Paul Was Dead--for a day or so

Paul Was Dead--for a day or so

In 1970 I was employed by the Detroit Free Press as what was to become known as a “rock journalist”.

One morning I arrived at the paper, sat down at my desk by the window overlooking the disgruntled Leland House Hotel and received a call from either Time Magazine or Newsweek, I don't really remember which one. They were asking about the rumor that Paul McCartney had died. Understand, at this time The Beatles were still a band and their popularity had hit such an iconic peak that sainthood wasn’t out of the question. The possible death of one of them was earth shattering to millions.

The basic story was, on November 9, 1966, McCartney, after an argument with his band mates had angrily driven off in his car, crashed it and died. He was then replaced by ‘William Campbell’, the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest. Admittedly to this day I at times look at McCartney and wonder, “Bill, is that you?”

It turns out Russ Gibb, a Detroit concert promoter who had a show on the local WKNR-FM had talked about it the night before. A listener identifying himself as "Tom” called the show and announced McCartney had been killed, possibly referring to an article entitled "Is Paul McCartney Dead?”, written by Tim Harper in the Drake University paper, the Times-Delphic, on 17 September 1969. The caller asked Gibb to play The Beatles song “Revolution 9” backwards. Gibb, a man who liked to experiment, proceeded to give it a try and thought he heard the words "Turn me on, dead man."

Two days after hearing the WKNR broadcast, according to Wikipedia , students Fred LaBour and John Gray published a satirical review in the Michigan Daily of The Beatles' “Abbey Road” album called "McCartney Dead; New Evidence Brought to Light", itemizing various "clues" of McCartney's death on Beatles album covers. Evidently the students had invented many of the "clues" and were reportedly astonished when the story was then picked up by newspapers across the United States. Some of these have since become well known, such as the fact the cover of The Beatles album Abbey Road symbolizes a funeral procession. It’s a stretch, I know, but obscure clues along those lines became gospel to millions of people around the world.

John Small was the Program Director at the radio station. Gibb couldn’t be reached so John got the call to find out what was going on. He related this incredible story about how there are all kinds of clues heard on Beatles records if you play them backward or in some cases remove tracks of the music and delve deep to where messages and audio scenes of car crashes take place.

Ok, while not wholly believing in ghosts, it seemed very intriguing and I found myself on the way to the station fairly quickly. And they played what they had for me and it was eerie! They played tracks they said were buried under and within the actual recording. I’m here to tell you, there was something going on down there. There actually was some scene that included the sound of tires screeching and people yelling "he is dead". Well, it sounded like “he is dead”. Whatever it meant, whether it was true or not…those Beatle boys had put something under the surface for all to listen to if they had the means and the desire.

I do know I went to bed that night feeling the ghost of Paul lurking about. Yes, I believed it, for about 24 hours.
But the next day the whole thing seemed implausible, but damn it was intriguing there for a day or so.

It isn’t headlines these days but, the story won’t quit. According to Wikipedia, as recently as 2009 a Wired Italia magazine article by forensic scientist Gabriella Carlesi concluded that selected photographs of McCartney, taken before and after his alleged demise, might not be of the same person (but noting that there was less certainty than with cases that allow a rigorous analysis of a corpse).

Backward masking (playing records and tapes backwards that WKNR tried) has become a science of sorts… check out the Reverse Speech site http://www.reversespeech.com/words_of_creation.htm. And at http://www.plasticmacca.blogspot.com/ you can see comments from fans supporting the Paul Is Dead rumor….dated Aug. 8, 2010.

I doubt it matters, or ever did matter really. But it is one fun topic. Try it at your next cocktail party, or over dessert. You can just sit back and let the conversation roll.

And if Paul is dead, I want to know who that lucky s.o.b. is who got to become a Beatle for the rest of his life.

Paul Was Dead (For A Day or So)

Paul Was Dead (for a day or so)

In 1970 I was employed by the Detroit Free Press, then the fifth largest morning newspaper in North America. The official title was "reporter", but in fact I wrote a weekly column and compiled and edited one full page each Friday, mostly on the youth culture of the day with a heavy emphasis on music. Periodically my column was syndicated to other Knight Newspapers around the country including the story of Janis Joplin upon her death in 1970. I was what was to become known as a “rock journalist”..

One morning I arrived at the Free Press, sat down at my desk by the window overlooking the disgruntled Leland House Hotel and received a call from either Time Magazine or Newsweek, I don't really remember which one. They were asking about the rumor that Paul McCartney had died. Understand, at this time The Beatles were still a band and their popularity had it such an iconic peak that sainthood, or at least knighthood wasn’t out of the question (and, of course eventually happened to Sir Paul, or whoever he is).

The basic story was, three years previously (on 9 November 1966), McCartney, after an argument during a Beatles' recording session had angrily driven off in his car which he had subsequently crashed, and he died. To spare the public from grief, his place had then been taken by ‘William Campbell’, the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest. Admittedly to this day I at times look at McCartney and wonder, “Bill, is that you?”

Slightly shocked to start a day with a somewhat casual call of such immense proportions, I admitted I hadn't heard this rumor and asked where it had come from. Russ Gibb, a Detroit concert promoter who had a show on the local WKNR-FM had talked about it the night before on his Sunday show. Evidently a person identifying himself as "Tom" (allegedly Tom Zarski, a student at Eastern Michigan University), announced McCartney was dead. He also asked Gibb to play The Beatles song “Revolution 9” backwards. Gibb, a man who liked to experiment, proceeded to give it a try and thought he heard the words "Turn me on, dead man." Other reports say the first article on the subject entitled "Is Paul McCartney Dead?” was written by Tim Harper in the Drake University paper, the Times-Delphic, on 17 September 1969. Two days after hearing the WKNR broadcast, according to Wikipedia , students Fred LaBour and John Gray published a satirical review in the Michigan Daily of The Beatles' “Abbey Road” album called "McCartney Dead; New Evidence Brought to Light", itemizing various "clues" of McCartney's death on Beatles album covers. Evidently the students had invented many of the "clues" and were reportedly astonished when the story was then picked up by newspapers across the United States. Some of these have since become well known, such as the fact that the cover of The Beatles album Abbey Road symbolizes a funeral procession (Lennon is shown dressed all in white, supposedly like a clergyman; Ringo Starr in a black suit, like an undertaker; George Harrison in blue jeans supposedly symbolizing a gravedigger; and McCartney is dressed in a blue suit without shoes, and is walking out of step with the other Beatles as, supposedly, a corpse would). It’s a stretch, I know, but obscure clues along those lines became gospel to millions of people around the world.

John Small was the Program Director at the radio station and was a friend of mine at the time. WKNR was attempting to find an audience who listened to “free form” FM stations for their creativity and freedom to play all kinds of music, a direct reaction to the stringent Top 40 stations of the day who would not play such great artists as Jimi Hendrix, Cream and others. Because of the power of the station and the deep interest in the Paul Is Dead story by the staff, it became a kind of ground zero for the world wide rumor. Another oft-cited example is the belief the words spoken by John Lennon in the final section of the song “Strawberry Fields Forever” are "I buried Paul" (Lennon and McCartney each later said that the words spoken are actually "cranberry sauce").

I called John as I couldn't reach Gibb to find out what was going on. John told me this incredible story about how there are all kinds of clues heard on Beatles records if you play them backward or in some cases remove tracks of the music and delve deep to where messages and audio scenes of car crashes take place. But before these clues got to be well known, John invited me out to the radio station. He said they could remove tracks to hear some of these messages.

Ok, I'm not that superstitious or don't wholly believe in ghosts, but it seemed very intriguing and I found myself on the way to the station fairly quickly. And they played what they had for me and it was eery. They played tracks they said were buried under and within the actual recording. I’m here to tell you, there was something going on down there. There actually was some scene that included the sound of tires screeching and people yelling "he is dead". Well, it sounded like “he is dead”. I heard it. Whatever it meant, whether it was true or not…those Beatle boys had put something under the surface for all to listen to if they had the means and the desire.

I do know I went to bed that night looking for the ghost of Paul lurking about. Yes, I believed it, for about 24 hours.
But the next day the whole thing seemed implausible and I ended up writing very little about it for the Free Press or any other publication. But damn it was intriguing there for a day or so.
In November 1969, the then powerful Life magazine published an edition with a cover story entitled "The case of the ‘missing’ Beatle: Paul is still with us" which included a contemporary interview with McCartney. He said: “Anyway all of the things that have been, that have made these rumors, to my mind have very ordinary, logical explanations. To the people’s minds who prefer to think of them as rumors, then I am not going to interfere, I am not going to spoil that fantasy. You can think of it like that if you like. However, if the end result, the conclusion you reach is that I am dead, then you are wrong, because I am very much alive, I am alive and living in Scotland.”
The strange aspect of this whole story is the rumor really won’t quit. It isn’t headlines these days but, it has been the subject of several books, films, and analyses and there have been many references to the legend in popular culture. According to Wikipedia, as recently as 2009 a Wired Italia magazine article by forensic scientist Gabriella Carlesi concluded that selected photographs of McCartney, taken before and after his alleged demise, might not be of the same person (but noting that there was less certainty than with cases that allow a rigorous analysis of a corpse).
Backward masking (playing records and tapes backwards) has become a science of sorts… check out the Reverse Speech site http://www.reversespeech.com/words_of_creation.htm. And at http://www.plasticmacca.blogspot.com/ you can see comments from fans supporting the Paul Is Dead rumor….dated Aug. 8, 2010.
I doubt it matters, or ever did matter really. But it is one fun topic. Try it at your next cocktail party, campfire story time or over dessert. You can just sit back and let the conversation roll.
And if Paul is dead, I want to know who that lucky s.o.b. is who got to become a Beatle for the rest of his life.