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"I don't like playing notes, I can't anyway, I've never tried I just like the noises you can get out of it"
Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni was born of Italian parentage in Camden Town on 27th April 1959. Soon after he was born the family moved to Harrow and Wealdstone.
Marco was given his first guitar when he was 13 which he described as a "terrible nylon string acoustic which was really hard work and something I couldn't play at all".
Marco attended art school in 1976 where he was singled out for having green hair. The teachers were told to ignore what he wore and not to comment on it "I was so proud" he recalls.
It was life outside of college that Marco found more interesting though. He was also a regular visitor to Malcolm Mclarens infamous shop on the Kings Road, SEX.
The inside of the shop was decorated in aerosol graffiti and rubber, the whole place had a feeling of decadence about it. Many big players of the future punk scene could be found in there and it rapidly became a focal point for the punk fashion industry.
Marco's first band was called The Infants which he formed at art school. Marco left and the band transformed into the punk band Chelsea.
The 20th September 1976, the 100 club, London. Punk festival Siouxie & The Banshees make their debut appearance and Marco is on guitar.
This wasn't a long standing arrangement though, Marco left the Banshees after one gig and spent a short time in Sid Vicous' band The Flowers of Romance. He recalls it as being "chaotic".
Marco's next band would be the Beastly Cads coining a phrase used by Billy Bunter, The Beastly Cads made their debut at Lowlands 6th form College. "We were told to come off after a few numbers because we were in bad taste".
This band would later become The Models, featuring on drums Terry Lee,who was known then as Terry Day.
The Models lasted from October 1976 to April 1978 during which time a single was released on Step Forward records "Freeze/Man of the Year".
His next band, Rema Rema, allowed him to stretch out musically and do 'all kinds of weird feedback shit', Rema only did a few club gigs and by the end of 1979 Marco found himself 'just waiting for something to happen.'
It was during Marco's time with the Models that Adam Ant
first saw Marco play when the Models supported the Ants at Crayford Town Hall 1977. Adam later described Marco as "magic, a really ballsy sound, he'd got a good sound".
In an interview at the time Marco described his guitar... "I don't like playing notes, I can't anyway, I've never tried I just like the noises you can get out of it"
Adam however was more positive "I saw Marco in Rema Rema which was like one big feedback nightmare and I still thought he was good. He took Robert Fripp to the cleaners, to me Marco has for a long time been the best guitarist around".
on 28th January 1980, three years after Marco had made such an impression on Adam, they met in a cake shop in Covent Garden. And then they made history...
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Tags: john robb interview marco pirroni adam and the ants
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