William Campbell is Alive & Well ... (or: "Let It Be Vegetarian")

Macca sez: "Eat No Beef". Word.

I was minding my own business and casually scanning through YouTube the other night when a video popped up titled "Paul McCartney's Meat Free Foods Recipe Competition". Curiosity got the better of me so I checked it out.
In a nutshell, McCartney posted the video as an open invitation to all UK residents challenging them to come up with, and submit, the best meat-free recipe they can to him and they will be in the running to have their recipe featured in the "Linda McCartney Meat Free Foods" frozen meals range.
Really??
I know cooking shows like Masterchef, Hell's Kitchen and Iron Chef are all the rage now, on the verge of over-exposure even, but seriously - this is a former Beatle and one of the most successful songwriters/entertainers of the 20th century. Does he really need to be doing this? This doesn't sound like the same Paul McCartney we know, does it?....

The Beatles "Butcher Cover" - Never released

And then I suddenly remembered: it doesn't make sense because Paul McCartney died way back in 1966 and was replaced by an imposter. The man we see on the YouTube video is actually William Campbell who, unlike McCartney, is alive & well and also a committed vegetarian. I mean, the real McCartney couldn't be a vegetarian could he? He was the guy who appeared on the infamous Beatles "Butcher Cover" surrounded by dismembered dolls and raw red meat!! Are we expected to believe that this is the same guy??

If all this sounds far-fetched - fear not. It sounds made up, but believe me it's true. It must be true, because it's on the Internet! So after scanning all the evidence, I thought I'd bring you all up to speed on the story and the clues that have been provided that prove once and for all that Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by an imposter named William Campbell. Things get a a little macabre along the way, but stick with it. Let's begin the story....

"Paul Is Dead" - Coincidence or Cover-Up?

On October 12th 1969 a Detroit radio DJ named Russell Gibb announced on-air that Paul McCartney was dead, and that many clues signifying his death a few years earlier were littered across Beatles album covers and song lyrics.  The story of Paul’s alleged death had begun to circulate around American universities throughout September 1969, and when the news reached Gibb he was impressed enough to announce the news on his radio show.

The basic story went as follows: that Paul McCartney was involved in a fatal car accident at 5am on Wednesday, November 9th, 1966, following an all-night Beatles recording session. It was alleged that Paul left hastily after an argument with the other Beatles and was speeding at the time he passed through an intersection and collided with another vehicle. The result was a horrific crash in which Paul was burned and disfigured beyond recognition.
When the rest of the Beatles’ inner circle were made aware of the stunning news that the male occupant of the car was Paul, severe shock turned to panic as they endeavoured to keep the news from leaking out to the media. Understanding the impact that such traumatic news would have on the legion of Beatles fans around the globe, a cover-up was devised, involving Paul being replaced by a lookalike.

William Campbell, Beatles White Album, 1968

A “Paul McCartney Look-Alike” Contest was scheduled in early 1967 - enter William Campbell, the winner who was offered a significant amount of money to become “the new Paul”. It was to be made easier for Campbell to succeed in the cover-up by the announcement from the Beatles in 1967 that they would no longer tour, preferring instead to develop their sound in the studio. The only discernible difference between Campbell and McCartney was a small scar on Campbell’s upper lip – which the real Paul didn’t have. William Campbell’s photo appeared in the poster that accompanied The Beatles (The "White Album") in 1968.
With Campbell on board, the Beatles carried on together, but decided to release a number of clues on their album covers and within song lyrics that would reveal the fate of the real Paul.

The first major clues were included on the Sgt Pepper album, being the first album produced by the Beatles following the death of Paul, and are as follows:

Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

• The cover is symbolic of a funeral held for the “Beatles”, showing the name of the band being spelled out in flowers over the grave. The passing of the Beatles was to be replaced with a new identity – “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

• A flower arrangement in the shape of a bass guitar is laid out in the foreground. When looking at this arrangement closely, it seems to spell out “PAUL?”, as if questioning whether McCartney still exists

• A raised hand appears above Paul’s head, which is said to be an Indian sign of death 

· Wax replicas of the young Beatles appear to the left of the group – with Paul consoling Ringo as he mourns over the grave site

· When a mirror is held horizontally across the centre of the words “Lonely Hearts” on the kick drum, a message appears, which reads:

“1 ONE IX HE ^ DIE”

The “1 One” can be interpreted as “11”, whilst “1X” may be interpreted as the roman numeral “9” - thus giving us the date of the fatal accident – 11/9, or November 9 (following the American system of month /date /year when referring to dates).The next letters clearly spell out “HE DIE”, with an arrow pointing directly up at Paul.

· On the back cover of the album, Paul is the only “Beatle” with his back turned on the camera, as if he no longer fit in with the rest of the group. The album’s song lyrics were superimposed on the back cover, and the words “WITHOUT YOU” appear to the right of Paul’s head

• The lyrics to “A Day In The Life” detail the aftermath of the accident in November 1966 that killed Paul: 

“…He blew his mind out in a car … he didn’t notice that the lights had changed …. A crowd of people stood and stared …. They’d seen his face before….”.

This was rumoured to be the first song that John Lennon wrote following Paul’s death.

More clues followed on The Beatles (White Album) in 1968:

• On the inside cover, the large portrait of "Paul" clearly shows a scar on his lip – which the real Paul didn’t have – supposed proof that the photo was of Paul’s replacement, William Campbell

• At the very end of Lennon’s track “I’m So Tired” some gibberish is spoken - before the start of “Blackbird”. When played backwards, the phrase “Paul is a dead man – miss him, miss him, miss him” can be heard

• During the track “Revolution 9” the phrase “Number 9, Number 9” is repeated over and over. When played backwards, you can hear phrase “Turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man”

• Amidst the cacophony of sound that is “Revolution 9”, a violent car crash can be heard, followed by the words “get me out! get me out!”, which is a vivid description of the accident that claimed Paul

Abbey Road, 1969

Finally, some of the most revealing clues surfaced on the Beatles Abbey Road album in 1969:

• The cover of Abbey Road depicts a funeral procession, with John as the minister, Ringo as the undertaker, Paul as the deceased, and George as the gravedigger

• Paul is barefoot and has his eyes closed, representing a corpse, and is also out of step with the other three, who are leading with the left foot

• Paul has a cigarette in his right hand, although he is a natural left-hander

• The car on the road in the distant background is heading directly for Paul

• A black morgue wagon is parked on the right side of the road

• The VW parked on the left has a license plate that says “28IF” (meaning that Paul would have been 28-years old - or in his 28th year of life - IF he had lived)

So there you have it. Pretty convincing stuff. And it actually makes a lot of sense now, looking back, knowing that it was William Campbell, not McCartney, that was responsible for that sappy stuff that Wings put out in the 1970's. He continued to release sub-standard material in the 1980's, toured the world numerous times, and was eventually knighted by Queen Elizabeth II as "Sir Paul McCartney" in the late 90's. Not bad for a stand-in...