Platinum Weird
Encyclopedia
Platinum Weird is a musical collaboration formed in 2004 between Dave Stewart
and Kara DioGuardi
. It is also the subject of an elaborate hoax placing the band in 1974, including a half hour mockumentary
produced for television network VH1
and a series of bogus World Wide Web
fan sites and related false document
s for the 'lost' group.
. Although the collaboration did not produce the intended Pussycat Dolls songs, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine
encouraged the continuation of the project, and longtime DioGuardi partner John Shanks
was brought in for album production duties.
Stewart confirmed the collaboration in a separate interview.
In March 2005, it was reported that they would release an album entitled Avalanche that year.
MP3
versions of the tracks "Avalanche" and "Happiness" were made available via MySpace
.
conceived by Iovine.
In a November 2005 Rolling Stone
interview, Stewart started to plant the new story about the group's origin, stating that he conceived of the project in 1973. At that time he also disclosed that the project would be accompanied by a short film.
This followed a message posted by Catherine Schwartz
on her Web site that she was working on two Platinum Weird projects, a video for "Happiness" and what she described as a mockumentary
set in the 1970s.
Early in 2006, several Web sites appeared, purporting to be maintained by fans of a band named Platinum Weird that existed from 1973 to 1974. Varying in format and appearance, the sites contained mostly the same text, audio files and images, with some sites claiming to have been online since the 1990s. Weirdos.info even claims to have been on the Web since 1987, even though the World Wide Web itself only appeared in 1991
and the domain was registered on May 10, 2005.
All of these were linked to one another and to the official Platinum Weird Web site. Some of these domains were in fact registered to the New Media Department of Interscope Records and hosted on the same server as interscope.com
, while others are run by existing Eurythmics
fan site operators.
The remaining sites included platinumweirdfans.com,
platinum-weird.co.uk, platinumweird.online.fr and whatisplatinumweird.com. Video clips showing Mick Jagger
, Adam Levine
, Ringo Starr
, Paris Hilton
, Christina Aguilera
, Lindsay Lohan
, Stevie Nicks
and others recalling the band were distributed, along with audio tracks said to have come from 1974.
The fictional version of Platinum Weird is a partnership between Stewart and a mythical singer/songwriter from New York City
named Erin Grace. Erin made a strong impression on numerous artists in the UK, including Stevie Nicks
, who emulated her style. After a handful of performances and with an album partially completed, Erin suddenly disappeared. Apparently distraught over the death of Nick Drake
, she abruptly ran off with Elton John
's boyfriend in late 1974. Soon afterward, she turned up in Los Angeles
, where Don Henley
introduced her to Lindsey Buckingham
, setting into motion a relationship that would be the inspiration for the Fleetwood Mac Rumours
album.
Years later, a young DioGuardi would meet a neighbor in New York, an older hippie
woman who became a mentor in her song-writing efforts. In her 2004 meeting with Stewart, DioGuardi found that she already knew the words to an old Platinum Weird song, "Will You Be Around", that he was playing on his guitar. She had learned the song from her old neighbor, evidently the lost Erin.
In July 2006, VH1 premiered a mockumentary entitled Rock Legends – Platinum Weird, an examination of the band’s unusual story, complete with cameo appearances from such rock legends as Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, Elton John, and Ringo Starr, all reminiscing about the former band’s short-lived heyday and their impressions of the mysterious Erin Grace. On July 5, 2006, the day Rock Legends: Platinum Weird was shown on VH1, Platinum Weird admitted to the hoax in a Los Angeles Times
interview. Stewart did note that the film was "80% true", with real biographical information mixed into the back-story.
In an August 2006 interview, Stewart explained that he did meet a New Yorker in Amsterdam in the 1970s and did write some songs during their brief relationship. She was not, however, the Erin Grace portrayed in the film.
A minor problem with that story is that the drug scene in Amsterdam
was mainly underground until the late sixties/beginning of the 1970s with the opening of the Melkweg
where hash was on open sale. It wasn't until 1974 that the first officially tolerated drug houses opened with the first tolerated Cannabis coffee shop
established on December 17, 1975 which marked the beginning of Amsterdam as drugs capital.
"This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)
" originally appeared on George Harrison
's 1975 album Extra Texture (Read All About It)
. The Platinum Weird release is an alternate recording, also featuring Harrison on lead vocals. One report states that this track was originally recorded in 1992, and completed with 2006 contributions from Stewart, Dhani Harrison
, Starr and Mark Hudson.
Honors show on June 8, 2006.
This was followed by a June 12, 2006 screening of the film Rock Legends: Platinum Weird in New York, described in Billboard magazine as "a documentary film (sort of) about a band by that name".
Another report notes that Stewart treated the film seriously, "insisting the group really did exist."
The film, created by Tomorrow's Brightest Minds/Oil Factory and narrated by Dan Aykroyd
(himself an alumnus of the semi-fictional Blues Brothers), does not credit the actors who played Erin, young Dave, or drummer Brian Parfitt.
entitled Will You Be Around was released to iTunes
on July 4, 2006.
In addition to the title track, it includes "Picture Perfect" and "Lonely Eyes". All three were written by Stewart and DioGuardi.
The group's first album, Make Believe
, was released on October 10, 2006 - a set of ten previously unreleased recordings "from 1974." Best Buy
stores in America exclusively carried a 2-disc edition of Make Believe featuring the standard 10-track "1974" album, and a bonus disc of the 12 2005-2006 recordings.
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
and Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
. It is also the subject of an elaborate hoax placing the band in 1974, including a half hour mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
produced for television network VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and a series of bogus World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
fan sites and related false document
False document
A false document is a literary technique employed to create verisimilitude in a work of fiction. By inventing and inserting documents that appear to be factual, an author tries to create a sense of authenticity beyond the normal and expected suspension of disbelief for a work of art...
s for the 'lost' group.
Origin
In a 2005 interview, DioGuardi explained that she and Stewart were asked to write songs for The Pussycat Dolls in 2004. Instead, the pair ended up with material that DioGuardi described as resembling Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
. Although the collaboration did not produce the intended Pussycat Dolls songs, Interscope chairman Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
encouraged the continuation of the project, and longtime DioGuardi partner John Shanks
John Shanks
John Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
was brought in for album production duties.
Stewart confirmed the collaboration in a separate interview.
In March 2005, it was reported that they would release an album entitled Avalanche that year.
MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
versions of the tracks "Avalanche" and "Happiness" were made available via MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
.
Back-story
Believing that the unusual combination of an older, well-known artist and a relatively unknown, albeit highly successful, writer for much younger performers may not be accepted by the public, they adopted an elaborate back-storyBack-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
conceived by Iovine.
In a November 2005 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
interview, Stewart started to plant the new story about the group's origin, stating that he conceived of the project in 1973. At that time he also disclosed that the project would be accompanied by a short film.
This followed a message posted by Catherine Schwartz
Catherine Schwartz
Catherine Michelle Schwartz is an American television personality perhaps best known for her former role as co-host on the TechTV television program Call for Help with Leo Laporte.-Early years:...
on her Web site that she was working on two Platinum Weird projects, a video for "Happiness" and what she described as a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
set in the 1970s.
Early in 2006, several Web sites appeared, purporting to be maintained by fans of a band named Platinum Weird that existed from 1973 to 1974. Varying in format and appearance, the sites contained mostly the same text, audio files and images, with some sites claiming to have been online since the 1990s. Weirdos.info even claims to have been on the Web since 1987, even though the World Wide Web itself only appeared in 1991
and the domain was registered on May 10, 2005.
All of these were linked to one another and to the official Platinum Weird Web site. Some of these domains were in fact registered to the New Media Department of Interscope Records and hosted on the same server as interscope.com
, while others are run by existing Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
fan site operators.
The remaining sites included platinumweirdfans.com,
platinum-weird.co.uk, platinumweird.online.fr and whatisplatinumweird.com. Video clips showing Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
, Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
and others recalling the band were distributed, along with audio tracks said to have come from 1974.
The fictional version of Platinum Weird is a partnership between Stewart and a mythical singer/songwriter from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
named Erin Grace. Erin made a strong impression on numerous artists in the UK, including Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, who emulated her style. After a handful of performances and with an album partially completed, Erin suddenly disappeared. Apparently distraught over the death of Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
, she abruptly ran off with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's boyfriend in late 1974. Soon afterward, she turned up in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
introduced her to Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
, setting into motion a relationship that would be the inspiration for the Fleetwood Mac Rumours
Rumours
Rumours is the eleventh studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. Largely recorded in California during 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut and was released on 4 February 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. The record peaked at the top of both the...
album.
Years later, a young DioGuardi would meet a neighbor in New York, an older hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
woman who became a mentor in her song-writing efforts. In her 2004 meeting with Stewart, DioGuardi found that she already knew the words to an old Platinum Weird song, "Will You Be Around", that he was playing on his guitar. She had learned the song from her old neighbor, evidently the lost Erin.
In July 2006, VH1 premiered a mockumentary entitled Rock Legends – Platinum Weird, an examination of the band’s unusual story, complete with cameo appearances from such rock legends as Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, Elton John, and Ringo Starr, all reminiscing about the former band’s short-lived heyday and their impressions of the mysterious Erin Grace. On July 5, 2006, the day Rock Legends: Platinum Weird was shown on VH1, Platinum Weird admitted to the hoax in a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
interview. Stewart did note that the film was "80% true", with real biographical information mixed into the back-story.
In an August 2006 interview, Stewart explained that he did meet a New Yorker in Amsterdam in the 1970s and did write some songs during their brief relationship. She was not, however, the Erin Grace portrayed in the film.
A minor problem with that story is that the drug scene in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
was mainly underground until the late sixties/beginning of the 1970s with the opening of the Melkweg
Melkweg
The Melkweg is a popular music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is located on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the Leidseplein, a prime nightlife center of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former warehouse and is divided into a number of spaces of varying sizes...
where hash was on open sale. It wasn't until 1974 that the first officially tolerated drug houses opened with the first tolerated Cannabis coffee shop
Cannabis coffee shop
Coffeeshops are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities ....
established on December 17, 1975 which marked the beginning of Amsterdam as drugs capital.
Pre-release tracks
The tracks distributed from platinumweird.com and fan Web sites include "Happiness", "This Guitar", "Lonely Eyes", "If You Believe" and "Picture Perfect New", also an interview said to be taped in 1974. This version of "Happiness" is quieter than the earlier MySpace version, sung in a lower register."This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying)
This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)
"This Guitar " is a song by George Harrison and the third track on his 1975 studio album Extra Texture . In December 1975, the song was released as the second single from that album in the United States, failing to chart in any singles chart...
" originally appeared on George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's 1975 album Extra Texture (Read All About It)
Extra Texture (Read All About It)
Extra Texture is an album by George Harrison which was released in 1975. Following the Dark Horse debacle, Extra Texture was Harrison's last album under his contract with Apple Records and EMI, all set to embark on his own Dark Horse Records imprint, initially distributed by A&M Records.Once...
. The Platinum Weird release is an alternate recording, also featuring Harrison on lead vocals. One report states that this track was originally recorded in 1992, and completed with 2006 contributions from Stewart, Dhani Harrison
Dhani Harrison
Dhani Harrison is an English musician and the son of George Harrison of The Beatles and Olivia Harrison. Harrison debuted as a professional musician when completing his father's final album Brainwashed after George Harrison's death in November 2001...
, Starr and Mark Hudson.
Film and live debut
The real Platinum Weird performed at the Recording AcademyNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS, is a U.S. organization of musicians, producers, recording engineers and other recording professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its...
Honors show on June 8, 2006.
This was followed by a June 12, 2006 screening of the film Rock Legends: Platinum Weird in New York, described in Billboard magazine as "a documentary film (sort of) about a band by that name".
Another report notes that Stewart treated the film seriously, "insisting the group really did exist."
The film, created by Tomorrow's Brightest Minds/Oil Factory and narrated by Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
(himself an alumnus of the semi-fictional Blues Brothers), does not credit the actors who played Erin, young Dave, or drummer Brian Parfitt.
Releases
A Platinum Weird EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled Will You Be Around was released to iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on July 4, 2006.
In addition to the title track, it includes "Picture Perfect" and "Lonely Eyes". All three were written by Stewart and DioGuardi.
The group's first album, Make Believe
Make Believe (Platinum Weird album)
Make Believe is the first album by Platinum Weird. To tie in with the band's back-story, it was marketed as a "lost" album from 1974, with vocals credited to fictional lead singer Erin Grace. In reality, the album was written and recorded in 2005 and 2006, with vocals by Kara DioGuardi...
, was released on October 10, 2006 - a set of ten previously unreleased recordings "from 1974." Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
stores in America exclusively carried a 2-disc edition of Make Believe featuring the standard 10-track "1974" album, and a bonus disc of the 12 2005-2006 recordings.
See also
- Chris GainesChris GainesChris Gaines is a fictional alternative rock persona created as an alter ego for Garth Brooks to explore rock and roll styles far removed from his success as a country singer....
- The Dukes of StratosphearThe Dukes of StratosphearThe Dukes of Stratosphear was a pseudonym used by the British rock band XTC in the mid to late 1980s, concurrently with XTC's continued musical activities...
- Spinal TapSpinal Tap (band)Spinal Tap is a parody heavy metal band that first appeared on a failed 1979 ABC TV sketch comedy pilot called "The T.V. Show", starring Rob Reiner...
- The RutlesThe RutlesThe Rutles are a band that are known for their visual and aural pastiches and parodies of The Beatles. Originally created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes as a fictional band to be featured as part of various 1970s television programming, the group recorded, toured, and released two UK chart hits in...
External links
- Interview: Platinum Weird's Dave Stewart and Kara DioGuardi
- Rock Legends: Platinum Weird, offered by Interscope in podcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
installments, iTunes format (RSS link, nonstandard) - Platinum Weird Fansite with lyrics, photos, videos, songs, articles, storyboards, ...