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Fifty years on and the “Paul is dead” hoax has lost none of its power to fascinate on so many levels. Perhaps the most compelling angle for examination is how did something so clearly nonsensical in the light of day get disseminated so widely and not just dismissed out of hand? It seems that a perfect storm of circumstance gave it traction and resonance, with both what was happening within The Beatles and within the community most receptive to believing that truth was not what authority figures told us.
Helping unpack all of this is sociologist Candy Leonard, author of Beatleness. Her book covers the subject in some detail.
Opening song: “Saint Paul” by Terry Knight
Closing song: “So Long, Paul” by Werbley Finster, AKA Jose Feliciano
I was in 10th grade and a die hard Beatles fan and nobody I personally knew believed that story. I never believed it. There was an initial uneasiness in hearing it but the thing was over in a day or two anyway. I don’t think kids believed in nonsense conspiracies so much the way they do today but there was a exaggerated fascination with anything Beatles oriented. That conspiracy industry didn’t get really going until the 1970s with the JFK assassination and then the Trilateral Commission, then UFOs, etc. Now they doubt a spherical earth and the moon landings. Many people believe Bruce Jenner is a woman. There are real conspiracies but they are hidden in a jungle of fake ones while civilization is falling apart. There’s something happening but you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mr. Jones?
What was ironic was that in the fall of 1969 the reality was the Beatles were actually dead, not Paul. We fans didn’t know that yet, being in the midst of enjoying the Abbey Road album and thinking they were still full go and no idea the upcoming Let It Be album has been done previously to Abbey Road and that the band was finished. Talk about being jerked around. But my point being the real story was that the End Of The World had already occurred and there were no longer any Beatles. The fans were being teased by a Paul is dead rumor. That was just John’s wishful thinking. 🙂 Paul pissed John off royally when he released his solo album without waiting for the band and thereby letting the cat out of the bag and stole John’s big moment. How dare Paul make known the Beatles break up when it was his band that he and Yoko had labored mightily to sabotage and now bloody Paul, little brother, had the impudence to announce the end of the Beatles before him?
It’s been 50 years and lots of battle scars. Ironically Paul will probably be the final surviving Beatle and may outlive a few of us.
I was in 10th grade and a die hard Beatles fan and nobody I personally knew believed that story. I never believed it. There was an initial uneasiness in hearing it but the thing was over in a day or two anyway. I don’t think kids believed in nonsense conspiracies so much the way they do today but there was a exaggerated fascination with anything Beatles oriented. That conspiracy industry didn’t get really going until the 1970s with the JFK assassination and then the Trilateral Commission, then UFOs, etc. Now they doubt a spherical earth and the moon landings. Many people believe Bruce Jenner is a woman. There are real conspiracies but they are hidden in a jungle of fake ones while civilization is falling apart. There’s something happening but you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mr. Jones?
What was ironic was that in the fall of 1969 the reality was the Beatles were actually dead, not Paul. We fans didn’t know that yet, being in the midst of enjoying the Abbey Road album and thinking they were still full go and no idea the upcoming Let It Be album has been done previously to Abbey Road and that the band was finished. Talk about being jerked around. But my point being the real story was that the End Of The World had already occurred and there were no longer any Beatles. The fans were being teased by a Paul is dead rumor. That was just John’s wishful thinking. 🙂 Paul pissed John off royally when he released his solo album without waiting for the band and thereby letting the cat out of the bag and stole John’s big moment. How dare Paul make known the Beatles break up when it was his band that he and Yoko had labored mightily to sabotage and now bloody Paul, little brother, had the impudence to announce the end of the Beatles before him?
It’s been 50 years and lots of battle scars. Ironically Paul will probably be the final surviving Beatle and may outlive a few of us.
Hi Robert,
Another great, informative show! I really enjoy these shows as I always learn something new about my favorite band of all time! Thanks again for all the time and hard work you put into these shows.
Kent
Hi Robert,
Another great, informative show! I really enjoy these shows as I always learn something new about my favorite band of all time! Thanks again for all the time and hard work you put into these shows.
Kent
When Sgt. Pepper came out, I quickly noticed a familiar shoulder patch on Paul’s old timey band uniform: hey, cool I thought, Paul’s got an OPP shoulder patch. That’s the Ontario Provincial Police and is quite distinctive to residents of this Canadian province.
So when I heard the OPD Officially Pronounced Dead “clue” I instantly knew at least one of the “clues” was totally bogus. You see, the fabric is slightly folded around his shoulder and the bottom of the letter P is obscured so it looks like it might be a D but the rest of the details on the patch are unmistakable as that of the venerable OPP.
As for the rest, I’ve read a few of posts of some true believers and that rabbit-hole goes pretty deep and is equally unconvincing the whole way down, in my opinion, so I’m perfectly fine up here in the sunlight, thanks very much.
When Sgt. Pepper came out, I quickly noticed a familiar shoulder patch on Paul’s old timey band uniform: hey, cool I thought, Paul’s got an OPP shoulder patch. That’s the Ontario Provincial Police and is quite distinctive to residents of this Canadian province.
So when I heard the OPD Officially Pronounced Dead “clue” I instantly knew at least one of the “clues” was totally bogus. You see, the fabric is slightly folded around his shoulder and the bottom of the letter P is obscured so it looks like it might be a D but the rest of the details on the patch are unmistakable as that of the venerable OPP.
As for the rest, I’ve read a few of posts of some true believers and that rabbit-hole goes pretty deep and is equally unconvincing the whole way down, in my opinion, so I’m perfectly fine up here in the sunlight, thanks very much.
Were you talking about springstein?
Were you talking about springstein?
Great topic and Candy is amazing as always… thank you for the songs you edit in and the little snippets. They are always perfect for the colour, context or humour. Thank you!
Great topic and Candy is amazing as always… thank you for the songs you edit in and the little snippets. They are always perfect for the colour, context or humour. Thank you!