Marco Pirroni
Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni (born 27 April 1959, London, England)[1] frequently credited simply as Marco,[2][3] is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many others from the late 1970s to the present day.[4]
Marco Pirroni | |
---|---|
Birth name | Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni |
Born | 27 April 1959 |
Origin | Camden Town, North London, England |
Genres | New wave, post-punk, punk rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Years active | 1976–present |
Associated acts | Adam and the Ants, Adam Ant, Rema Rema, The Wolfmen, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Slits, Spear of Destiny |
Biography
Born in Archway, he lived with his Italian parents in Camden Town until 15 years old, when they moved to Manor Road, Harrow. He briefly attended art school.
Siouxsie and the Banshees
A linchpin of the UK punk scene, Pirroni's first appearance on stage was with Siouxsie and the Banshees in their début gig, at 1976's 100 Club Punk Festival. Future Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious was on drums.[5]
Short-lived bands
Pirroni then formed the Models (who recorded the single "Freeze" in 1977), and then Rema-Rema, whose "Wheel in the Roses" EP appeared on the 4AD record label the following year. In those days he formed part of Cowboys International, but it was for a short time. He teamed up with Adam and the Ants in January 1980.
Adam and the Ants/Adam Ant
Pirroni was lead guitarist and co-songwriter in the second incarnation of Adam and the Ants, penning two UK number one singles and a further four Top Ten hits, with Ant. The two albums he co-wrote for Adam and the Ants, Kings of the Wild Frontier and Prince Charming, both made the Top 10 in the UK Albums Chart ("Kings" #1; "Prince Charming" #2).[6]
When Adam and the Ants disbanded in 1982, Pirroni was retained as Adam Ant's co-writer and studio guitarist; they produced another number-one single ("Goody Two Shoes") and an album (Friend or Foe), followed by four more Top 20 hits. Ant and Pirroni won two shared Ivor Novello Awards for "Stand and Deliver". [7]
Pirroni and Ant working together sold more than eighteen million records worldwide, scoring number ones in Australia, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Israel and Japan as well as in the UK.
Sinéad O'Connor
In early 1987, Marco Pirroni featured on Sinéad O'Connor's début album The Lion and the Cobra. He subsequently worked on her albums I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got and Universal Mother. He co-wrote and played guitar on a number of tracks on her album How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?, released in March 2012.
Recent years
The 21st century has seen Pirroni increasingly cited as an authority on the punk movement, both on record and in print. Having consulted on two major compilations, Punk and Dread Meets The Punk Rockers Uptown, he released the SEX: Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die and Biba: Champagne and Novocaine on his own label, Only Lovers Left Alive.
He played on The Slits' EP Revenge of the Killer Slits in 2006. He was a member of The Wolfmen with Chris Constantinou. They released one EP, several singles, wrote music for television advertisements and released a début album, entitled Modernity Killed Every Night. The Wolfmen released their second album, Prisoners of Sodomy in 2011.
Pirroni collaborated with UK band Headcount on their album Lullabies for Dogs in 2013, receiving co-writing and production credits. He had previously worked on the band's 2002 début album It's a Business Doing Pleasure With You.[8][9]
After living in London's Marylebone for several years, Pirroni relocated to north Derbyshire in 2013.[10]
Discography
With Adam and the Ants
- Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980)
- Prince Charming (1981)
With Adam Ant
- Friend or Foe (1982)
- Strip (1983)
- Vive Le Rock (1985)
- Manners & Physique (1990)
- Persuasion (unreleased) (1993)
- Wonderful (1995)
- Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter' (2013)
With Sinéad O'Connor
- The Lion and the Cobra (1987)
- I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990)
- Universal Mother (1994)
- How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? (2012)
With Spear of Destiny
- Outland (1987)
With The Slits
- Revenge of the Killer Slits (2006)
With The Wolfmen
- Modernity Killed Every Night (2008)
- Prisoners of Sodomy (2011)
With Department S
- "Wonderful Day"
- "Is Vic There (Slight return)"
References
- "a b o u t : m a r c o p i r r o n i". Onlyloversleftalive.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- Credits, Kings Of The Wild Frontier album, CBS 1980
- Credits, Prince Charming album, CBS 1981
- Corner, Lena. "How We Met: Siobhan Fahey & Marco Pirroni". The Independent.
- Johns, Brian (1989). Entranced: the Siouxsie and the Banshees story. Omnibus Press. p. 10. ISBN 0-7119-1773-6.
- https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18646/adam-and-the-ants/
- "1982 Winners". TheIvors.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- https://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/three-heads-from-a-dying-monkey-the-headcount-interview
- https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/6574201.heads-headcount/
- https://www.laweekly.com/dave-navarro-and-billy-morrison-keep-their-heads-above-ground/
External links
Preceded by Matthew Ashman |
Adam and the Ants lead guitarist 1980 - 1982 |
Succeeded by Cha Burns |
Preceded by Cha Burns |
Adam Ant lead guitarist 1984 - 2010 |
Succeeded by Will Crewdson |