Russ Gibb talks about Paul McCartney and the famous 'Paul is Dead' rumor
http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2011/07/19/news/doc4e25ce275f18b054541854.txt?viewmode=fullstory
July 19, 2011
By Kurt Anthony Krug
DEARBORN In a rare interview, Russ Gibb discusses his involvement
in the "Paul is Dead" urban legend about singer Paul McCartney of the
legendary Beatles.
"I want to be begin by saying Paul McCartney is alive and well I'm
sure of that," said Gibb, a Dearborn resident.
In fact, McCartney will be performing Sunday at Comerica Park in Detroit.
"I didn't think anything much about the Beatles except I'd play them
on the radio. I liked them a lot, particularly Paul. Interestingly
enough, I had met the Beatles when they first came to Detroit (in
1964)... As a DJ, we were all lined up in the office. They were
brought in and we each shook hands. That's about it; we didn't really
talk with them… And they were whisked away to do their show," recalled Gibb.
"All I remember is looking out the office door and into the theater
it was teeming with little girls… and they were screaming. It was
like a perpetual scream of pain. It was constant, it didn't let up.
Looking at this sea of little adolescents, I thought, 'My God.' Then
when they started to play, I could hardly hear them because of the
screaming. These girls were flinging themselves all over the place,
so I left. I couldn't hear anything."
"The Paul is Dead" myth began in 1969 when the Beatles were about to
disband. It was on Sunday, Oct. 12, 1969 when Gibb, a DJ at WKNR-FM,
received a phone call from an unidentified individual.
"Some kid called me and said, 'Hi, Russ. Did you hear Paul McCartney
is dead.' I poo-pooed it and laughed. I said, 'I heard every rock
star is either dead, a dope-dealer, beats his children, beats his
wife, or something,'" explained Gibb.
Then the kid asked Gibb if he ever played the Beatles' song
"Revolution 9" from the "White Album" backwards.
"When you played it backwards, it said, 'Turn me on, dead man… Turn
me on, dead man… Turn me on, dead man.' That floored me. It wasn't
garbled – it was very distinct. I put that on and within 3-4 minutes,
the phone lines were jammed in my studio," said Gibb.
Within 10 minutes, phones were ringing off the hook. WKNR owner Frank
Maruca called and asked Gibb what was happening.
"By now, people were pounding on the windows. Callers were giving me
more clues. Frank said, 'Whatever you're doing, keep doing it.' He
realized the numbers were skyrocketing… Frank came and said, 'Milk
it.' He was a genius programmer. So now the other DJs are getting in
on it because people were calling," said Gibb.
Gibb's show was extended. He learned playing "Strawberry Fields
Forever" backwards, it said, "I buried Paul." The famous "Abbey Road"
album cover symbolized a funeral procession with McCartney as the
corpse, given his bare feet and being out of step with his fellow Beatles.
Gibb called rock star Eric Clapton, his one-time roommate, in London
and asked him if he knew anything about the rumor.
"(Clapton) said, 'What are you talking about? No, no, no, you yanks
are crazy.' I asked, 'When's the last time you saw him?' He said,
'Well, I…' and he stopped… He paused and said, 'Y'know, come to think
of it, I haven't seen him in 4-5 weeks.' When he said that, it took
on a life of its own. Now it became 'Could it be?' instead of 'This
is a joke,'" said Gibb.
"Paul is Dead" raged on for about a week. Gibb was getting calls from
all over the world and added fuel to the fire with a WKNR special
"The Beatle Plot."
"In it, we said Paul is symbolically dead. The reason why we said
that is there were rumors (the Beatles) were feuding, (McCartney) and
Lennon particularly. Several people I knew in the London music
community that I talked to over those 3-4 days told me they were
gonna break up... I called the Beatles' office and wanted to talk to
Paul. Somebody came on the line and claimed to be Paul, but it turned
out we think it was a girl who had a voice that sounded just like
him. It wasn't really Paul," recalled Gibb.
Eventually, Gibb spoke to Derek Taylor, the Beatles' publicist.
"(Taylor) said, 'Russ, what else can a man do but be alive? How can
you prove it by just being alive? That's all you need to do. You
don't have to prove anything else.' That put it to rest," said Gibb
That and the cover story about McCartney in Life Magazine's Nov. 7,
1969 issue. In the interview, McCartney stated: "Perhaps the rumor
started because I haven't been much in the press lately. I have done
enough press for a lifetime, and I don't have anything to say these
days. I am happy to be with my family and I will work when I work. I
was switched on for 10 years and I never switched off. Now I am
switching off whenever I can. I would rather be a little less famous
these days."
Gibb never learned the name of the caller who tipped him off about
"Revolution 9.""Over the years, I've had three different people claim
that they were the kid who called me that day. I don't know which
one; I have no idea. I'm quite willing to let all of them take any
credit they can get out of it because that's all they get," he said.
Gibb had the chance to meet McCartney in 1996 when he was performing
at what is now DTE Music Theater but didn't go because it was at a
moment's notice.
"So I've oftentimes wondered what we would say to one another if we
ever met now. First of all, I'd apologize to the man for any problems
I've caused him," said Gibb. "And I'd also say, 'By the way, I love
your stuff… your music.' Paul is not dead. He will never die. His
music is universal and immortal."
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