Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart gave a lifelong fan the surprise of his life when he turned up at his home and decided to shoot his latest music video in the living room.
Steve Gayler, who has spent years filling his house in the Buckinghamshire village of Wingrave with memorabilia celebrating the 1980s duo, had arranged for Stewart to visit and look through his extensive archive. Stewart, 74, who formed Eurythmics with Annie Lennox in 1980, was accompanied by creative director Kyle Wilkinson, with whom he has been working on a series of videos for his latest album.
While looking around the house, the pair decided it would be the perfect location to film the video for Stewart's new single, Cry If You Want To.
Fan's disbelief at the surprise
Steve, who has collected Eurythmics memorabilia for years, could scarcely believe what was happening. He said: "I've spent years bringing Eurythmics into my home through their music and collection of memorabilia – I never imagined I'd be welcoming Dave Stewart through the front door."
"Having him shoot a video here has given me a whole new set of memories in a place already full of them. I'm still pinching myself."
Stewart, whose partnership with Lennox produced hits including Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and There Must Be an Angel, said he had been struck by the amount of care Steve had put into preserving the band's history.
A new video from a visit
Stewart said: "Visiting Steve brought another side of that history into view: what the music has meant to someone else, and the care they've taken to preserve it."
"We went there to see his archive and came away having made a new video together. I love that the past can still lead you somewhere unexpected."
The video, released today, accompanies Stewart's new ten-track album, The Way It Was Back Then, which explores his memories of life, love and music.
Second video and album release
Another video, for the album's title track, sees Stewart walking through London's Soho, revisiting old haunts including the Marquee Club, where he performed early in his career, and Bar Italia.
Wilkinson said: "The two films look at Dave's history from different sides: his own memories of Soho, and the way Steve has kept that history alive in his home. It felt right to make something new in a place that holds so much of the past."
The new album and videos are released through RARE Entity, a venture group Stewart recently co-founded with the stated aim of helping artists retain control of their creative work. The Way It Was Back Then is out now.
