One of the many clues that Paul had died was his bare feet on the Abby Road cover
If a piece of art came with a glossary or a set of definitions, this little ditto would not be taking up internet space right now. However, art, be it a song, a book, or a painting, is subject not only to interpretation but also misinterpretation. The dangerous case of interpretation verses misinterpretation can be illustrated through the reactions to the lyrics of some of the Beatles songs. Some of these interpretations have caused chaos while others have grabbed the interest and total confusion of Beatle fans.
One of the many clues that Paul had died was his bare feet on the Abby Road cover
CASE ONE
Sir Paul McCartney -Is He or Isn’t He?
Yes ladies and gentlemen, it’s The Great Paul McCartney Death Mystery! It’s almost as great as the Great Pumpkin. The deal here is that The Beatles were supposedly leaving clues that their cutest band member was dead and had been replaced. Who, though, could ever replace Paul? Actually, according to the expert-textperts, it was the one and only Benny Shears (as in the Benny Shears mentioned in the end of Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band) that replaced Paul. Clues to this were dropped all over Beatles songs, album covers, photos, and even in the movie Magical Mystery Tour. More recently, a new death clue has been found in the Beatles anthology. What does all this mean? Actually, it’s about nothing (kinda like a Seinfeld episode) because the Beatles declared the whole Paul Is Dead Affair a hoax.
The Walrus was Paul!
CASE TWO
I am NOT the Walrus!
No John, you’re not! What did that song mean anyway? The listeners thought that all that stuff about walruses and eggmen was supposed to stand for something, but John wrote this ditty as a tease. The witty Mr. Lennon knew people would tear this one apart and he gave them a dud. The song was actually (see my favorite songs page) comprised of a children’s story, a nursery rhyme, and nonsense from an acid trip. A good (and most importantly entertaining) source of information on I Am the Walrus and the Paul Is Dead conspiracy is The Walrus Was Paul.
CASE THREE
The Big Big Charles Manson Connection.
The Walrus was warped. The Paul is dead hoax was sick (and sadly ironic since John Lennon was actually shot to death in 1980). The Helter Skelter story, however, is absolutely, positively, definitely, appalling. A white supremacist by the name of Charles Manson took up the hobby of interpreting Beatles lyrics, but he did it his way. Manson was a serial killer (he was also sick, twisted, and an all around evil person) and he had his own little brainwashed fan club of followers. He felt that The White Album (also known as The Beatles) was written just for him. Manson was also under the belief that the Beatles were the four angels mentioned in the book of Revelation and they were telling him to prepare for an upcoming cataclysm. Now, celebrities are not immune to nutty fans, but this is ridiculous!
The plot, of course, thickened and Manson and his legion of followers went on a bloody killing spree. Manson even went as far as to believe that the song Piggies warned whites of a racial revolt. He interpreted the lines A damn good whacking to mean that the black establishment needed to be knocked off. This is definitely NOT what that song was about. George Harrison, who wrote the song, was infuriated at what Manson was trying to pull and the fact that he was using Piggies to do it. It did, however, explain why Manson scrawled in blood the words "pig" and "piggy" on the walls of the victim’s homes. Disgusting!
Lawyer Vincent Bugliosi's account of the Manson affair.
If there is any statement that can be made in regards to any of this it is this: use extreme caution when interpreting art. A piece of art is not a scapegoat in which to blame things on. There is no excuse for murder, genocide, and the like. Charles Manson found that out. Mark David Chapman also found that out when he tried to use lines out of JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. to justify his assassination of John Lennon.
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