Welcome back to "Fact or Fiction". It's been a while since I last wrote one of these, but for those who aren't familiar with the series, "Fact or Fiction" focuses on modern mythological creatures and strange events. This week's article, however, is not about a creature per se but rather about a person - or, as some believe, two people.
Since the late sixties, there has been a rumor floating around that Paul McCartney, lead singer of the Beatles, died in a 1966 car accident, and that a look-alike was put in his place to keep record sales high and their fan base large. Some of the proof conspiracy theorists have come up with are: small but noticeable changes in McCartney's appearance, a change in the Beatles' style of music, and evidence placed throughout their post-1966 music that hinted towards the fact the true McCartney was dead.
Who is Faul?
In 1965, there was a Paul McCartney look-alike contest, and the winner was a man named William Campbell. After 1969 when the conspiracy theory exploded with popularity, theorists named the McCartney they thought to be a phony "Faul", or fake Paul. This name has been around since, and even if the McCartney around today is the real Paul, some are not convinced and refer to him with the previously mentioned nick-name.
Paul's Appearance
Many people believe that the most crucial piece of evidence that proves McCartney was indeed replaced was the fact his appearance changed significantly between late 1966 and 1968. Some of the features people have noticed changing are his chin shape, nose shape, eye shape, eye color, height, and the formation of lines on his skin thought to be from plastic surgery. Also, some of the sagginess in present-day McCartney's face is believed by some to be the aftermath of Faul's heavy plastic surgery to look more like the real musician.
Hints in Their Album Covers and Lyrics
The cover for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club", a Beatles album put out in June of 1967, is said to be a hint towards McCartney's death. The Beatles members are shown in bright outfits looking down on what appears to be a grave. There are also mannequins of the Beatles members several years ago looking down on the grave.
Another hint from this album was that when the drum in the center of the cover is seen through a mirror place perpendicular, it reads "I ONE IX HE ♦ DIE" or "One one nine he die." November ninth was the day that McCartney supposedly died. The diamond also points to McCartney.
On the back cover of this album, Harrison and McCartney are shown against a red background, which resemble blood. Harrison's thumb is pointing to the lyrics, "Wednesday morning at 5 am as the day begins," which is the time and day of the week McCartney's death was rumored to be.
The Beatles are shown in the movie and album "Magical Mystery Tour" wearing costumes. Paul's costume is a walrus, which in the Nordic-Viking culture resembles death. Also, in the song "Glass Onion" written by John Lennon, some of the lyrics read:
"I told you about the walrus and me - man
You know that we're as close as can be - man
But here's another clue for you all
The Walrus was Paul."
On the front cover of the album "Abbey Road", the Beatles members are shown wearing what could be symbolic outfits. Lennon, who is in all white, resembles a preacher at a funeral. Starr, who is in all black, could resemble an undertaker, while McCartney, who is out of step with everyone else, resembles the corpse. In many countries, including England, corpses are buried without shoes on, much like the way McCartney is shown. Lastly, Harrison in blue jeans represents a gravedigger. Whether this analogy is true or not has not be confirmed.
Hints through Backmasking
Backmasking, the art of taking music and playing it backwards to find a new meaning, was something that Beatles members experimented with on "The White Album". In the song "I'm So Tired", the message, "Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him," is thought to be heard through backmasking. Also, when backmasked, the song "Revolution 9" contains a voice that appears to be saying "turn me on, dead man".
The Verdict
Throughout time, this conspiracy has been denied by the Beatles, but some people out there still believe the countless evidence that Paul is really dead contains the actual truth. For more information on this conspiracy, feel free to check the sources listed below; they contain many more hints and history behind what, in my opinion, is the most interesting conspiracy theory of all time.
Author's Note: Sources: http://www.trutv.com/conspiracy/celebs/paul-is-dead/gallery.all.html
http://digilander.libero.it/jamespaul/fc1.html
http://www.ispauldead.com/
