Conspiracy theories have permeated popular culture endlessly, and the music enterprise is not any exception. Right here, we discover and debunk a number of of the preferred conspiracy theories surrounding a number of of our favourite artists.
Visitor submit by Dan Reifsnyder of Soundfly’s Flypaper
Conspiracy theories have at all times been with us. From the flat Earth to the faked moon touchdown, and from mysteries surrounding JFK’s assassination to a secret cabal that runs the world, there aren’t many points of life and tradition that haven’t been touched indirectly by loony different explanations.
And that positively contains music. At this time, we’ll be exploring and debunking a number of of our favourite musical conspiracies. Take pleasure in!
1. Paul Is Useless
The primary time I used to be uncovered to this one, a Beatles fan cryptically instructed me that Paul wasn’t enjoying on a number of of the band’s data. Intrigued — and a bit weirded out — it prompted a livid web deep dive (simply to verify I wasn’t going nuts). Based on the speculation, Paul McCartney was killed in a automobile crash in 1966.
The idea goes that The Beatles, being the largest band on the earth on the time, definitely couldn’t announce to their followers that considered one of them had been killed on the top of their success. So, underneath strain from their label, they secretly discovered somebody (allegedly by the title of Billy Shears, a “message” hidden in Beatles lyrics) to surrender his whole life and reside a lie, study all of The Beatles’ tunes, co-write extra Beatles hits, and change Paul with out anybody the wiser.
Feels like a stretch, proper? Effectively, that’s as a result of it’s. So how did such a weird conspiracy idea get began?
Based on some sources, in 1969, a caller to WKNR in Michigan instructed the DJ and introduced to the airwaves that Paul McCartney had died three years in the past. He talked about that listening to varied Beatles data backwards revealed hidden messages (“Flip me on, lifeless man,” “I buried Paul,” “Paul is a lifeless man, miss him, miss him, miss him,” amongst others).
It took off like wildfire, and followers started seeing “messages” in all places; like how the duvet of Abbey Street depicts a funeral procession, as an illustration. Secret messages have been decoded from the duvet of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Membership Band. The “new” Paul is now not left-handed, as evidenced by him holding a cigarette in his proper hand in an album photograph. And it solely went deeper and deeper.
Not solely was this conspiracy soundly refuted by The Beatles through the years, however Paul was nowhere close to the automobile crash that was presupposed to have killed him; although he did crash his moped (he was high-quality, apart from a chipped tooth and a scar). Aside from that coincidence, this conspiracy idea doesn’t stand as much as in the slightest degree of scrutiny, sorry!
2. Elvis Lives!
If you happen to have been anyplace close to a grocery retailer within the 1980s and ’90s, you little question noticed bevies of tabloid headlines proclaiming they discovered Elvis Presley alive someplace. Like many conspiracy theories, this one bought began by individuals who merely didn’t wish to settle for the troublesome actuality that their idol — really a larger-than-life icon — had abruptly slipped the mortal coil.
Purported irregularities abounded. For instance, pallbearers had issue carrying his coffin (it was copper), main some mourners to consider it was outfitted with a cooling system for The King to faux out his followers. In one other idea, his physique “didn’t look proper” based on fairly a number of stories, so a number of mourners and pals took situation with the hair, his complexion, and even his nostril. The conclusion some jumped to was that it was a physique double, or perhaps a dummy.
But it made sense that some pals might not have acknowledged him — years of heavy drug use and unwell well being had taken their toll on The King’s physique. Even in life, he might not have seemed like he did even a number of years prior. One other unlucky fact is that lifeless our bodies typically appear like a pale comparability of the dwelling particular person; anybody who has ever been to an open casket funeral can attest to this. Corpses simply look “off,” or worse, typically like wax figures, after beauty remedies.
After which the Elvis sightings began; they even turned a cottage trade in and of themselves. Those that claimed to have seen The King wrote books and appeared on discuss reveals. Some even claimed to see him as a background actor in 1990’s field workplace smash House Alone.
However similar to most conspiracy theories, this one begins to deflate as quickly as you begin poking holes in it. For starters, the reasoning believers give is that Elvis needed to reside a quiet life exterior of the highlight; one thing that’s unattainable to do if you happen to’re the King of rock n’ roll. However even when that was the case, why stage a significant comeback only a few years earlier?
His “‘68 Comeback Particular” is the stuff of legends, and added one more chapter to his storied story. His music profession was on the again burner by that time, and his time was principally spent in Hollywood making motion pictures. The Beatles had are available and adjusted rock music endlessly. He might have laid it down and retired, however as a substitute stepped again into the ring and reclaimed his title. Though Elvis might have modified his thoughts about his future between the “Comeback Particular” and his dying in 1977, it was clear from every little thing occurring round him he liked performing. Regardless of his final main hit being “Burning Love” in 1972, he nonetheless continued to report and launch data, to not point out his common performances in Las Vegas.
If certainly he was bored with the limelight, it will appear going into retirement at that time would have been a extra affordable response than, say, faking his dying. His profession was clearly in a far totally different place than the 1950s and even the early ’70s. There’s additionally loads of proof that he was creating critical drug points, slurring this fashion by way of performances and exhibiting erratic habits.
On the time of his dying, Elvis had a medication chest stuffed with prescribed drugs — lots of them opiates, barbiturates, and different addictive medication — prescribed by his private doctor. There’s additionally the truth that if he had managed to flee into a lifetime of obscurity, certainly somebody would have talked and even produced actual proof by now. The unhappy reality is, as a lot as his devotees might not wish to consider it, The King is lifeless.
three. Avril Lavigne Is an Imposter
Avril Lavigne was on the prime of the charts in 2002 together with her hits, “Difficult” and “Sk8er Boi,” getting into the hearts and minds of followers the world over. The conspiracy idea — put forth by a Brazilian fan web page for the singer — purports that Avril struggled with fame and the pressures of stardom and started utilizing a physique double (some conspiracy theorists really counsel this was a clone) named “Melissa.”
When Avril sunk right into a deep melancholy and was discovered lifeless in 2003, the physique double took over full time and continued Avril’s profession. Fuelling this weird idea are photos that supposedly present variations in Avril’s face, magnificence marks, and even gown habits. The final one is an actual head scratcher too; artists change their look on a regular basis. It’s not be remarkable for a punk artist to abruptly begin sporting attire (it doesn’t make them a wholly totally different particular person)!
The sweetness marks can simply be dismissed as having been photoshopped out in some photos however not others, or just lined by make-up. An image exhibiting Avril with “Melissa” written on her fist solely additional excited believers. Supposed clues have even been left all through Arvil’s lyrics and believers rush to attach the dots to verify their theories.
However this conspiracy holds little water when really examined. Had Avril died proper after her explosive debut album, she might have even develop into extra well-known and it definitely would have been extra handy to only transfer on to the subsequent act within the label’s roster than rent an imposter (or in some way produce an outright clone). The star herself seems genuinely perplexed and postpone by the rumors — even going as far as to emphatically refute them in interviews. It appears some followers simply wish to make one thing easy (being alive) extraordinarily difficult.
four. Jay-Z Is a Time-Travelling Vampire
Generally a conspiracy idea doesn’t even want a lot to go on in any respect. Take for instance the speculation that rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z can journey by way of time. Web sleuths got here throughout this image (displayed above) by Sid Grossman, depicting a scene in 1939 Harlem. The unidentified man within the image not solely appears to be like remarkably like Jay-Z, however apparently shares a few of his mannerisms as properly.
The one affordable clarification, in fact, is that the long-lasting rapper is a time traveller or some kind of immortal vampire. And this is sensible; vampires are well-known to hunt out careers in rap music. Snarkiness apart, it appears the apparent conclusion is both they’re in some way associated (maybe an amazing grandfather or an extended misplaced cousin), or it’s only a wild coincidence.
But it may’t be discounted that this wasn’t some kind of publicity stunt since this surfaced proper across the time Jay-Z oversaw the soundtrack to Baz Luhrman’s The Nice Gatsby — which is ready in an analogous time interval.
Conspiracy theories exist (typically despite proof on the contrary) as a result of folks need to consider them. But in addition as a result of the human mind loves discovering patterns, and we’ll typically search patterns out the place none really exist. It appears to be very true for issues we care intimately about — whether or not it’s our favourite songs, a star we admire, and even politicians.
Within the summary, it’s enjoyable to consider a well-known rapper being a time traveller, or Elvis dwelling in obscurity, however at a sure level it’s necessary to take a step again and assess these theories critically. Do they really maintain up underneath scrutiny, or can we simply want that they did? We might properly discover that they’re merely the product of 1’s fandom and keenness for the artist or their music in spite of everything.
