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WP_106/ 2006
(  Satoshi Kinoshita )
| Series: | Works on paper: Paintings 2 | | Medium: | acrylic on paper | | Size (inches): | 21.6 x 15.4 | | Size (mm): | 555 x 395 | | Catalog #: | WP_0106 | | Description: | Signed, date and copyright in pencil on the reverse.
If I were dead, Id be the last to know!
-Paul McCartney in Scotland in 1969/ experts.about.com/q/McCartney-Paul-517/Paul-Dead.htm
Paul Is Dead:
The Paul Is Dead phenomenon began with a series of rumours in the 1960s that led some fans of the popular rock band The Beatles to believe that bassist and singer Paul McCartney had died and been replaced by a look-alike in 1966. McCartney is alive and well as of 2006.
Evidence for McCartney's death consists of hundreds of "clues" found in the Beatles' many recordings. They include statements allegedly heard when a song is played backwards; symbolism found in obscure lyrics; even references drawn from the relative position of illustrations on the covers of LPs.
"Paul Is Dead" is one of the best-known examples of an urban legend or hoax (it is often unclear whether proponents spread the story as a joke or as a real conspiracy theory). The rumour has been the topic of much sociological examination because it is unusual in the way its development, growth and debunking took place very publicly, due to the Beatles' enormous popularity.
Background:
The rumours surrounding McCartney began in earnest on October 12, 1969, when someone identifying himself as "Tom" (allegedly Tom Zarski of Eastern Michigan University) called Russ Gibb, a radio DJ on WKNR-FM in Dearborn, Michigan (serving the Detroit market), and announced that McCartney was dead. Fred Labour, a junior at the University of Michigan, published a review of Abbey Road called "McCartney Dead; New Evidence Brought to Light", itemizing various "clues" of McCartney's death on Beatles album covers, in the October 14, 1969 issue of the Michigan Daily. Adding to the mystery, Terry Knight, a former Detroit DJ and then singer on Capitol Records, released a cryptic, portentous song, "Saint Paul," shortly after his alleged meeting with McCartney in London. Gibb also produced (with John Small and Dan Carlisle) an hour-long radio show on the rumour, The Beatle Plot, which aired on WKNR-FM in late 1969 and has been repeated in the years since on Detroit radio.
Soon, national and international media picked up on the story and a new "Beatle craze" took off. The rumour eventually became a full-fledged conspiracy theory as members of the media and Beatles fans searched album artwork and song lyrics for clues to the cover-up and McCartney's supposed death.
The most common belief was that McCartney, while working on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, stormed out of a recording session, and in disgust, rode off in his Aston Martin. "He didn't notice that the lights had changed" ("A Day in the Life") because he was busy watching the pretty girl on the sidewalk ("Lovely Rita") after narrowly missing her (dressed in blue (she's the blur on the back of the Abbey Road)) jaywalking ("Blue Jay Way"). He then crashed into a light pole (a car crash sound is heard in "Revolution 9") and, dying from massive head injuries, burned to death (having "lost (his) hair" according to "Don't Pass Me By"). He was pronounced dead on a "Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins" (the day and time mentioned in "She's Leaving Home"). A funeral procession was held days later (as implied in the Abbey Road album cover), with John presiding over the service. After gravedigger George buries the body, John was known to have proclaimed "I buried Paul" (as implied in "Strawberry Fields Forever"). Meanwhile, Brian Epstein, stunned over the loss of McCartney, overdoses and dies. According to believers, McCartney had been replaced with the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest. The name of this look-alike has been recorded as William Shears Campbell, Billy Shears (the name of the fictitious leader of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), William Sheppard (based on the inspiration for the Beatle song "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill"), or some combination of the names. Many fans are convinced that the rumour was a hoax perpetrated deliberately by the Beatles as a joke, though this has been denied by all four members numerous times.
The rumour and its history have been exhaustively examined in the book Turn Me On, Dead Man: The Beatles and the "Paul-Is-Dead" Hoax by Andru J. Reeve, the latest edition published in October 2004. In 2005, Wouter Van Opdorp explored the origin of the rumour in the documentary film "Who Buried Paul McCartney?"
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band:
The Sgt. Pepper's cover.
Mostly due to its highly detailed cover, the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album has been alleged to have the most "clues" out of all the Beatles albums.
Cover -
According to believers, the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band cover shows a group of mourners standing in front of a freshly dug grave. Around the "grave", there are several symbols. A doll with a cracked head represents McCartney's fatal injury; another doll has printed on its shirt "Welcome the Rolling Stones" (The Beatles #1 competition at the time), a toy car on one knee and a bloody driving glove on the other. Below this doll we can see the flower arangement that looks like a car trailing fire. This is another reference to the car accident. A TV that is not turned on represents the news blackout about his death. Over the letter L in Beatles can be seen McCartney's rugby trophy. Under the word "BEATLES" yellow flowers in the shape of a bass guitar can be seen, representing the instrument Paul often played. Also, the guitar is facing the direction it would if a left-handed guitarist were playing it. Paul was the only left-handed guitarist in the Beatles. Within the flowers comprising the this guitar shape, the word "PAUL" followed by a question mark can be seen. Also, there are only three strings on the guitar, where a bass guitar usually has four, representing the loss of one member of the four person band. A small statue of the Hindu goddess Kali can be seen in front of the "grave", who is allegedly pointing a finger at Paul. In the Hindu tradition, Kali is the destroyer.
The Beatles Themselves -
McCartney is the only person holding a wooden instrument, representing his coffin, and the instrument is the only one that is black, representing death. The instrument itself is a cor anglais, which is the only instrument shown on the cover which is not used in a marching band. Paul's "true" instrument would have been the tuba, which is sitting unused at feet of the wax figure of Ringo. Paul is the only Beatle wearing a "cool" colour (blue), while the other three Beatles are all wearing warm colours. It also appears like he's being propped up by Ringo Starr and Harrison, as if rigor mortis had set in. Others see this as the image of McCartney not being himself, but rather a cardboard cut-out. McCartney is the only person with a hand over his head, a religious symbol for blessing the dead. The hand belongs to Stephen Crane, an American writer who died at the age of 28. Paul is taller than John and George, possibly indicating that it is possibly 'the replacement' in the photo, as Paul, John, and George are the same height.
The Colours -
The flowers on the grave have different colours that may relate to Paul. Dark purple evokes gloom and sad feelings. Red is the colour of blood, desire, and love, which could point to the way Paul died or to the love the other Beatles have for him. Purple is associated with dignity, creativity, mystery, and magic. This colour could have been used to indicate the mystery surrounding Paul's death.
The colours of Paul's suit may have some significance when combined with his pose. Paul is standing in a military pose as if he is holding a rifle. In heraldry, yellow indicates honour and loyalty and blue is used to symbolise piety and sincerity. Aqua is associated with emotional healing and protection. This could mean that Paul is loyal to the Beatles even after his death by being replaced with his substitute. Or that the other Beatles digest the loss with Paul's substitute, as if he still was with them.
"1 ONE I X HE ^ DIE" -
A demonstration of the flipped "LONELY HEARTS" text on the front of the cover of Sgt. Pepper's.
An interesting trick is to take a shiny, polished butter knife (or a small mirror) and lay it horizontally across the words "LONELY HEARTS" on the drum on the cover of Sgt. Pepper. The top half of the words, combined with their mirror image, spells out "1 ONE I X HE ^ DIE".
This has been interpreted by believers in two ways. The first is the 1, the "ONE" and the I each represent one of the Beatles, while the "X" signals one is missing, the explanation being "HE DIE(d)". The second interpretation is that the date of Paul's alleged death is given. In this interpretation, the "1" and "ONE" make the number 11, meaning November, the eleventh month. The "I" and "X" are taken to represent Roman numerals making the number 9, which would be the day of the month. According to this interpretation, the message is "November 9th, he died". This theory is in accordance with the belief that the lyrics of the song "She's Leaving Home" gives his death day as Wednesday. November 9th of the alleged death year, 1966, was, in fact, a Wednesday. If the 'date' is read in the British way (D/M/Y instead of M/D/Y), it would be September 11th.
In both cases, the arrow formed between "HE" and "DIE" appears to point to Paul, signifying they're talking about him.
Back Cover -
On the back cover of Sgt. Pepper McCartney is facing backwards, which is supposedly because he was dead and replaced with an imposter in the photograph. It is possible he was absent on the day that shot was taken, and it is indeed somebody else, roadie Mal Evans (although McCartney was present in alternate photographs, as seen in the 1987 compact disc reissue). Also, George Harrison is pointing to the lyric "Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins" from the song "She's Leaving Home", allegedly a reference to the day and time when Paul crashed and was killed. The words next to McCartney's head are "Without You", hinting they're missing their allegedly dead friend.
The other Beatles' hands could be spelling a word - George's fingers could be spelling the letter 'L', John is spelling the letter 'V' and Ringo is spelling the letter 'E'. The only letter missing is 'O', that would spell 'L-O-V-E'. This has been suggested to be singling out Paul McCartney, being the only Beatle without an 'O' in his name (unlike George, John and Ringo).
The badge -
The inside cover of the Sgt. Pepper album has Paul wearing an emblem on his shirt sleeve whose initials have been suggested to be "O.P.D." ,for "officially pronounced dead". Most believe, however, that it in fact reads "O.P.P.", and it is a badge for the Ontario Provincial Police. Due to this, Paul's supposed replacement has been suggested to have been a policeman in Ontario.
Lyrics:
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/"Billy's Here" -
On the first track, "Paul" introduces "Billy Shears," the leader of the fictional Sgt Pepper's band. It has been observed that if you move the beginning letter of "Shears" to the end of Billy, it is now pronounced that "Billys Hear" or "Billy's Here," signifying that the real Paul is gone and Mr. William Shears Campbell has taken his place, however that doesn't explain what you do with the final "s", in reality it would be Billys Hears.
A Day in the Life -
Lennon's dramatisation of the demise of Tara Browne in the first part of "A Day in the Life" has been suggested by some to be an account of Paul's death. According to this theory, he was driving erratically under the influence of hallucinogenic compounds ("he blew his mind out in a car") and crashed because "he didn't notice that the lights had changed." The line "They'd seen his face before" is suggested to refer to the fact that many of the witnesses of the crash knew what Paul looked like, at least before the alleged disfiguring accident. In addition to this, some contest that the line "Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords" is really "Nobody was really sure if he was from the house of Paul."
Ironically, according to The Beatles Anthology book, Paul McCartney crashed his moped while riding alongside Tara Browne sometime in early 1966. This left McCartney alive and well, but with a badly cut upper lip (the scar can be seen on close examination of Revolver-era photos of McCartney) which encouraged him to grow a moustache to cover it.
The gibberish at the end of the song on the original UK LP and eventual CD edition of the album, the so-called "Inner Groove", when played in reverse has interpreted as, among other things, "Will Paul be back as Superman?". The commonly accepted interpretation however is "We'll fuck you like a superman", as described by Paul McCartney in his biography Many Years From Now (although yet another interpretation is "Yeah we're looking at you Superman").
Other Lyrical Clues -
Some believers consider Lennon's song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" to be a list of directions to McCartney's urn. Also, it is interesting to note that the capitalised letters in the song name "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is LSD, and Paul was under hallucinogenics when he "crashed the car".
Paul's "Fixing a Hole" contains lyrics that may refer to his alleged fatal head injury: "I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in, and stops my mind from wandering", which led many believers to the conclusion that Paul's accident happened during a rainstorm. Others interpreted this line to be a reference to his fans weeping for him.
Paul's "Lovely Rita" contains "...I took her home, I nearly made it..." which has been interpreted as hinting to Paul's failure to reach his destination due to the crash. It has also been suggested that Rita was a hitchhiker who Paul picked up on the night of his alleged death.
The lines "nothing to do to save his life, call his wife" from Lennon's "Good Morning, Good Morning" have also caught the attention of Paul is Dead believers, despite the fact that Paul wasn't married.
Harrison's "Within You Without You" has the lyrics "life goes on within you and without you" and what could be interpreted as the sounds of weeping near the end.
William Shears Campbell -
William Campbell (sometime the name is elaborated into William Shears Campbell) is a fictional Paul McCartney look-alike whose purported existence arose from the fevered efforts of conspiracy theorists to find significance in album photos and hidden musical messages during the Paul is Dead hoax. According to urban legend, a William Campbell won a "Paul look-alike" contest in 1966 and was induced to impersonate Paul after Paul died. In fact such contests were held, but no William Campbell ever won one.
These morsels were concocted together into one more-or-less cohesive tale: that the real Paul, killed in a car crash, had been replaced by a Canadian policeman named either William Campbell or Billy Shears, who had undergone plastic surgery in order to effect a perfect likeness, and who had previously won a Paul McCartney look-alike contest. The letters "OPD," appearing on a costume in a photograph on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, were interpreted variously as standing for "Officially Pronounced Dead" and an indication that Billy Campbell had worked in the Ontario Police Department (which doesn't exist in Canada, but in California!). (The badge on Paul's arm in the Sgt Pepper's album is that of the Ontario Provincial Police, which was given to him by a Canadian fan. The badge does not contain the lettering "OPD" but rather "OPP".)
Also on Sgt. Pepper, "Billy Shears" is the name of the lead singer for the fictional Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band that the Beatles were originally planning to "play" on the album. Though this concept was largely discarded, the end of the title track includes a lyric referring to the "one and only Billy Shears," played by Ringo Starr, who sings the lead vocal on the next song, "With a Little Help from My Friends."
Satiric references: Batman #222 (June 1970). Art by Neal Adams.
The June 1970 issue of the DC Comics title Batman parodied the rumour with a story in which it is rumoured that the "Paul" member of the band "Dead...Til Proven Alive" was deceased and replaced with a double. The twist was that "Paul" was the only survivor of a plane crash that claimed his bandmates and he hired doubles of them, starting the rumour that he died to cover up his actions.
The "Dirk is Deaf" theory uses similar 'clues' to prove that Dirk McQuickly, the "Paul" character within The Rutles, was hit by an ice cream truck, resulting in his deafness. This is also rooted in the fact that, while the other "Rutles" played their parts on screen and in the sound studio, Dirk's bass and vocals were provided by the late session musician Ollie Hallsal, while onscreen he was played by Eric Idle. Likewise, the Rutle "documentary," All You Need Is Cash brings mention to a rumour that Stig O'Hara (the "George" equivalent) died in a flash fire at a waterbed shop. Among the "clues" were that, when played backwards, "Sgt. Rutter's Only Darts Club Band" sounds very much like "Stig has been dead for ages, honestly."
When Paul played on Saturday Night Live in 1993, he took part in the The Chris Farley Show skit, the highlight of which was Farley (with his usual flair for being flustered and awkward) asking Paul, "Remember when you were in the Beatles and you were supposed to be dead, and there were all these clues and everything and everyone thought you were dead... That was a hoax, right?" to which Paul replied, "Yeah. I wasn't really dead."
When McCartney guest-starred on The Simpsons in "Lisa the Vegetarian", he claimed there was a vegetarian hidden message in "Maybe I'm Amazed". Indeed, over the closing credits the song played and with a backmasked lentil soup recipe. At the end, he says "Oh, and by the way, I'm alive." Additionally, in "D'oh-in In the Wind," a psychedelic version of the regular theme is played during the credits, over which Homer says "I buried Flanders!"
In John Safran's Music Jamboree, there was a segment about the conspiracy, followed by a mock George Harrison-is-dead conspiracy, after his death in 2001, using clues like the Time magazine article detailing his death. At the end of the segment on the screen the text "Did you know: Ringo Starr and John Lennon are the only surviving members of the Beatles".
The Onion's Our Dumb Century collection includes a headline from December 1980 that reads, "New album clues reveal that John Lennon is dead."
The band SR-71 released a song called Paul McCartney on their debut album Now You See Inside which references that Paul is dead.
The Union Underground wrote a song called "Turn Me On, Mr. Dead Man", a reference to the "Revolution 9" clue "Turn me on, dead man".
In the film Sleepless in Seattle, Tom Hanks' character, Sam Baldwin, comes home to find his son, Jonah, listening to an album with a female friend. Jonah declares "Dad, this is incredible. If you play it backward it says "Paul is Dead"."
-en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Is_Dead
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