Is he dead? I don't think so, but a lot of people do and with all these conspiracy theories I don't blame them.
In October of 1969, three weeks after the Beatles' celebrated Abbey Road album was released, WKNR-FM's Russ Gibb took a call from a man who identified himself only as "Tom." The Detroit deejay listened as the caller carefully laid out clues hidden in Beatles' songs and album art, which he said indicated Paul McCartney had died on November 9, 1966, in an automobile accident. Listeners began deluging New York City radio stations with "evidence" and soon the rumor spread around the world. Was this a Beatles' publicity stunt, a fan feeding-frenzy fueled by clues left as an inside joke by John Lennon—or was Paul really dead?
Piecing together clues from songs, films and album covers, conspiracy buffs have come up with this scenario: During the early-morning hours of November 9, 1966, Paul argued with his bandmates in the studio while recording songs for their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. He left in a huff just before 5 a.m. While driving to a friend's house, Paul picked up a female hitchhiker who couldn't control her excitement when she realized who was behind the wheel. She lunged to hug Paul, causing him to lose control of his Aston Martin. It smashed into a stone fence and burst into flames, killing them both. Paul was decapitated and burnt to a crisp, making a positive ID difficult. Despite no evidence to support either the story of the fatal crash or of a cover-up, the rumors persisted.
The theory of why a cover-up of Paul's alleged death was necessary goes something like this: Because of all the money the Beatles contributed to England's tax coffers, their continued success was vital to the financial health of the nation. So the British government, in cahoots with the surviving members of the Beatles, their producer George Martin, manager Brian Epstein (pictured above), recording engineer Geoff Emerick and road manager Mal Evans, conspired to cover-up Paul's death. It was speculated that in return they were given a huge sum of money and guaranteed success in whatever future endeavors they engaged. They all denied any conspiracy.
In order for McCartney's death to be kept under wraps, the Beatles would need a look-alike to sub for him. It's said they found the perfect candidate in an actor named William Shears Campbell, the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest who resembled the singer so much that he was supposedly on the Beatles' payroll as a stand-in to throw off fans and the press. The name may ring a bell from the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" lyric on the album of the same name: "So let me introduce to you / The one and only Billy Shears / And Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The cover of the groundbreaking album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, has multiple indications that Paul McCartney may not have survived. The Beatles, wearing their new hippy attire, stand in the middle of the cover overlooking what appears to be a flower-covered grave. To their right are wax mannequins—borrowed from Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum—of the younger Beatles sadly looking down toward the "grave."
The ornate drumhead in the center of the cover that says "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" may be the most deliberate clue of all. When you hold a straight-edge mirror perpendicular to the center of the drum, in the middle of the words "Lonely Hearts," the reflection reads, I ONE IX HE ♦ DIE ("One one nine he die," or November 9 he die). The diamond points to McCartney.
Also on the Sgt. Peppers cover, a doll of a girl sits on the lap of an old woman. "Welcome the Rolling Stones" is printed on her sweater. Were the Beatles insinuating that since Paul's death, the Rolling Stones had surpassed them to become the world's greatest rock band? On the doll's right leg sits a toy Aston Martin (the type of car that Paul drove) and at its left side is a bloody driving glove.
Magical Mystery Tour was conceived as a television movie and album. It features both visual and musical clues starting with the group in disguise—with Paul dressed as a walrus. Allegedly, in the Nordic-Viking culture, the walrus is a symbol of death.
In the Magical Mystery Tour film, as the group performs "I Am the Walrus," Paul in stocking feet stands next to an empty pair of blood-spattered shoes and the drumhead reads "Love the 3 Beatles" (implying, perhaps, that there were only three surviving members of the group).
John Lennon began experimenting with backmasking (adding backward voices and music) in earnest on the White Album. When played backward, one of the songs, "Revolution 9," contains a voice that seems to say, "Turn me on, dead man" several times. And what sounds like "Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him" is heard on the "I'm So Tired" track.
Let It Be was the second-to-last Beatles album to be recorded, but the last to be released. On the cover, Paul is the only Beatle whose face is partially obscured (by a microphone). He is also the only one not photographed in profile and with a white background. Paul's background is blood red.
On the cover of the last album that the Beatles recorded, Abbey Road, the band is photographed crossing Abbey Road in London, outside of British music company EMI's Abbey Road Recording Studios. Paul is out of step with the other Beatles, barefoot and with his eyes closed. In many countries, including England, bodies are buried shoeless. Also, the way that the Beatles are dressed on the cover is said to have this meaning:
Lennon in white - the preacher
Starr in black - the undertaker
"McCartney" in a suit and barefoot - the corpse
Harrison in blue jeans and work shirt - the grave digger
Conspiracy lore says that in 1980, John Lennon was about to make public the cover-up of Paul's death when he was assassinated by Mark David Chapman—and that Chapman was hypnotized and conditioned to kill Lennon by MI5's Maxwell.
Credit to Trutv.com for this info.
Lennon in white - the preacher
Starr in black - the undertaker
"McCartney" in a suit and barefoot - the corpse
Harrison in blue jeans and work shirt - the grave digger
Conspiracy lore says that in 1980, John Lennon was about to make public the cover-up of Paul's death when he was assassinated by Mark David Chapman—and that Chapman was hypnotized and conditioned to kill Lennon by MI5's Maxwell.
Credit to Trutv.com for this info.
