Join us for an evening with Marco Pirroni as he discusses his autobiography, ‘Your Money or Your Life’.

As the 1980s ushered in a bright new pop future, defiantly shrugging off the hostility and austerity of punk, no band did more to sculpt and represent this flamboyant new musical   landscape than Adam and the Ants. Their music and image thundered across the charts, our TV sets and bedroom walls, searing into the imaginations of a generation.

At the heart of Ant Music stood Marco Pirroni, providing the powerhouse of sounds and songs behind   their dazzling frontman, both as lead guitarist and co-writer of all of the band’s   classic material – including number one singles ‘Prince Charming’ and the Ivor Novello-winning ‘Stand and Deliver’.

Marco Pirroni played guitar with the first incarnation of Siouxsie and the Banshees and was in the line-up for their debut gig at the 100 Club in 1976 with future Sex Pistol Sid Vicious on drums. He was a lynchpin in the UK punk scene but it was alongside Adam Ant that Marco found untold fame and riches.

For the first time, Marco tells his side of the story that has been long documented by others. The book covers Marco’s punk roots and focuses on the glory years of the Ants before   their implosion in 1982. He talks frankly about his complicated relationship with Adam as well as friends and luminaries from the punk scene including Sid Vicious who was often found at Marco’s parents’ house enjoying a cup of tea and getting his washing done.

Long regarded as an authoritative voice on the punk movement Marco now brings his wit and hard-won insights to deliver this brutally honest, viciously funny and deeply affecting memoir.

Marco Pirroni said: ‘Now is a good a time as any - with the 50th anniversary of that 100 Club punk festival looming - to get my story down on paper: from those initial fumblings around Malcolm and Vivienne’s shop as a very young teenager, to playing with the Banshees, and seeing those early Pistols gigs before they’d become a household name, and finally to the huge success I had with Adam in the early ‘80s. The period covered in the book is roughly 1972-1982 and takes in glam/punk/New Romantic through to pop stardom and includes a cast of people who mattered in London throughout that period - better known to me as my friends. You could say I’ve never moved on from that decade but I never will, and, in a lot of ways, I’m happy with that.’

Copies of Marco's book will be available to purchase at the event from Linghams Bookstore and there'll be a dedicated book signing after the talk. Marco is in conversation with former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author, Daniel Rachel.

Marco Pirroni is a songwriter, guitarist and producer.

He teamed up with a little-known punk outfit – Adam and the Ants – in 1980 and within a year the band was on the brink of worldwide acclaim. An integral part of the band, Marco acted as lead guitarist and co-songwriter, penning five number one   singles and a further four top ten hits, with Adam. The two albums he co-wrote for Adam and the Ants – Kings of The Wild Frontier and Prince Charming – both went to number one. When the Ants disbanded in 1983, Marco remained as Adam’s co-writer and musical director, starting straight off with a number one single (Goody Two Shoes) and album (Friend or Foe), followed by nine more top twenty hits. Goody Two Shoes gave Marco his third Ivor Novello award, having picked up two already for Stand and Deliver. Marco’s work with   Adam left an indelible commercial and creative stamp across the eighties and pop music in general. They sold more than six million records worldwide, scoring number ones in Australia, Germany, Greece, Sweden, Israel, Japan and the UK.

Daniel Rachel is a former musician turned award-winning and bestselling author. His previous books include Too Much Too Young: Rude Boys, Racism and the Soundtrack of a   Generation (aTimes, Uncut, Rough Trade US and Resident Musicbook of the year)   and Isle of Noises: Conversations with Great British Songwriters (a Guardian and NME book of the year). He lives in London.