What Happened to Paul McCartney?
The 'Paul is Dead' idea has been around since the late 1960's, and has recently seen an online resurgence. It is a provocative topic, and one in which the theories, ranging from the scientific to the absolutely bizarre, abound. There are entire online forums dedicated to the study of PID (Paul is Dead), and others on which even hinting at the idea that Paul McCartney died and was replaced can get you banned. Many claim they cannot see the differences between the McCartney of '66 and the one who came after, while others see them so clearly as to be baffled at how such a monolithic deception could have ever been perpetrated on the world.
To many sensible people, the whole Paul is Dead concept comes off as the worst kind of conspiracy theory. In their minds, its utter stupidity and irrationality marks it as not being worthy of the minutest consideration. I understand the mindset, but would caution those under its spell with a simple warning: be wary of taking the world at face value, for beneath the gloss of accepted history rests a tangled skein of convoluted humanity. Things are never as simple as we are led to believe, and that is not merely the delusion of tin-foil hat wearers, it is reality. We in the western world have been locked into a system of information control, wherein it is not impossible to find the truth, but within which it remains undesirable to do so. We have been trained to prefer sound bites and neatly packaged factoids to the point of stupidity. Even the intellectuals among us are chained to the ideas of those who came before, repackaging ancient concepts in new clothes. Evaluating facts via common sense, no matter how convoluted or strange, has become a practice of the past. In the modern world, we have been told again and again that certain ideas remain outside the realm of possibility, and that those who espouse them must be shunned, ridiculed, and dismissed. It is the easiest thing in the world to write a person off as a nut job, because it relieves the accuser of the need to think critically, and yet this barbaric technique is employed by hundreds who have dubbed themselves the scholars and intellectuals of our day. Some ideas get their foot in the door easier than others however, and PID falls into the latter category, which in no way diminishes its significance. So let us have a look at the case.
Most Beatle fans probably have some idea of the Paul is Dead rumor. The most common incarnation came to be via the American radio, and details were later added by a college newspaper. The story goes that Paul McCartney had an argument with John Lennon whilst in the studio one rainy night. In a storm of anger, Paul leaves, speeding away in his Aston Martin. He later picks up a female hitchhiker, who soon recognizes the famous Beatle. In a fit of hysteria, she starts to grab at him as he drives, he loses control, the car crashes, and Paul is killed. The Beatles, upon hearing the news, are in a panic, knowing that as soon as the world hears of Paul's demise, millions of devastated fans will most likely kill themselves. So they, along with their manager Brian Epstein craft a plan: they will replace Paul with a lookalike and cease touring. The plan is implemented, a doppelganger for Paul is found (known either as Billy Shears, William Campbell, or William Shephard) and enhanced with plastic surgery. The Beatles go on to make Sgt. Pepper, cleverly designing a new look for themselves to aid in the cover-up of Paul's replacement. However, John Lennon soon begins to experience guilt over the deception he and the others have created. To make up for it, he begins inserting clues about Paul's death into both the music and on album covers and spreads, which fans later discover. I will not get into the clues here, for they are numerous, and while interesting they tend to steer away from determining what really occurred in this case. The basic Paul is Dead rumor is fairly paint by number. It is an intriguing little story, but simply does not have the ring of authenticity.
Another account of Paul's supposed death appeared on the internet over a decade ago. Known as the "60IF document", it tells a much more sinister version of Paul's death and replacement. Supposedly dictated by George Harrison to friends in India, the translated version tells of Paul and Brian Epstein being kidnapped by the KKK. Apparently, Paul was not the original target, rather it was Epstein the KKK loathed because of his Jewish heritage. To make a long story short, the document says that Paul's mutilated body was eventually discovered on a beach in France, having been dropped from a great height. The document then goes into detail concerning the discovery and training of his replacement. While the 60IF document is interesting, it reads a little like an imaginative fan fiction. The KKK element is especially fanciful, and probably has as its basis the threats made by the organization against the Beatles during their final U.S. tour. If one views the vintage footage of a KKK member being interviewed concerning the band just prior to their southern arrival, one will see the utter absurdity in the idea of the organization becoming some globe-trotting team of hitmen. Their spokesman can hardly form a coherent sentence, much less conceive of a complicated kidnapping plot in rural England! However, as we shall see, it is possible that 60IF contains kernels of the truth.
In researching the CIA, FBI, and other such covert organizations, one encounters the concept of "cointelpro", that is, the use of false information to discredit evidence or muddy the waters of reality. In relation to researching conspiracy theories, the field of study is often positively strewn with innumerable incarnations of the cointelpro concept. In order to find the hard evidence of a case, one must sift through a mountain of false leads, stories, and accepted "truths". Whether planted by the imaginative, or by an organization attempting to conceal its footprints, false information can be detrimental to the search for truth, and is often pointed at by critics as evidence for the futility of all conspiracy research. But not so fast, I say! The mountain may be shrouded in fog, but the peak is up there somewhere. Continue the climb, but watch your step at the edges! In my experience, the object of cointelpro is not to create a clear and concise counter narrative to the truth, but to instead engineer as much confusion as possible. Some hidden truths are only partially hidden, and such is the intent from the beginning. If the fragments can be obfuscated with lies, then the whole truth will probably never be unearthed, as is the case with PID.
What must be considered at this juncture is the historical precedent for doubles and replacements. Both have been used in varying forms throughout the ages, and with a high rate of success. In recent history, we have examples like Josef Stalin's double, a young man named Felix Dadaev who successfully portrayed the infamous Russian leader, though Stalin was over thirty years his senior!
To many sensible people, the whole Paul is Dead concept comes off as the worst kind of conspiracy theory. In their minds, its utter stupidity and irrationality marks it as not being worthy of the minutest consideration. I understand the mindset, but would caution those under its spell with a simple warning: be wary of taking the world at face value, for beneath the gloss of accepted history rests a tangled skein of convoluted humanity. Things are never as simple as we are led to believe, and that is not merely the delusion of tin-foil hat wearers, it is reality. We in the western world have been locked into a system of information control, wherein it is not impossible to find the truth, but within which it remains undesirable to do so. We have been trained to prefer sound bites and neatly packaged factoids to the point of stupidity. Even the intellectuals among us are chained to the ideas of those who came before, repackaging ancient concepts in new clothes. Evaluating facts via common sense, no matter how convoluted or strange, has become a practice of the past. In the modern world, we have been told again and again that certain ideas remain outside the realm of possibility, and that those who espouse them must be shunned, ridiculed, and dismissed. It is the easiest thing in the world to write a person off as a nut job, because it relieves the accuser of the need to think critically, and yet this barbaric technique is employed by hundreds who have dubbed themselves the scholars and intellectuals of our day. Some ideas get their foot in the door easier than others however, and PID falls into the latter category, which in no way diminishes its significance. So let us have a look at the case.
Most Beatle fans probably have some idea of the Paul is Dead rumor. The most common incarnation came to be via the American radio, and details were later added by a college newspaper. The story goes that Paul McCartney had an argument with John Lennon whilst in the studio one rainy night. In a storm of anger, Paul leaves, speeding away in his Aston Martin. He later picks up a female hitchhiker, who soon recognizes the famous Beatle. In a fit of hysteria, she starts to grab at him as he drives, he loses control, the car crashes, and Paul is killed. The Beatles, upon hearing the news, are in a panic, knowing that as soon as the world hears of Paul's demise, millions of devastated fans will most likely kill themselves. So they, along with their manager Brian Epstein craft a plan: they will replace Paul with a lookalike and cease touring. The plan is implemented, a doppelganger for Paul is found (known either as Billy Shears, William Campbell, or William Shephard) and enhanced with plastic surgery. The Beatles go on to make Sgt. Pepper, cleverly designing a new look for themselves to aid in the cover-up of Paul's replacement. However, John Lennon soon begins to experience guilt over the deception he and the others have created. To make up for it, he begins inserting clues about Paul's death into both the music and on album covers and spreads, which fans later discover. I will not get into the clues here, for they are numerous, and while interesting they tend to steer away from determining what really occurred in this case. The basic Paul is Dead rumor is fairly paint by number. It is an intriguing little story, but simply does not have the ring of authenticity.
Another account of Paul's supposed death appeared on the internet over a decade ago. Known as the "60IF document", it tells a much more sinister version of Paul's death and replacement. Supposedly dictated by George Harrison to friends in India, the translated version tells of Paul and Brian Epstein being kidnapped by the KKK. Apparently, Paul was not the original target, rather it was Epstein the KKK loathed because of his Jewish heritage. To make a long story short, the document says that Paul's mutilated body was eventually discovered on a beach in France, having been dropped from a great height. The document then goes into detail concerning the discovery and training of his replacement. While the 60IF document is interesting, it reads a little like an imaginative fan fiction. The KKK element is especially fanciful, and probably has as its basis the threats made by the organization against the Beatles during their final U.S. tour. If one views the vintage footage of a KKK member being interviewed concerning the band just prior to their southern arrival, one will see the utter absurdity in the idea of the organization becoming some globe-trotting team of hitmen. Their spokesman can hardly form a coherent sentence, much less conceive of a complicated kidnapping plot in rural England! However, as we shall see, it is possible that 60IF contains kernels of the truth.
In researching the CIA, FBI, and other such covert organizations, one encounters the concept of "cointelpro", that is, the use of false information to discredit evidence or muddy the waters of reality. In relation to researching conspiracy theories, the field of study is often positively strewn with innumerable incarnations of the cointelpro concept. In order to find the hard evidence of a case, one must sift through a mountain of false leads, stories, and accepted "truths". Whether planted by the imaginative, or by an organization attempting to conceal its footprints, false information can be detrimental to the search for truth, and is often pointed at by critics as evidence for the futility of all conspiracy research. But not so fast, I say! The mountain may be shrouded in fog, but the peak is up there somewhere. Continue the climb, but watch your step at the edges! In my experience, the object of cointelpro is not to create a clear and concise counter narrative to the truth, but to instead engineer as much confusion as possible. Some hidden truths are only partially hidden, and such is the intent from the beginning. If the fragments can be obfuscated with lies, then the whole truth will probably never be unearthed, as is the case with PID.
What must be considered at this juncture is the historical precedent for doubles and replacements. Both have been used in varying forms throughout the ages, and with a high rate of success. In recent history, we have examples like Josef Stalin's double, a young man named Felix Dadaev who successfully portrayed the infamous Russian leader, though Stalin was over thirty years his senior!
Robert Barron, formerly of the CIA, was a disguise expert, responsible not only for concealing the identities of agents, but for creating convincing doubles when needed. He designed prosthetic appliances that could pass muster at five or six inches away, and would only disguise an agent if he was certain of success. That the CIA and other intelligence agencies might have a vested interest in the entertainment industry is perfectly plausible. The historical record reveals the use of celebrities as spies and peddlers of specific cultural agendas, so it would not be far fetched to consider the idea of a celebrity being replaced if the need arose.
So, what of Paul McCartney and his alleged replacement? Is there really a basis for believing that he disappeared sometime in 1966 and was thereafter portrayed by a double? We'll take a closer look in Part 2.
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