on Antbox like Zydyco, Coup D'tat, and I Win Zulus. Are there any other songs from that session that might see the light of day for fans? These are exceptional songs!

KPM studios was a place on Denmark Street, London where we did all our early demos including Antmusic, Rancheros and most of the songs later to be recorded for Kings album. There are a few others that never got released or finished stuff like Who's a Goofy Bunny?, And so you shall and Yellowbeard If all goes well, you could hearing this stuff later on in the year.

A-AN: Why were the 1985 versions of It Doesn't Matter and B-Side Baby used instead of the Decca demo versions? Is there any hope in getting the entire Decca demos digitized and released on CD?

Why? Because I'm on them and I like them better! But, yes Sony has expressed an interest in releasing the Decca demos and that might be this year.

A-AN: Did you think about including lyric sheets for the demo and unreleased songs in Antbox? Fans would have appreciated this addition!

A-AN: The songs Deutscher Girls and Plastic Surgery are credited to Stuart Goddard, not to Adam Ant on this publishing. Is that due to a new publishing deal?

CS: You have had so many compilations, do you think Antbox will be the last?

Well as I mentioned, there is talk about putting out the Decca demos, which might come at the end of the year, but I can make no promises. It is too easy to say we will release something and then if it does not happen there is disappointment.

A-AN: Is there any plans to release Antbox and Antvideo in the USA? Is this due to a Sony licensing conflict?

I'm afraid not, Sony UK have been pushing Sony US to release Antbox - but to no avail. Perhaps you should ask them yourself, as they don't take any notice of me.

It's time for the fans to speak up!
Send two emails to Sony demanding the US release of Antbox now! Visit Sony's feedback website and use their online form at: http://www.sonymusic.com/feedback/

Send two emails - one to Legacy Recordings and one to General Comments urging them to release ANTBOX in the US NOW!

I have not got a favorite, it's like asking which is your favorite child really, you can't say.

I think he's like me, we have often talked about this. His is probably Dog Eat Dog, it isn't always Dog Eat Dog, but if you were to ask him he would skip explaining like I did and just say Dog Eat Dog.

It was Sony's actually. They asked us if we wanted to do the Antbox and we thought that seemed a good idea.

A-AN: Many people think the demo version of Manners & Physique a million times better than the album version - it's more upbeat. Why was this not chosen on the released version? Was it because the lyrics were too 'spicy'?

No, It was because Andre Cymone and Adam weren't completely happy with it so they decided to re-record it.

A-AN: Why did you include ALL the singles on Antbox, when there is tons of unreleased stuff out there that fans are interested in hearing. And you've already had so many HITS packages released!

CS: Antbox was originally going to be released in 1997 to mark the 20th anniversary; why did that not happen?

It wasn't released because of the Persuasion tracks, we tried to get them, but MCA didn't even seem to know that they owned them. Originally they wanted to give them to us, but we only wanted two or three tracks and MCA was asking for the cost of the whole album, that doesn't make sense. I don't understand it, no-one understands it, the only people who do is MCA.

A-AN: CD#1 consists of about 20 songs that were recorded before you joined Adam. What do you think of the old stuff? Did you consider the Ants to be a good punk band? Did you see them play live a lot?

I love the old stuff that's why I included it. I did see them play a lot as they supported the Banshees all the time. And I was a friend of the Banshees so I used to get there early to see the Ants and while the Banshees were on I used to like to go in their dressing room and steal their booze!

You'll have to ask MCA about that - they refused to admit that they even own it and then they refused to license it at any price! First of all, I did not sign the deal with MCA, so I am not too familiar with all the legal wranglings, but for some bizarre reason, basically they didn't like it at the time. The company itself was going through financial difficulties and changes. But the reasons why is best known to themselves. It sat on the shelf; we couldn't get it back. We tried to use some of the tracks from Persuasion, to put on the Antbox; they simply did not want to license them.

Send an email to MCA demanding the release of Persuasion now!
Visit Universal Studio's website and use their online form:
Universal Studios/MCA
Select Universal Music Group as the subject line and urge them to release the long delayed Adam Ant Persuasion material.

* MCA is a division of Universal Music Group

CS: Would you ever consider re-recording the tracks under a different label?

Yes I suppose you could do that, but if you think about recording songs some ten years old you might as well start something new. And why would you pay for it all over again when you have already done it.

Maybe, well yeah. There is lots of stuff, but people tend to complain about the sound quality of the demos, but they are just that, demo's. There is nothing we can do about that. Unless the sound on the original demo is very clear, there is not a lot we can do. Sometimes we work on something and in the middle of it we realize, it's not what we thought it was going to be, so it's dropped and we start afresh. And then years later we might find it again and wonder: Why did we never finish this, this is really good.

A-AN: Would you maybe sign to Sony again, or would you consider recording an album and just seeking a distribution deal?

A-AN: Your production on a Max album would've been a lot better than Trevor Horn's! Little Ghost was excellent! Any thoughts on this?

A-AN: What's the news on the Holy Spitfires? We are anxiously awaiting info on this!?!

The Holy Spitfires begin recording 10th February. (Editor's note: The Holy Spitfires is a musical project featuring Marco, plus former 70's Ant members John Beckett (Johnny B), Andy Warren, and Allayne (former Ants roadie).

CS: Are you going to continue with new ideas or will you get back into the old style?

We couldn't go back to our old style, because it would sound false. The things we did were of the time, ideas that we had then. And to go back to it now wouldn't be natural.

No, I didn't, that was equally boring, it was just sitting around all day waiting for your part to be shot. Getting up early, which I hate.

A-AN: Can you give any info on the long-awaited AntDVD? Fans are waiting for the old Ant stuff or rare stuff that was filmed that has never been shown.

Again this is another project that Sony is keen on. I can't give any dates as it is still in discussion stages, I am afraid.

Occasionally depends where I am, about two or three times a week, instead of about two or three times an hour. In 1981 it was particularly bad, if I had to go shopping I would stay up all night to get to the shops just as they opened.

CS: What about Adam, he's married now, you would think he would like to settle down permanently now, no?

No, it's not like that, He originally wanted to take about a year off, he still wants to work, he just doesn't know when yet.

No, it's not really anything to do with you, it's not to do with me either. He was not suicidal, he was not crawling on the floor and he doesn't look any different now. He's simply depressed. It's a thing that happens to a lot of artistic people.

I don't really ask about his personal life very much, even though we are friends, we respect each other's privacy.

We were, but we didn't do it in the end. Too much work and not enough artists. Things are different now; artists are different. Record companies nowadays don't deal with artist anymore, they will deal directly with the managers, and if the artist doesn't do as they are told they can be simply fired

Adam does all the lyrics. No, actually it is hard to say who does; it does not work like that. Adam might say lets do this, and two hours later that idea might disappear and something else comes up.

CS: Does he ever say I am getting too old for this; I am not going to do this anymore?

He has been saying that for twenty years. I say it as well; I mean everyone will say it occasionally. But as I said already, I don't think you ever retire from music.

I am not doctor who and I can't turn back time. I once said the audience was all punks and little girls, now they are old punks and old little girls. I don't mind the fans being maturer, if there are younger fans that's good too.

CS: You have got the most stubborn following I have ever seen how do you feel about that?

Some people do get very obsessive and at one stage I thought this is actually great, you can see what people think and want. But it does put us off when they become too possessive. It's kind of creepy, people want to instill things, put things onto you, they have never met me, and they don't know what I am like�.

No. I don't think so; the only people who really want to reform are Terry and Gary. Chris was actually going to produce Wonderful, but then he ended up doing something else. I talk to Chris all the time about doing some things together, and when the time comes I am sure something will happen.

Well it came to a point were the band members became superfluous. And at the time we weren't intending to play live, so we thought if we just play in the studio, what are they here for?

No, never, it seemed much easier, in fact more complete. Have you ever seen those guys with the spinning plates on sticks? That's what its like to be in a band, you get on spinning one and think Alright, he's happy now, then you run to the next and keep that one going and so on�

CS: What is it like working with Adam? He trusts me, and he is quite happy to let me get on with it.

He can be, but so can I, he likes to lead and he is a very good leader, he kind of knows when to be still and let others have a say, even though he might be thinking What are they doing?

A-AN: What do you think of the Ant covers done by NIN, Elastica, Robbie Williams, etc. Have you heard them? Do you think they are good?

Of course I've heard them, and I have to like them or they don't get released I'm not sure why Sugar Ray's version of Stand and Deliver was exactly like ours but I guess they liked that way.

The truth is, I don't know, I would like there to be. But I don't want to say too much, because if it doesn't happen then there will be disappointment. We don't make any promises because there could be so many reasons why things do not happen, be they personal or other. Sorry to be vague, but it's vague.

Yeah, millions�. I'm a shopaholic really, and what I want has to be now, otherwise I lose interest and I don't want it anymore.

Although the future of new antmusic is uncertain, hopefully we will see hear more unreleased material in the near future.

Please don't forget to support our campaign to encourage Sony US to release ANTBOX. Also, tell MCA that it's about time they release Persuasion.

Marco and Adam animated gif by Nancy Kelly

Thanks to Claudia Spicks, members of the antmusic list, and to all fans who submitted questions.
Special thanks to Marco.