New Documentary Looks at Decades Old Rumors of Beatle Paul McCartney’s Death

MyFoxDC.com ^ | 9/3/10 | Bob Barnard

[SilvieWaldorfMD]

OXON HILL, Md. - It's a decades-old rumor few attending this weekend's Beatles tribute festival at National Harbor have any doubt putting to rest: is Paul McCartney dead? Their uniform answer is no! And yet, a new documentary that had its worldwide premiere at the festival Friday claims McCartney died in a car crash in 1966.

"They had covered up the death at the behest of her Majesty's government and the British intelligence service, MI5," said the documentary's director Joel Gilbert.

He says the British government was "afraid there would be a rash of suicides worldwide if Paul McCartney's death was made public."

Gilbert's documentary is called “Paul McCartney Really Is Dead - the Last Testament of George Harrison.” He says it is based on audio recordings Harrison reportedly made in which he spills the beans on the Beatles' death-denying coverup.

The filmmaker says the man we've celebrated the past 44 years is a guy named William Campbell, who was discovered during a secret Paul McCartney look-alike contest staged by Dick Clark's American Bandstand.

"The Beatles came out and denied it and then they broke up within six months," Gilbert said on the FOX 5 Morning News.

Bruce Spizer has researched and written several books about the Beatles.

"It's simply not true. Paul McCartney is Paul McCartney. He's not William Campbell in disguise or anything like that,” said Spizer.

Gilbert says you can find evidence of Paul McCartney's death littered throughout the Beatles extensive body of work.

"Take a look at the cover of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. That scene is essentially a funeral for Paul McCartney. If you look at the lyrics at that time, they say 'he died at five o'clock on a Wednesday morning. We had a pool of tears,'" Gilbert said.

[Poison Pill]

Saw him on TV shilling for 0bama. I think he’s just brain dead.

[jmacusa]

Heck no he isn’t dead. He certainly was well enough to insult George Bush at The White House recently.

[Impala64ssa]

That reminds me of George Carlin when he used to do “hippy-dippy” reporter gag, “The Beatles came out with a new album that if you play backwards a the wrong speed, you’ll hear a voice saying, HEY DUMMIE, you’re playing this record backwards at the wrong speed!” Kids today with their i-pods are too young to appreciate the humor in that. We ARE getting old.

[weef]

Be at Leso

Joe Pope's Strawberry Fields Forever fanzine had a great Paul is Dead article in the late '70's. Because of that, me and my friends spent many an hour playing Beatles songs backwards listening for hidden things.

[toddausauras]

This Batman is really interesting, what year did it come out and if you have a minute what was the gist of the issue? Did they specifically mention the beatles or was it an imaginary band?

[Impala64ssa]

And just who was “the one and only Billy Shears”? What did he know and when did he know it? I’ve heard it said that line from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, was somehow linked to this bizzare silliness.

[Kleon]

Joel Gilbert is a patriot and a gentleman. His film Atomic Jihad really opened my eyes.

[Mariner]

The only one of the Beatles I miss is John Lennon.

Yeah, he was a commie...but those songs and that haunting voice...

There'll not be another singer/songwriter like him for a long, long time.

Beyond Elvis, beyond Dylan.

For thos who don't remember, were'nt born yet...or didn't pay attention, this band defined modern music and, if humans are still alive in 300 years, will still be loved then. Check this out for a walk down memory lane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mUXwnEWEnE

[who knows what evil?]

Used to have this comic...just do a search on ‘Batman 222’...you’ll find a number of interesting articles about this storyline; which does feature an interesting twist to the “Is Paul dead?” mystery...

[Larry Lucido]

Turn me off, brain dead man.

[SunkenCiv]

Gilbert's documentary is called "Paul McCartney Really Is Dead -- the Last Testament of George Harrison." He says it is based on audio recordings Harrison reportedly made in which he spills the beans on the Beatles' death-denying coverup. The filmmaker says the man we've celebrated the past 44 years is a guy named William Campbell, who was discovered during a secret Paul McCartney look-alike contest staged by Dick Clark's American Bandstand. "The Beatles came out and denied it and then they broke up within six months," Gilbert said on the FOX 5 Morning News.

That's just good investigative journalism! :') Thanks SilvieWaldorfMD.

[aruanan]

So.... where’s William Campbell then (and now)?????????

Well, he was living with that one-legged chick.

[socal_parrot]

I think Paul lives.

Linda? Not so much.

[Perdogg]

Stuck inside these four walls
Sent inside forever
Never seeing no one nice again like you
Mama you, mama you

If I ever get out of here
Thought of giving it all away
To a registered charity
All I need is a pint a day
If I ever get out of here
If we ever get out of here

[Victor]

Thanks for posting. Great video; part of my growing years...and my kids are actually more into them than I was. Thanks again.

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

One thing that's always griped me about the Sgt. Pepper conspiracies is that self-appointed Beatles historians insist they began in late 1969 (eg, Wikipedia's version says "Rumours began in September 1969").

But it precedes that date by at least 6-12 months. In my Jr. Hi. English class in Boulder CO from roughly Sept '68 to May '69, I first heard these theories (Pepper Land, Paul-Is-Dead) expounded by our Student Teacher from nearby CU/Boulder.

I took it with a big grain of salt even then.

It was mostly centered around the lyrics, photos & album art of the Sgt. Pepper album. Supposedly the Beatles had taken some of their huge stash of cash, and bought an island somewhere that they named Pepper Land, and only the most devoted of their fans would be allowed to move there and live forever in this utopia. To qualify, you were supposed to call a certain phone # (hidden within the lyrics on the back) "Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock" (assumedly London time).

A man would answer the phone with "Hello hello". You had to answer him immediately with the next line in that song ("Hello hello, I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello"). The man would then say some other random line from a Beatles' song and you had to immediately respond with the next line after. This would go on for some time, until you either messed up and he hung up on you, or else you passed the test and would then get the official invitation to live the rest of your days in Pepper Land. Supposedly our Student Teacher knew of someone who knew someone ........ who knew someone who had made it through many of the lyrics tests, but never completely passed the test.

Personally, I just know in my heart that Elvis, Jimi, Jim and Janis are all still alive & well and living in Pepper Land, don't you? (I mean, hey, Elvis' middle name is misspelled on his tombstone so that's pretty convincing proof he's alive!)

[SunkenCiv]

I’ve got blisters on my fingers.

[Mr_Moonlight]

The only one of the Beatles I miss is John Lennon. Yeah, he was a commie...but those songs and that haunting voice...

Just my opinion as a lifelong Beatles fan (Beatleologist as it were ??? :)

I don't believe that Lennon was really a 'commie' per-se, but more of a confused emotionally tortured individual who had a rough childhood and delved from thing to thing in a desperate search for 'meaning' ...

'Communism' was just one quick stop along the way, and Lennon renounced it almost as fast as he embraced it. He found 'salvation' and success in music, but even that wasn't enough, so all the other hedonistic human frailties followed, communism included.

Lennon did eventually find inner peace in the last five years of his life, with fathering a child (Sean) ... correctly this time (unlike with Julian) ...

It's a shame, though, that we'll never know if he came to terms with God while on this good Earth.

-- MM

[ansel12]

We used to play Revolution number 9 (white album) backwards - you can hear the car crash.

"Turn me on, dead man."

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

...but those songs and that haunting voice...

Yeah, I know what you mean! No one could write deeper, more meaningful lyrics than the Fab Four. F'rinstance:

"Why don't we do it in the road?
Why don't we do it in the road?
Why don't we do it in the road?
Why don't we do it in the road?
No one will be watching us.
Why don't we do it in the road?
[Second verse]:
Why don't we do it in the road?
Why don't we do it in the road?
Why don't we do it in the road?
Why don't we do it in the road?
No one will be watching us.
Why don't we do it in the road?
[Third & Fourth verses same as the first two]

Or how about:
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.
Naaaa, nah nah nanana naaaa. Nanana naaaa, hey Jude.

And let's not forget:
We all live in a yellow submarine.
A yellow submarine.
A yellow submarine.
We all live in a yellow submarine.
A yellow submarine.
A yellow submarine.
We all live in a yellow submarine.
A yellow submarine.
A yellow submarine.....

:-)