Marco Pirroni recalls Adam and the Ants' chaotic fame — and a paralytic Princess Margaret

Guitarist and songwriter Marco Pirroni joined Adam Ant in early 1980 to rebuild the Ants after manager Malcolm McLaren poached three original members for his new project, Bow Wow Wow. Pirroni has now released a memoir, Your Money or Your Life: From Punk to Prince Charming, chronicling his punk-era youth in London and his years working alongside Ant.

Together the pair wrote Kings of the Wild Frontier, released in November 1980, which topped the album charts for 12 weeks. The record combined a pioneering two-drummer Burundi beat, Native American-inspired imagery originally suggested by McLaren, and a theatrical visual style that later helped shape the look of early MTV in the US.

From stardom to the absurd

During roughly 18 months of what Pirroni calls "Antmania", the band's fortunes shifted at dizzying speed, taking them from his childhood bedroom in Harrow to plush hotel suites in Tokyo. They became fixtures on children's television and even appeared at a Children's Royal Variety Performance, where, Pirroni recalls, Princess Margaret was completely drunk and breathing over those nearby.

He also remembers dining with Liza Minnelli and spending time backstage with Liberace, alongside a friendly rivalry with contemporaries such as Culture Club and Duran Duran.

The band's unravelling

By late 1981, tensions within the band had grown, and Pirroni found Ant increasingly difficult to work with. He quit in January 1982 after the Prince Charming Revue tour, prompted by a dismissive remark from Ant suggesting audiences only cared about watching him dance.

The pair's friendship survived the split and continued for decades, though Pirroni says he has since lost touch with Ant, who was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and still tours today. Pirroni now lives quietly in rural Derbyshire and says he has no interest in making music again.