ADAM ANT - FAMOUS BIPOLAR MUSICIAN
Stuart Leslie Goddard, known as Adam Ant, is an English singer and musician born on November 3rd, 1954. He gained popularity as the vocalist of the new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo singer. He was also well-known in America and worldwide, where he was voted as the sexiest man by MTV viewers. He has also worked as an actor, showing up in multiple films and television episodes.
Ant regrouped with Marco Pirroni and other new members. He then released his second album, which became the best-selling album in 1981. He released his third and final album in 1981 with the group, which spawned two number-one singles in the UK, Stand and Deliver & Prince Charming.
In 1982, he disbanded his group to pursue a solo career. But Marco Pirroni remained as a band member and co-songwriter. During this time, Ant also started to focus on an acting career, performing on stage as well as in television and film roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Ant has reactivated his musical career since 2010, performing live in his hometown of London and beyond, producing and releasing a new album. He was also doing eight UK national tours, five US national tours, and two Australian tours. A follow-up album, Bravest of the Brave, was recorded in 2014 but has yet to be released.
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Early Life
Goddard was born in Westminster, London. His father, Leslie Alfred Goddard, served in the Royal Air Force and worked as a chauffeur. While his mother, Betty Kathleen Smith, was an embroiderer. “There was no luxury,” he says, “but there was always food on the table.” His parents split when he was seven. Then, his mother supported him by working as a domestic cleaner, briefly for Paul McCartney.
Goddard studied graphic design at Hornsey College of Art and was a student of Peter Webb for a while. He dropped out of Hornsey before finishing his BA to pursue his career in music. He suffered anorexia shortly after starting his course at Hornsey. “I just didn’t eat. I wasn’t attempting to slim. I was attempting to kill myself.” Goddard eventually took an overdose of all the pills he could find in his mother-in-law’s kitchen cabinet.
Goddard changed his name to Adam Ant after being discharged from the hospital. He chose the name because “I really knew I wanted to be Adam because Adam was the first man. And I chose Ant because if there’s a nuclear explosion, the ants will survive.” He reconnected with fellow former B-Sides members Lester Square, Andy Warren, and Paul Flanagan, forming Adam and the Ants.
Mental Health
Adam was known to have suffered from bipolar disorder in his life. As a child at Robinsfield Infants School, Adam threw a brick at the headmistress’ office window. He suffered bouts of depression and became aggressive. He once attempted suicide as a result of a nervous breakdown he suffered. The nervous breakdown was attributed to severe depression. Attempting suicide is a major symptom of bipolar disorder.
He also got arrested and charged for throwing an alternator of a car through the window of a bar and threatening the pub patrons because they made fun of his appearance. He was then taken to the Old Bailey for trial. He pleaded guilty after the allegations against him, which included criminal damage and threatening members of the public, but were then reduced to a single count of causing an affray. He was fined £500 and given a suspended sentence to psychiatric care.
Adam was arrested a second time for attempting to smash his neighbor’s door. He was once again sent to a psychiatric hospital. He spent a further six months before being discharged. Many authors hinted that he was sent to psychiatric care because he was diagnosed with a severe mental illness. Adam was also noted for his high alcohol consumption.
Though much is not said about his childhood difficulties, it was speculated that his parent’s divorce had a serious effect on him as a child and eventually influenced his adult life. His father was known to be a heavy drinker and very abusive. This might have accounted for his mental imbalances.
In 2003, the television special titled The Madness of Prince Charming was broadcasted in the UK, documenting Ant’s career and his battle with mental illness (he was diagnosed as suffering bipolar disorder).
In September 2006, he released his autobiography, Stand & Deliver. Adam Ant held a UK book signing from London to Edinburgh to mark the release of the book. Following the popularity of the original edition, a paperback edition was released (a year later, in September 2007); it includes a new epilogue covering the year following the hardcover release.