Saturday, May 31, 2008

Nothing Is Real Forum

The Nothing Is Real forum is down at the moment. It is possible that the data center of the host server had a fire. Let's hope that this problem is resolved quickly because the NIR forum is one of the best resources for information and insights on all Paul Is Dead theories.

All appears to be quiet at Iamaphoney land as well. The "schedule" on the Iamaphoney YouTube Channel said:
Ulaanbaatar
8002 edisni s`tahw
80020601

It appears that "what's inside 2008" was simply a statement on the channel of the Iamaphoney alias johnIennon which has since been replaced by the word "bea†les®" If there was anything else to "What's Inside," I didn't find it. Now, I guess we will see if the June 1, 2008 listing is for the McCartney Liverpool concert only or if there will be some Iamaphoney activity as well.

For those suffering from NIR withdrawal, grandfatheraleister has come through with 3 new videos:

20 George Harrison
21 Lucy in the Sky with Paul
22 But She Called Herself Lil

Update:
Let's Rock Car Stall from Joshblue33

Friday, May 30, 2008

Another Look at the Walrus on Sgt. Pepper

Some people see it and some don't. One who did might have been the late Apollo C. Vermouth, a contributor to both TKIN and NIR. Apollo was well respected, particularly by some key members of the NIR forum who say that they believe he was Neil Aspinall. It was Apollo who suggested that "I Am the Walrus" from Magical Mystery Tour was actually one of many backward glances pointing to Sgt. Pepper. So where is the walrus on Sgt. Pepper? Apollo was quite specific about that:

Hidden on the Pepper cover is a WALRUS.
Using your trusty mirror, place it vertically touching Diana Dors left elbow.

See him?




To be honest, I don't but others have. And that spot on Diana Dors’ left elbow seems to be the exact spot that was mirrored at the end of the "A Day in the Life" clip on the Official Beatles Anthology.


If it is a walrus, what does it mean? One thing blogger mojollikins suggested is that the walrus seems to be devouring the doll. That fits in well with all of that Satanism stuff that we have been seeing.

There are three interesting characters in that little area: British actress Diana Dors, American child actress Shirley Temple (according to the Sgt. Pepper CD liner notes, there are three Shirley Temple images on the cover) and a partially obscured Legionnaire from the Royal Antediluvian Order of the Buffalo. There has been much speculation about that last guy because of the Masonic connections. Hmmm, what other person on the cover is famous for his secret society connections? That’s right, Aleister Crowley. And if you do a mirror within the mirror image, you get this,

which looks curiously similar to this.


Iamaphoney knew this and he illustrated it in Rotten Apple 44 shortly after a member named Jarvtronics suggested it on the NIR forum.

If this is supposed to be Crowley, an intriguing message emerges based on his positioning. Jarvtronics pointed out something that may be one of the most powerful findings since the discovery of the message on the Sgt. Pepper drum. Aleister Crowley (and now the walrus if you mirror the image as the Beatles themselves seemed to be suggesting in the new ending of “A Day in the Life”) is positioned right behind Shirley Temple and Diana Dors. What religious orientation would have Aleister Crowley and/or a child-eating walrus right at the Temple Do(o)rs? What sinister plot is going on here?

Thursday, May 29, 2008

New Items

There was something significant about the ukulele (uku-lily) talk in the Beatles Anthology. So, I think the auction of a ukulele once owned by George Harrison and by George Formby warrants mention here. NME article. Turned out nice again.

The grandfatheraleister/joshblue33 team is at it again. The production values are increasing.

13 Lewis Carroll
from joshblue33

And four from grandfatheraleister
16 Lewis Carroll #2
17 Rosemary's Lennon
18 Paul is the black rose
19 John Lennon

How many Rubik's Cubes does it take to make a portrait of John Lennon?
Answer: 224
See the article in the New Zealand Herald

Finally, Yoko's legal victory from Contact Music.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mae West

It's time for another trip back to the Sgt. Pepper. Mae West, one of a few sultry blond bombshells on the cover had a long and storied life unlike many of the others on Pepper. West stands tall in the back row between Aleister Crowley and Lenny Bruce.


The widely reported story of how she initially refused to be on the cover (stating that she would never be in any Lonely Hearts Club) and her subsequent change of mind after a personal plea suggests that her inclusion was important to the Beatles. The fact that she gave in to Beatley sweet talk is not surprising, but the biggest hurdle might have been getting her to allow her likeness to be in the same photograph as W.C. Fields.



Although the one movie they made together "My Little Chickadee" was a big hit, they apparently hated each other so much that they refused to film scenes together. Another person in that back row was Edgar Allan Poe, but the only connection I could find between Mae West and Poe is that Mae's California house was in a place called Ravenswood.

Most people think of Mae West as a movie actress although that career was pretty much over long before Sgt. Pepper when she only had 10 movies under her bra, I mean belt. She was ahead of her time as a writer of some risqué plays such as "Sex" and "The Wicked Age." Her most controversial work as a writer was a well known play about homosexuality called "The Drag." Mae had some progressive ideas about sex, but her views on homosexuality are not generally embraced as politically correct by today's standards. Still you have to wonder if her sympathy regarding homosexuality had anything to do with her inclusion on the cover. Back in 1967, there was a significant amount of talk that Paul, the only unmarried Beatle at the time of Sgt. Pepper was homosexual. This was not a completely unreasonable conclusion when you look at some of the people that Paul was hanging out with in the mid-sixties. Aside from having many individuals who died young, violently or suspiciously, the Sgt. Pepper cover also has several individuals who were believed to be homosexual or portrayed characters who were (e.g. Tony Curtis in Spartacus).

Despite the fact that Mae West was no longer a big movie star/sex symbol by the 1960s, there are some interesting Beatles connections that occurred after that. She did a cover of the Beatles tune "Day Tripper" during her minor recording career.


In 1970 she played Leticia Van Allen in her eleventh movie, "Myra Breckinridge." The film starred Raquel Welch who had just appeared in "The Magic Christian." Rex Reed, one of John Lennon's neighbors at the Dakota was also in the film.

Her last film was "Sextette," released in 1978 when Mae was still strutting her stuff at age 85. It was surreal seeing an octogenarian stealing lines from films she made a half century earlier such as when she asked a gangster portrayed by George Hamilton, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" The film featured a small part by Ringo Starr as movie director Laslo Karolny. Another important role in the film was played by Tony Curtis who was with her on the cover of Sgt. Pepper, just below W.C. Fields. The music in the film includes Lennon-McCartney song "Honey Pie" along with McCartney favorites "After You've Gone" and "Baby Face."



Six years after her death, Paul McCartney immortalized her in the song "Move Over Busker" from his "Press To Play" album.



Well I Was Hanging Around For A Miracle,
Struggling With A Rhyme,
When I Saw Mae West In A Sweaty Vest,
And I Said I'll Come Up And See You Sometime.
She Said Move Over Busker, Don't Bang Your Drum
Move Over Busker, Your Time Will Come.
- From "Move Over Busker" by Paul McCartney

"Sweaty vest" was an interesting choice for that struggled rhyme. Wiki states, During World War II, Allied soldiers called their yellow inflatable, vest-like life preserver jackets "Mae Wests" partly from Cockney rhyming slang for "life vest" and partly because of the resemblance to her curvaceous torso.

So what is the Beatles fascination with Mae West? I wonder if it has anything to do with the stage role that she kept returning throughout her career based on her 1928 play. She was so popular in the role that many people would refer to her by its name: DIAMOND LIL

Monday, May 26, 2008

Der Doppelgänger

The idea of a double or impersonator has been employed by just about every writer of fiction at one time or another. Actors play dual roles or have stand-ins all the time. The question is: Have the Beatles had more than their share of allusions to the double?

There are real doubles in Beatles history. They had stunt doubles for the skiing scenes in the movie, "Help."



I'm surprised that grandfatheraleister/joshblue33 hasn't used that image in any video yet. He must love the hand signals.

More recently, Paul McCartney used a "look-a-like" in his video for Dance Tonight. He was used mainly for testing lighting etc., but there actually was a shot of him in the video itself...from the knees down.


Going back to "Help," there is a scene where the other Beatles impersonate Ringo in order to trap the thugs who are trying to kidnap him.

But after 1966, the examples of Beatle Doubles rose dramatically. We have two sets of Beatles on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.



The Magical Mystery Tour film gave us not only the Beatles on the bus, but also the 4 or 5 magicians beyond the blue horizon.



Yellow Submarine's plot involved the Beatles passing for the original Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

We can also include the Beatles seeing themselves as they passed through the sea of time, as well as the two Paul's on the submarine for no apparent reason.

The poster in the White Album contains the picture that most PID enthusiasts believe is Paul's imposter before plastic surgery.


The solo years are also filled with references to doubles. In the 1971 film "Imagine" (not to be confused with the 1988 Andrew Solt documentary) John is seen on the toilet after the song "Crippled Inside." After a flush, he and Yoko walk to the window and say good morning to another John and Yoko who are having tea below.

Ringo Starr's 1978 Television Special was based on The Prince and the Pauper and featured Ringo in a dual role as himself and a "nerd" named Ognir Rrats.

The backwards name and the plot line with a pop star being replaced by a look-a-like would raise a few eyebrows anyway, but the cameo by George Harrison makes it even more compelling. Harrison's bit is one of the funniest parts of the show. When a reporter asks George why Ringo is being chased by the police, his response is "Well, a fireman wouldn't chase you would he?" In the end, Ringo is reunited with his double and switches places just in time for his big concert.


Paul McCartney is the prize winner for the most doubles. Again, you see multiple versions of rock stars all the time in videos, but has Paul had more than his share? There are several Pauls in Coming Up.

For the "Goodnight Tonight" video, you have this guy on bass...


...and this guy on percussion...

McCartney did the double thing again with his recent "Ever Present Past" video.

We know about all of the McCartney alter egos on record (e.g. Percy Thrillington, Country Hams, Fireman, etc.) but there is also an example of a picture sleeve replacement. If you bought the Ferry Aid charity single "Let It Be" it might have come in a sleeve with this Paul McCartney on the top left.

But on your next trip to the record shop you could have purchased that same single with a different Paul McCartney on the sleeve.


The subject of Rotten Apple video 61 was the Red Square Press Conference. In it, Paul appears to be asked, "Are you a natural or double?"

Even with consideration for the language barrier that is an odd way to ask the question that we are interpreting to mean, "Are you the real Paul McCartney?" But let's assume that our interpretation is correct. We also know that Iamaphoney is not always honest with his editing. However, I have the source video, and while there was some editing done in other parts of it, I can tell you that Paul's response to the "natural or double" question, "That's a secret, I can't tell you" was shown exactly the same as in the original. So, unless we are wrong about the meaning of the question, we have to score one for Iamaphoney.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Walking Home From Ulaanbaatar?

You have to really be a big fan, but if you love Iamaphoney you can join the new Rotten Apple Forums and download the 1-second* video that MikeNL put in the members only section.



* That's not a typo. The video is really 1-second long.

"You don't think he's a new phenomenon do you?"
"You mean an early clue to the new direction?"
"Where's the calendar?"

Friday, May 23, 2008

What's Inside

I don't know what the phrase "What's Inside" means, but it has appeared on one of Iamaphoney's alias channels.



It's going to require a side by side comparison or a memory better than mine to determine the significance of this "new" video from the johnIennon channel.

The Beatles - Real Love



Update:
If that one doesn't do it for you, we have something that ain't Iamaphoney, but at least it is new. From Grandfatheraleister we have 15 - The Black Rose in Wonderland

Thursday, May 22, 2008

George and Paul

_____________________________________________________________
UPDATE: New Video - re-enter?
Lots of retread footage, but very well edited from Iamaphoney alias KUCINlCH2008
_____________________________________________________________

If you went into a record shop in 1973, you might have seen something on the wall that looked like this...


The covers of George Harrison's "Living In The Material World" and Paul McCartney's "Red Rose Speedway" are reminiscent of something Beatles fans had seen before.



The back of the two albums were similar in design, right down to fan club address information at the bottom of each. George's blurb about the Jim Keltner fan club was simply a parody of Paul's information about the Wings Fun Club, but it did serve to link the albums together making the hand over Paul's head message of the front covers seem more intentional.



That caused me to wonder if there are any more George/Paul things that seem to go together. This is what I came up with off the top of my head.

The Harrison Eye (Best of Dark Horse) and the McCartney Eye (The McCartney Years)


George thumbs up (Sgt. Pepper) and Paul thumbs up (Back In The U.S.)


It's the dummy, dummy (Brainwashed and Twin Freaks)




George's "Living In The Material World" insert.


Paul's "This One" Single.


The point is that even though they weren't playing on each other's songs, The Beatles still existed after 1970. There were contractual obligations and business meetings, but maybe there was more than that. Maybe they really were an elite fraternity inexorably connected by a shared secret.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

News Items

The Cleveland Leader reported that Paul McCartney would like to have a "Celebratory Funeral." Apparently he wasn't happy with his first one.

Iamaphoney provided the lyrics to the song "Harmless Game" on the new Rotten Apple Forum. Shaggily, it is an interesting choice.

Harmless Game by Iamaphoney

say half of them who works this out never heard that we
say half of them who works this out never heard that we
say half of them who works this out never heard of that riddle
it gave me luxury and all we fear in us
man I´m singing now for my fear - will Paul re-live
shaggily if someone - that is reality
sad for the endless luck you never heard of that riddle
that they make up nasty names and all we fear
is sad for the harmless game
they gave me luxury and all we fear


It gives me luxury to express that if you play the song backwards, you will hear the lyrics to the Paul McCartney composition "Come and Get It" from the famous Magic Christian Soundtrack album. It is pretty amazing that Iamaphoney can create these songs this way.



TMZ.com had a picture of the Beatles Liverpool Garden Sculpture minus the headless Ringo.



They also were picking on him for his failure to sign autographs for some obnoxious people, one of whom stuck a Sgt. Pepper album in his face.



And as most of you probably know, the Rotten Apple threads at the "Nothing Is Real" forum have been punished for getting too nasty. You can still access them by scrolling to the bottom of the main page to the "other stuff" section. Click on "The Rotten Apple" and type the password "rotten". There you will find, among other things, the infamous "Rotten Apple 2" thread started by Bill (aka Iamaphoney) on November 27, 2006. It started with a link to the second installment of the Rotten Apple series and is still going strong with 4,921 replies and 89,008 views as I write this. Some people have observed that some of the replies don't directly relate to the second Rotten Apple video.

UPDATE: Nothing official about it, but a fan has produced a nice mirrored version of "Dance Tonight (Instrumental)."

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Illuminati Schilluminati!

Two new videos from grandfatheraleister

13 - Eyes Wide Paul #1

14 - Eyes Wide Paul #2-LONG


Three new videos from joshblue33

10 - Sinsinawa #1

11 - Sinsinawa #2

12 - Sinsinawa #3

I'm not at all comfortable with the serial killer satanist angle in all this, but it doesn't make sense to ignore it either.

So, for the Sinsinawa fans, here is a picture of Mal Evans with Ringo Starr at Wembley. They are at a concert by Marc Bolan and T-Rex. The concert was being filmed for the movie "Born To Boogie," which was directed by Ringo. The picture is from Beatlefan Issue #155 from July-August 2005. It's not the greatest scan, but check out the button Mal is wearing.


The next picture is a screen capture from the Ringo Starr movie "Blindman." That's Mal Evans and Allen Klein in the opening minutes of the film just before they get blown up.



This next one is for mojollikins who put the Robert Anton Wilson link in the comments. You do realize that Fronds is Fnords spelled sideways, right?



Here is a link to that Chelsea Flower Show article. It has a couple pictures from the "Life to Life" exhibit which honors the memory of George Harrison.

Finally, Ringo played the Pope in the movie Lisztomania.



In Liztomania, composer Richard Wagner is portrayed as Adolf Hitler, the Frankenstein Monster and the Anti-Christ. This capture is of a ritual being performed Wagner's Castle.

Both pictures link to the YouTube video.



I think I will be sleeping with the lights on tonight.

UPDATE: We have a new video from SolesGirlRachelTwo, who has a considerable fan following among PID enthusiasts.
Paul Is Dead: A 'House Of Wax' Clue

Monday, May 19, 2008

PID in American Culture

According to most accounts, America went crazy in 1969 shortly after October 12, 1969 when radio personality Russ Gibb received a phone call from a listener. As most parts of the world shrugged off the story, the American market became flooded with magazines, novelty records and news stories trumpeting the rumors of the death of Paul McCartney.

Not surprisingly, it didn't take long for references to "Paul Is Dead" to appear in the culture.

You have all seen the cover to Batman Issue #222 from June, 1970.



That same year, the topic of hidden messages in rock music started working its way into the plots of television shows. One of the best examples was "It Takes A Thief" starring veteran actor Robert Wagner. The episode featured the hot property pop group the 5th Dimension.


Here is the episode synopsis from TV.com
Episode 62. To Sing a Song of Murder
First aired: 2/23/1970

Mr. Jack assigned Al to keep an eye on a rock group that just toured the country of Rugeria. After the group left Rugeria, Marilyn Lee, the group's lead singer, and a close friend of Al's, was supposedly killed in a plane crash, her body burned up without a trace. Al was one of the last people to see her alive. Later, she turns up very much alive at Al's apartment, where she tells Al that when she died, she couldn't find a place to live! She tells Al that the Rugerian Secret Service blackmailed her into adding three chords into her last recording. In the meantime, Mr. Jack discovers that there is a plot to assassinate the Rugerian president, who just announced a 25 year co-existence pact with the U.S., upon his arrival in the U.S. Back at his apartment, Al figures out that the three chords added to the song are actually a sonic trigger that when played will shatter, and detonate, a bomb that is made out of a glass sculpture. Al has to get to the hotel were the president is staying and find the bomb before it goes off!


The song being promoted in the show was "Puppet Man." Notice the Beatles Poster on the wall behind the beautiful Marilyn McCoo.



At a critical point of the episode when it appeared that singer Marilyn Lee (McCoo) had died in a plane crash, the camera zoomed in and out on the face of Paul McCartney on that poster.

I don't know if Iamaphoney is a symptom of this or the cause of this, but in the past year, the "Paul Is Dead" myth cropped up again in American culture. During the presidential primaries, Republican Party candidate Mike Huckabee was accused of including a subliminal reference to Jesus Christ in a political ad wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Huckabee's defense to the most ironic accusation in 2000 years can be found in this YouTube video.

The furor produced one on the weirdest scrolling messages I have ever seen during an interview with another unsuccessful republican candidate. (Pictured below)



It appears that "Paul Is Dead" is alive and well in 2008 as evidenced by more grandfather aleister and joshbluish videos on YouTube.

8 - The Fireman is no Manson #1
9 - The Fireman is no manson #2
12 - The Things You Can't Remember