Tune into VH-1 on July 5th at 6p to find out.
In 1974, Dave Stewart formed a band called Platinum Weird in North London with his female songwriting partner, muse and soul mate, Erin Grace. The pair originally met a few months earlier and formed a creative and spiritual bond. Their debut gig
was at Mick Jagger’s birthday party where they quickly enjoyed a cult-like status performing at intimate gigs in London’s rock club circuit. Elton John’s Rocket label signed the band, putting down an advance to send them into studio and lay down tracks.
Erin’s behavior during the making of the album was unpredictable and eccentric. Prone to mood swings and emotional insecurity, she would often disappear for days, and then reappear as if nothing was unusual with a smile and couple of new songs. Perhaps because of her unconventional persona, men desired her and women emulated her. "She was wispy and elusive," Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, once said. "I wasn’t quite sure what she was about, but I kind of copied her look."
With art work finalized and a release date penciled in, Erin vanished again, leaving Dave nothing but a demo of a song called ‘Will You Be Around’ and a closet of metal hangers where she used to keep her clothes. As suddenly as she had appeared in Dave’s life, she was gone. "In a strange way," reflects Mick Jagger, "I think Dave was the least surprised by what happened. Knowing her nature, I think he found it kind of appropriate."
The highly anticipated eponymous album of Platinum Weird was never released and its name disappeared from public consciousness as quickly as the elusive songstress herself. Dave went into a deep depression, a period he later referred to as his ‘lost years.’
VH1
Yes, I believed the Behind the Music with Garth Brooks’ alter-ego Chris Gaines too.
