The source of many myths if not the whole story?

[Antony]

I've been reading about this subject over the last few days. I'm sure more dedicated members will know the material I'm referring to and take it with a pinch of salt, so in that sense I hesitate to ask, but I wondered what people thought about the attempt by this Dutch TV documentary portal.omroep.nl/mplayer?nav=zmbcxCsHEzFaZtHjIembB to blame a mischievous Michigan record reviewer who claims to be the source of much of the 'evidence' now in the mainstream? His version of events, if true, could only have been built on a foundation of rumours all ready circulating of course, something he freely admits. There is also the cryptic near-admission at the end of the film by someone who claims insider information, derived from London, but who won't say more while relevant parties are still alive. But rumours of Macca's death, though possibly as premature as those surrounding Mark Twain's, were a definite money-spinner. People bought albums two and three at a time in order to play them backwards in search of clues. EMI had to re-issue its entire Beatles back catalogue to meet demand. The story amounted to one of best marketing ploys of modern times. Shouldn't that make us suspicious? I take no hard and fast position on this particular matter by the way. I'm just interested in what those who've seen the film have to say about it.

[Antony]

I forgot to mention that the documentary is in English (with Dutch subtitles).

[65if2007]

Feb 13, 2010 0:44:57 GMT -5 @Antony said:

I've been reading about this subject over the last few days. I'm sure more dedicated members will know the material I'm referring to and take it with a pinch of salt, so in that sense I hesitate to ask, but I wondered what people thought about the attempt by this Dutch TV documentary portal.omroep.nl/mplayer?nav=zmbcxCsHEzFaZtHjIembB to blame a mischievous Michigan record reviewer who claims to be the source of much of the 'evidence' now in the mainstream? His version of events, if true, could only have been built on a foundation of rumours all ready circulating of course, something he freely admits. There is also the cryptic near-admission at the end of the film by someone who claims insider information, derived from London, but who won't say more while relevant parties are still alive. But rumours of Macca's death, though possibly as premature as those surrounding Mark Twain's, were a definite money-spinner. People bought albums two and three at a time in order to play them backwards in search of clues. EMI had to re-issue its entire Beatles back catalogue to meet demand. The story amounted to one of best marketing ploys of modern times. Shouldn't that make us suspicious? I take no hard and fast position on this particular matter by the way. I'm just interested in what those who've seen the film have to say about it.

I have no hard and fast opinion on the subject matter in question.

I strongly suspect that the man that the world knows today is the same man as the original Paul McCartney, though I think that it's possible that others stood him for him at times.

But I'm not certain. However, if the original Paul McCartney died or disappeared, it would seem virtually impossible to keep that information secret. How could you put a lid on something like that?

And yet...and yet...there is information out there that makes me wonder if just maybe...

My common sense tells me that it's the same Paul McCartney, and yet, I think that SOMETHING was going on with the Beatles in the mid-1960's that led to all this. I don't think that "all this" was an accident.

There's a reason for this rumor, and I suspect that it's something more than just a hoax for ****s and giggles. I suspect that it's something more than a mere marketing ploy.

You apparently didn't completely follow the story in the documentary. The "someone" at the end of the film who hints at inside information is an older Russ Gibb, the DJ who -- in 1969 -- took the phone call from Tom Zarski that led to the first broadcast of the story on the air. The documentary flashes back to that phone call.

And as for Fred LaBour, he's a complete and utterly moronic geek. He actually and impossibly takes full credit for starting the rumor because he's so anxious to be known as the guy who singlehandedly did so.

There's a reason why the album covers are designed the way that they are designed and why some of the songs have the indicators that they have. To hear LaBour talk, you'd think that he designed the covers and produced the songs instead of just writing about them.