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* * * * * * * * * 2008 * * * * * * * * *

Do you like listening to the Artic Monkeys? Are you a fan of Panic at the Disco? Well, the type of music they play didn't just hop from the hits of Frank Sinatra to the banging drums and electric guitars or the Indie/rock scene of today; the most influential and pioneering artists are the key to the transformation in music that you and I were too young to witness.

Now, with my amazing time machine I will take you back to the time of one of these revolutionary artists: Adam Ant. Hold on to your seats!

* * * * * * * * * 1981 * * * * * * * * *

Adam Ant of the band Adam and the Ants, created a visual character and popular music captured on the video set of his first number 1 hit Stand and Deliver. This video was, as intended, for a short 02:56 mins epic film. Adam's ground breaking music and style caused a sensation resulting in your typical screaming, devoted followers of fans.

Even though Ant music was doing so well, it had to endure a lot of hideous propaganda. In the 70's and 80's a new wave of music hit Britain called Punk. At this time, bands such as The Beatles were the norm; the older generation were not prepared for, or receptive to Punk. Adam's music was deliberately loud and simple in direct contrast to the overproduced, far too clever musical rubbish coming from the mega-rich rock stars who had nothing in common' with this new generation.

A lot of what Adam and the Punk scene represented still influences fashions and music of today. Punks wore straight legged jeans, had the messy hair look with bright colours running through, this is much like the drainpipe jeans, bed head hair image that most people follow today. Adam's look changed with his music from fairytale Prince Charming to Pirate, consistently incorporating the punk with unique tweaks of his own. His most famous fashion trademark was a white stripe across his face. He adopted this look whilst becoming fascinated with the warrior culture of American Indian and African Tribes. The memorable stripe has been copied by adoring fans for fancy dress, including Martine McCutcheon.

Sleeping soundly, Adam was sharply awoken one night to what he thought was his band member, Terry, pranking him and putting on an American accent. It turned out to be none other than Michael Jackson! Well, as we have established Adam's look was inspiring but even he was shocked and flattered (and rather grumpy) when M. Jackson decided to call him at 4am, telling him how much he liked the jacket Adam wore in his video for Kings Of The Wild Frontier. There you have it, our home bred British icon giving style advice to Michael Jackson.

If Michael Jackson can be influenced by Adam why can't other stars of today? We all know and hear of what antics stars such as Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss get up to. Adam is a role model, not just musically and in image, but in many other aspects. Despite having a rock star life style Adam insistently avoided drinking alcohol and smoking and instead worked hard on a real image. The media found this hard to deal with; they didn't have any 'dirt' on him, he was squeaky clean. As a result, in an interview, he was almost mocked for not drinking and smoking which lead to him writing another hit number 1 called Goody Two Shoes which sent out the message 'I don't need to intoxicate my body to be successful'.

This Prince Charming, however, was not always charming. Adam suffers from Bipolar Disorder (manic depression) and has had to deal with it from an early age. Trying to control moods of depression and mania for years, working too hard and dealing with the threats of extreme stalkers finally took its toll. In mid January 2002, Adam, affected by a fit of hypomania after being provoked, stormed into a London pub with a pistol and a car starter motor. He was arrested and this begun a series of visits to hospitals to treat his disorder and a sectioning under Mental Health Act. He has had help from friends and the love of his daughter Lily for his recovery and in 2006 released an autobiography, Stand and Deliver.

In this media crazed world that we live in we can't escape the images and stories about Britney Spears. She is a pop icon and it's sad to see the path that she is going down. Thankfully we have examples, such as Adam, of those who have pulled through the worst of the worst.

Adam's fan base still holds strong and grows. In September 2007, after 12 years, Adam held a long awaited gig for some grateful and very loyal fans. He played songs acoustically to the delight of the audience and read extracts from his autobiography adding extra anecdotes for good effect.

Many are now left to anticipate his next move