Webb Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 James Paul McCartney (1942-1966) was a founding member of The Beatles, arguably the world's most successful rock and roll band. In the early morning hours of November 9, 1966, McCartney left a contentious recording session at EMI Studios in London. His wrecked Aston Martin convertible was discovered by police at 5 am. McCartney was "officially pronounced dead" (the British equivalent of American "dead on arrival"). He had been decapitated. Exactly why McCartney's death was covered up is unknown. Some suggest that Parlophone and Capitol Records were making so much money from The Beatles that they would do anything to keep the group intact. Others suggest that the British government was making even more money (The Beatles were in a 95% income tax bracket) and had even more reason to keep the group intact. Certainly, the coverup of the death of such a well known entertainer would have required government assistance. A singer/actor named William Shears Campbell (Billy Shears) had won a Paul McCartney lookalike contest a year earlier and was recruited as the standin. All records pertaining to Campbell end in 1966. There was another problem. McCartney was famously left handed and Campbell was right handed. The Beatles announced an end to concert tours. They would spend their remaining three years together in recording studios. The deception held up well over the next ten years but there was a weak point - John Lennon. Lennon was known for his drug use and antigovernment leanings. He threatened to go public. He might reveal the secret while under the influence of drugs. MI5 couldn't risk either. It easily recruited a mental patient, Mark David Chapman, to do the dirty work. Chapman has been locked in an institution to this day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Ooooh! A conspiracy theory! Unfortunately, this one's been bouncing around almost as long as the Kennedy assassination ones. Here's a very entertaining read about the McCartney event: The Walrus Was Paul: The Great Beatle Death Clues by R. Gary Patterson AddAll book search results --> http://tinyurl.com/d8w8yuh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) More on that conspiracy theory: BEATLES CONSPIRACY: DID THEY COVER UP PAUL'S 1966 DEATH? TruTV Paul McCartney or Imposter? When Paul McCartney was recently fêted by President Obama at the White House and given a lifetime-achievement award by the Kennedy Center, no one mentioned that he may, in fact, have died years ago—and been replaced by a double. It's all part of an elaborate conspiracy theory that some music buffs have kept alive since Paul's alleged accidental death in 1966. More over at Paul McCartney Wikipedia article where they say he's still alive: Guinness World Records described McCartney as the "most successful composer and recording artist of all time", with 60 gold discs and sales of over 100 million albums and 100 million singles, and as the "most successful songwriter" in United Kingdom chart history.[1] More than 2,200 artists have covered his Beatles song "Yesterday", more than any other song in history. Wings' 1977 release "Mull of Kintyre", is one of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK.Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in March 1999, McCartney has written, or co-written 32 songs that have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2012 he has sold over 15.5 million RIAA-certified units in the United States. Edited November 9, 2012 by LilBambi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Were you one of those screaming Beatles fan girls, Fran? I can picture that, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webb Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 The one witness to the accident, "Rita," was given plastic surgery and a name change. She jumped out of sight until 1993 when she contacted the fake McCartney and threatened to reveal the secret unless the singer married her. In an assassination attempt she was hit by a police motorcycle a few days later and lost her left leg 6 inches below her knee. Her name? Heather Mills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) Conspiracy Theories - Paul is Dead - Time.com Number 4 on the list: On the 40th anniversary of the moon landing — or was it just a sinister hoax? — TIME looks at 10 of the world's most enduring conspiracy theories Including Paul is Dead: Paul McCartney never wrote "Maybe I'm Amazed." He never formed the band Wings. He never clashed with Yoko, became a vegetarian, or fathered any of his children. When Queen Elizabeth knighted him in 1997, she was actually knighting someone else. This is because, conspiracy-minded Beatlemaniacs say, Paul McCartney secretly died in 1966. Lovely Rita...Meter Maid... If Paul is dead, then his imposter is still at large. He met and married Linda Eastman, with whom he had four children before losing her to breast cancer in 1998. He released a live album in 1993 called Paul Is Live (likely story), and produced more than 20 solo albums — and that's not even counting the ones released by Wings. Then he endured a horrible divorce from Heather Mills, which may have made him wish he were dead — or, at least, were still Billy Shears. So who is the real McCartney? The world may never know. Edited November 9, 2012 by LilBambi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Thanks Webb, it has been fun discussing this today. And listening to Beatles music all afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webb Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 The original story came out around 1970. I had forgotten about it until I ran across this movie (this is not an endorsement, don't waste your money). All it does is add the Rita=Heather Mills story. Don't ruin a perfectly good conspiracy theory by Googling Heather Mills' date of birth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6zUI4Yd8Lw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 ROFL! Thanks Webb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Were you one of those screaming Beatles fan girls, Fran? I can picture that, actually. Wow, missed this one LOL! Nope, sorry that wasn't me. I loved the Beatles, but that was nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Heh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webb Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vGv_d0mk6Q This is a real Beatles recording. They got their start playing in Hamburg and I suppose they felt they owed something to their German friends. There is another one floating around if I can find it. Edited November 10, 2012 by Webb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Webb Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 YouTube makes this so easy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_eIzpZzGKo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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