55 years ago in September of 1969 an article was published in the student newspaper of Drake University with the intriguing title of: “Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead?”
The article, written by the editor of the student newspaper, Tim Harper addressed a rumor that had been floating around for a year or two that Paul McCartney had died in a car accident in 1966 and the other Beatles replaced him with a look-a-like to keep the band alive.
The article got picked up by several news agencies and it turned into one of the biggest conspiracy theories of its time.
In honor of the 55th anniversary of this legendary rumor, below are links to online articles and a video featuring news, facts, clues and an April Fool’s article about the infamous, “Paul Is Dead” conspiracy theory.
And then there’s the Coming Attractions for the week here on MBIP. Turn me on, dead man!
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Sunday Links
‘I buried Paul’: Your guide to the convoluted conspiracy theory that Paul McCartney died in 1966 - This is a great guide to all of the clues and photos in the Paul is dead conspiracy theories.
Paul Is Dead - The “Paul is Dead” rumor made Time magazine’s top ten conspiracy list coming in at number four.
Paul Is Dead: The Story Behind The Paul McCartney Conspiracy Theory - This feature notes that when the rumor was at its height, Beatles records started selling more briskly and some even re-entered the charts! Dead men may tell no tales, but apparently they sell records!
Did Paul McCartney really die in 1966? The history of the conspiracy theory - This 20 minute video explores the rumor in depth.
Paul Is Still With Us - This is a cover and an excerpt from a 1969 interview with Paul in Life magazine where he tried to squash the rumor.
Turn Me On, Dead Man - This is a lengthy essay about the “Paul Is Dead” rumor and I love the last line in it! It sums this world up perfectly!
Paul McCartney Admits Beatles Planned Death Hoax - Here’s another clue for you all: This article was originally published on April 1st for all of you April Fool’s conspiracy enthusiasts!
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MBIP Coming Attractions
Monday: Last night I was joined by my friends, Amber, Joe and Jake at Ulrich’s Rebellion Room for a fun Saturday Night Cheeseburger evening in downtown Peoria.
Tuesday: Even though summer was officially over yesterday, we’re continuing the MBIP Hot Dog Tour because we can! This week we stopped in at the River City Grill and had a delicious hot dog!
Wednesday: Our monthly fried chicken tour continues and this week we had a fantastic fried chicken dinner at Agatucci’s!
Thursday: Hopefully we’ll have an update of how I’ve finished multiple chapters of my forthcoming book, Confessions Of A Spiteful Writer. But we’ll see.
Friday/Saturday: I’ll be taking these two days off to work on that afforementioned book.
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Sunday Comic
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Related Posts: Sunday Links: The Runaways, The Monkees and Meatballs.