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An interview with Madam Stan
who founded and runs the Ant Liberation Front.
Madam Stan and Adam Ant
In my lifetime there have been several musical moments where
I heard a song for the first time on the radio or jukebox and thought
"What the hell was that?!!!!" One such memory was when I
first heard The Beatles' I Am The Walrus, another was in a disco when
they played This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us by Sparks
and another was my first hearing of Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush.
These songs seemed to defy rules and conventions and needed several
airings to make sense of them, let alone to begin to love them. Another
such moment was when I was in a pub playing lunchtime darts in 1980
and an incredible sound emanated from the jukebox, the like of which
I had not heard before. A cracking tribal drum beat and weird yodeling
vocals punctuated Ant Music, Adam Ant's third single (and the first
to 'break through'), and it quite put me off my game. Adam was one
of the key individuals from the eighties music scene, along with Boy
George adding fun and historical imagery to what was a rather pretentious
period of pop history. The pretty boy of pop at that time, he was
surely influenced by the glam rockers of the previous decade, particularly
Gary Glitter and his omnipresent drums, David Bowie and his predilection
for make-up and image and 70s pretty boy Marc Bolan with whom Adam
shared a strong similarity in my view.
I caught up with head honcho (or is it honchess?!) of the Ant Liberation
Front, (the Adam Ant fan club), 'Madam Stan' and she kindly
answered some Ant type questions for us. Here is that interview.
This interview is the intellectual property of www.retrosellers.com
and cannot be reproduced without express permission.
(photographs from author's personal collection)
Digger: What was Adam Ant's main contribution to the
eighties scene?
Madam Stan: Adam Ant set the tone of the 80s music scene. He
was the first (and possibly the last?) *self-made* "pop star"
to clasp the idea of marketing a global product via the new and exciting
medium of the promotional video. With the launch of MTV, Adam was
a main staple for teenagers who looked for an alternative from the
doom and gloom of conservative Britain. Adam "stand & deliver"ed
a new message of hope and pride to the "generation X"...
Digger: How would you describe Adam Ant in thirty words?
Madam Stan: Noble, bold, inspirational, innovative, unique,
intelligent, colourful, passionate, individual, sexual... a man of
many faces, sounds and talents.
Digger: Where was Adam Ant popular and where did he not do
so well?
Madam Stan: Dating from the punk days, Adam's spiritual home
has always been London although taking the Ants to Australia and Japan
saw new heights in "Antmania". This can be attributed to
Adam's promotional videos for Antmusic and Stand & Deliver - which
meant his image was projected on a global scale. Because of the multi-faceted
side of Adam's imagery, he appealed to a wide spectrum of fans - from
all over the globe. Although he didn't necessarily crack the charts
in America as much as he would have liked, he did successfully tour
the States a number of times.
Digger: Which image of Adam Ant was your favourite?
Madam Stan: Dandy Highwayman (Stand & Deliver video)
Digger: Does Adam Ant's music endure?
Madam Stan: Has it lasted? Because Adam drew upon historical
and tribal influences for his music, I guess one could say it is "timeless".
Unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not concern himself with
keeping-in with the Numans and the Durans by competing with the latest
technological fashions money could buy. He made "human music"
- drawing upon ethnic influences of Burundi and Native Americans to
create a new sound to inspire the masses. This music lives on in later
musical movements such as Industrial and even Hip-Hop.
Digger: Which tracks do you consider Adam Ant's best?
Madam Stan: Aesthetically, those from his first LP, Dirk Wears
White Sox – before the commercialisation of the Ants. The synergy
of clever lyrics with sparse atmospheric sound allows Adam’s
poetic talent to innocently shine. Commercially, it has to be the
B-sides of all those famous hit singles – which were as good
(if not better!) as their more accessible counterparts.
Digger: What does one have to do to join the club and what
does it offer?
Madam Stan: We've never believed in charging a membership,
therefore ALL fans of Adam Ant / Adam & the Ants are entitled
to FREE membership of our fan society. In return for submitting their
email and postal address they will receive at least one postage-free
issue of our quarterly minizine ‘No Response’ every twelve
months. They are then invited to send postage / envelopes if they
like what they see! Currently, we have about 700 members – with
an average of two Ant fans joining a day. As well as providing a regularly
updated website and a quarterly zine, we also organise large-scale
fan gatherings – proving that fans can be independently
co-operative.
Digger: Describe the most fanatical Adam Ant's fans and please
tell us why.
Madam Stan: Those of us who still exist! It has been almost
seven years since Adam released a studio album – it takes dedication
to be keeping the faith. Stemming from that are the fans who pro-actively
keep the spirit alive by dedicating websites to their passion or travelling
across continents to meet other Antpeople. I know one sixteen-year-old
girl who came on her own all the way from Israel to be with us for
the 1999 convention!
Digger: Which lyrics are your favourites?
Madam Stan: "Ridicule is nothing to be scared of",
"Antpeople are the warriors", "A wild nobility, we
are the family" – messages of hope for bullied kids everywhere...
Digger: Did Adam come up with that unique sound? Can you tell
us more about it?
Madam Stan: Adam acquired the Burundi influence while under
the managerial guidance of Malcolm McLaren – who played him ‘Burundi
Black’ (of which the Kings of the Wild Frontier drumbeat was
taken). One of Adam’s heroes, Gary Glitter had also used the
Burundi drum sound previously and, like Glitter, Adam used two drummers
(Chris Hughes and Terry Lee Miall) to create it. According to Miall,
the drum clicks at the beginning of Antmusic were created by banging
a piece of wood on a studio corridor wall!
Digger: Have you met Adam Ant and if so what was he like and
how did you get on?
Madam Stan: The first time I met Adam was outside an Ant gig
at Shepherds Bush Empire in 1995. I had been waiting for three hours
in the freezing cold and expected him to take me home after –
he had sung up to me in the balcony for two songs and I thought my
luck was in! Of course, I was only a teenager then! Last time I met
him was this week when I took some Ant Lib shirts he had requested
around to his house – it was the first time I had seen him for
five years and he seemed happy and healthy…
Digger: How does Adam Ant compare with that other eighties
icon Boy George?
Madam Stan: Tell me what Boy George has done to advance music
and there might be something to compare! I do like the music of Culture
Club (and I have all their albums) but whereas Adam was a trend setter,
George was always a trend follower – an 80s version of David
Bowie!
Digger: What message have you for Adam Ant fans around the
world?
Madam Stan: "You are NOT alone!"
Digger: What is Adam Ant up to these days?
Madam Stan: Adam has just announced he will be playing live
for the first time in seven years by touring with Hear & Now 2002.
It’s not the most ideal scenario but hopefully it will generate
cashflow and interest (and
perhaps a new record contract!) for a brand new studio album! More
info – and other latest Ant news – can be found at adamandtheants.org
Many thanks to the friendly and helpful Madam Stan for the
interview.
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