
PAUL IS DEAD
"Lately on campus there has been much conjecturing on the present
state of Beatle Paul McCartney. An amazing series of photos and lyrics
on the group's albums point[s] to a distinct possibility that McCartney
may indeed be insane, freaked out, even dead."
These words, which initiated the "Paul is dead" hoax of 1969,
sound like the type of speculation that typically appears in the National
Enquirer, Weekly World News or the Drudge Report. But they actually make
up the first paragraph of an article that covered the top half of the
front page of The Times-Delphic on Sept. 17, 1969.
Tim Harper's Times-Delphic article -- "Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead?"
-- was the first documented source of the hoax, according to a document
on the Rec.Music.Beatles Web site (http://rmb.simplenet.com/public/rmb.html).
Harper's article and a Sept. 23, 1969, article in Northern Illinois University's
Northern Star inspired other journalists to pursue the story, the document
said.
Who was the source of this speculation? Harper does not disclose his source
in the article, but he told an interviewer from the RMB Web site that
he learned of the rumor from Dartanyan Brown, a fellow T-D staff member.
Brown heard about the rumor from an unknown musician, who recalled hearing
about it in California, the document added.
But the exact origin of the hoax was unknown, Harper's article said.
"We probably will not know the truth around this entire intrigue
for some time," the article said. "We may never know. Nevertheless,
it is something to think about. It's still unclear just how the whole
deal was originated, or who discovered it, but if it did originate recently
or locally, we may find out soon."
The only "sources" Harper identifies in his article are Beatles
albums that seemed to hint at McCartney's so-called death.
"The Sergeant Pepper Album, obviously, signified the 'death' of the
old Beatles who made girls scream when they sang 'yeah yeah yeah!'"
the article said. "The new Beatles blew grass and dropped acid, criticized
religion, studied under Maharishi in India, and had a new sound.
"This album also started the hints that all was not right with the
Beatles, especially Paul. On the front cover a mysterious hand is raised
over his head, a sign many believe is an ancient death symbol of either
the Greeks or the American Indians. Also, a left-handed guitar (Paul was
the only lefty of the four) lies on the grave at the group's feet. ...
"Then came the group's latest album: 'The Beatles,' with an all-white
cover. With this record the whole mystery became even more spooky. On
the tune 'Revolution No. 9' there is a part where a lone deep voice repeats
'No. 9.' When this is played backwards a voice quotes 'Turn me on, dead
man,' and 'Cherish the dead.'..."
When looking back at this article, it's easy to dismiss it as a harmless
report that misinformed a few people on a small university campus. But
all media organizations -- including those on college campuses --have
a lot more power than people like to think. Harper's article, which was
based on pure speculation, inspired other journalists to pursue this article,
and it wasn't long before word of McCartney's possible death spread to
different areas of the country.