Is Paul McCartney dead? - Great Rock Conspiracies - Rolling Stone
Has a certain Billy Shears replaced the Beatles bassist since his death in a car accident in 1966? Spoiler: not really, no
The bigger the name, the weirder the theory…
Like his bandmates, Paul McCartney became world famous as a member of the Beatles, and his notoriety has never wavered since the band split up in 1970. But some conspiracy theorists claim that the Paul that we all know and love is not Paul, but “Faul,” a “fake” Paul McCartney.
According to some legends, the real Paul McCartney is not the septuagenarian who continues to set stadiums ablaze – but died very early in the morning of November 9, 1966, when his car slid on an icy road to crash into a post.
These followers believe that John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were so worried about the impact his death would have on the huge success of the Beatles, that they covered up the matter by replacing him with a perfect look-alike named Billy Shears. , which would resemble him both physically and in his gestures and even his voice.
The keenest observers have noted differences between old photos of Paul and more recent ones, claiming that the shape of the chin or the placement of the ears are irrefutable evidence. The shape and size of "Faul's" head would also be drastically different from McCartney's. Some even claim that Shears is an orphan who won a lookalike contest.
And so the adventure of the Beatles was able to continue, continuing to write hits without a hitch, their well-kept secret from the face of the world.
But according to the finest investigators, Lennon, Harrison and Starr ended up feeling guilty, and began to leave clues to the premature disappearance of their friend, via the jackets of albums, even certain songs themselves.
The famous cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, would be a huge clue, as theorists see it as not just a group photo, but a funeral. In particular, they point to the freshly turned earth in the foreground, the old Beatles, younger, dressed in black, and these yellow flowers arranged at the bottom of the photo – could this be a left-handed bass?
Fans following the theory began to search for other clues in the tracks, and ended up finding some very sinister coincidences.
One of the most famous is on Revolution #9 which, if played backwards, would feature a part strongly resembling a car accident as well as a voice that seems to say, "He hit a pole!" Better get him to see a surgeon” (which can be translated as “He hit a pole, you have to take him to a doctor“).
And that's not all: play I'm So Tired backwards too, and a voice seems to say "Paul is dead, miss him, miss him" ). Slow down Strawberry Fields Forever, and you'll hear John say "I buried Paul" – although in an interview he'll say he said "cranberry sauce." »
There is also the no less famous album cover Abbey Road, where the four Beatles cross the road to get to their studio. At first glance, nothing shocking about this photo. For the most observant theorists, however, this is indeed proof that McCartney is indeed dead.
We see John dressed all in white, like a priest; Ringo, in black like a pallbearer; finally George, bringing up the rear all in jeans (blue), would be the gravedigger.
And Paul? If the bass player walks barefoot, it is, still according to the followers, because he is dead.
Another clue: the black walrus seen on the cover of their 1967 album, Magic Mystery Tour. Still according to the most believers, the black walrus would represent death in certain Scandinavian cultures, and it is in this costume that McCartney is displayed.
Another strange coincidence – is it really one? – Lennon sings, on the title Glass Onion, which will appear on the White Album a few years later: “Well another clue for you all – the walrus was Paul! (“Here’s another clue for you – the walrus was Paul!”).
As for Paul himself – or should we say “Faul”? – these rumors never bothered him more than that. “To those who prefer to consider it as rumors, I have nothing to say,” he told Life Magazine in 1969. “I don't want to spoil their fun. »
The original article and its video on Rolling Stone US
