Customer Reviews

Stand & Deliver: The Autobiography

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In 1981 I saw Adam and the Ants for the first time. Adam Ant rocked my small town world then and 25 years later his music still has the power to do the same. This is a fascinating story of a brilliantly creative talent whose struggle with mental illness did not stop him from producing some of the best music of his time. The story is riveting from its portrayal of the very early days of the brief punk era that passed almost unnoticed here in the states through the rise that made him a darling of the MTV generation of the 80's. This is a man who has faced and conquered many demons. His music was my solice through many dark times of my own, I wish him a future full of only bright things. This story is a must for any Ant Fan.

Adam writes his prose narrative with as much verve and pathos as he wrote his witty, world-illuminating lyrics. I simply loved his poignant descriptions of his sad slide into, and soldierly struggle out of, the sunless depths of mental anguish. I can't wait to see Adam's next phase of creativity. I wish him well!

This book is a very rare and interesting look into the mind of a true pop icon, Adam Ant. Even in his heyday of the 1980's, Adam was a quiet man that did many interviews but never spoke in great detail of his true feelings or personal views on his life. It was never his true nature to expose himself on a personal level to the public at that time. Adam wanted his image and music to do all the talking for him. For Adam, to write this book now and also record the audio book himself is extremely rare. For the fans, This is the first real chance to understand a very complex man. Brave and bold was his image back then but now Adam is willing to put words to his life and experiences for the first time. In the 1980's, Adam hid behind the native American war-paint and fancy dress costumes. Since then, He has been marked with horrible rumors of mental illness in the press and a lot of bad moments. In the book, he answers all those questions and sets the record straight. I believe that's why he wrote the book, to tell HIS story and not the press to it for him anymore. In 1993, Adam finished his first album in many years with, Wonderful. The title track song and video did get a lot of airplay in the states and England. For awhile, it seemed Adam was back on track and doing well. The record, as good as it was, just didn't make a big splash. Adam never got over this and sank deep into a deep depression. As a life long fan, It was hard for me and all the true fans to read all the terrible news stories to come. Adam Ant goes into a local London pub and pulls out a fake gun on those making fun of him, locked up in mental hospital for treatment. Adam Ant hits neighbours house with rocks, again gets sent to hospital. I spent the day with Adam back in 1984 on the "Strip" tour of the USA. I can't say I knew him well but the Adam I talked to was very smart and very together. Adam was not crazy or out of touch with reality at all. He did not have the wild and crazy backstage life going on at all. Adam was dating Jamie Lee Curtis at that time, but I got the impression he never lived or liked the out of control Rock n Roll life-style anyway. Even though he was 30 or 31 at the time, most of the fans at the show were not even old enough to drive. In the book Adam does talk about his relationships with Jamie and many others. I'm sure he will record again, and I hope he does. God bless you Adam and I hope you are doing well. Stay strong and all will be well for you. For the fans, buy this book, you will not regret it. But most of all...always stay fans forever because your "Antpeople" After all right?!!

Adam Ant -- best known for his outlandish costumes and a string of clever and energetic music videos -- does not spare us the nastier details of his life. He was brought up in poverty and lived in fear of his drunken, violent father. Later on he started to suffer the signs of bipolar depression and the last few chapters are dominated by his symptoms and suffering and the pain he caused to friends and family. Unfortunately, he almost glosses over his musical career, which is the reason I bought this book. He runs off the titles of the songs and how he recorded the videos and how much they cost yet tells us very little about why and how he wrote the songs. Call me a bluff old traditionalist, as Edmund Blackadder would say, but I'd expect the autobiography of a talented high-profile artist to contain at least some idea as to where his inspiration came from.

"Stand and Deliver" is impressive in the sense that Stuart Goddard was able to step up and give us some of the gritty details about his personal life. We get to explore everything from his childhood up until his current state of being. What I like about this book is Adam's ability to entertain the reader with his stories involving other famous celebrities, but what hinders the book is his lack of insight involving his actual body of work. I was hoping to get the inside scoop on what inspired songs like Apollo 9 or The Human Beings, but instead I was given the impression that Adam Ant didn't really care about his work as much as he did about being famous... In fact, it would seem like his professional life was secondary to his personal life and his personal affairs in this book. If you like Adam Ant, then you'll like the book, but it won't compel you I'm afraid.

The first time I saw Adam was on a TV program. I didn't even hear his name, all I saw was this guy wearing a white stripe across his face, and he was singing. I didn't catch the song or even how it sounded. But that is how his LOOK affected me. That was 1981 and I am still a fan of Antmusic. I knew he was thinking about writing a book back in the 80's because he said he wrote in journals. Any Antfan; and you know WHO you are, will enjoy this book. He starts from his beginning and goes to his widespread troubles. This book is a must have if you are a true fan. You will love it, promise!

I have always been fascinated with Adam Ant. Something about him has always drawn me in. In recent years, I have heard some of his mental health issues along with his awful stalker issue. His honesty is both refreshing and a little heartbreaking too. I applaud him for having the bravery to put himself out there for the world to know. Great book about a great man.

A very interesting and sometimes sad history of one of the most enigmatic pop stars of the early 80s and 90s.

As well as his childhood and his rise to fame and the comedown afterwards, he talks about punk at it's peak in London in the 70s. What is also fascinating is that he talks frankly of his depression and manic episodes and the truth behind some of his relationships and sexual exploits.

This is a very well written book, honest and truthful. I rather think that this book helped Adam defeat some of his demons and the added epilogue which is an addition to the paperback version not in the hardback is a lovely touch, where he talks about the book signings and his ongoing road to recovery.

Before I read this book, I thought he was a good musician and I liked his music and only knew what had been written about him. After reading this book I find that now not only do I now love his music, I admire and respect this man.

Well worth a read if you have any interest in music.

Excellent book! Very well written. Very insightful and I couldn't put it down! An absolute must for any Adam Ant fan!

I've admired Adam's creativity since the first time I saw him. I was in my favorite record shop in Chicago - the lengendary Wax Trax! early one Saturday morning & they were showing the first American appearance of Adam & the Ants on American Bandstand - the white stripe across his face - the costume - I was hooked & bought everything on vinyl they had.

After seeing the band perform several times - I had the pleasure of meeting him. He was quiet - a bit shy - but very nice.

His autobiography was a bit depressing. I remember the early days of punk & can relate to a lot of the book. My heart broke for him for the troubles he's endured after the heady days of the New Romantic movement. I wish him peace.