beatles

John Lennon, the iconic co-founder of the Beatles and a prominent peace activist, was tragically murdered on December 8, 1980, outside his residence at the Dakota building in New York City. He was shot four times in the back by Mark David Chapman, a disturbed fan obsessed with Lennon’s fame and the novel The Catcher in the Rye, who had traveled from Hawaii to carry out the act after obtaining Lennon’s autograph earlier that day. Despite immediate medical efforts at Roosevelt Hospital, Lennon succumbed to massive blood loss and was pronounced dead at age 40, leaving behind a profound legacy in music and activism.

Among the numerous conspiracy theories surrounding the Beatles, one of the most enduring is the “Paul is dead” rumor, which claims that Paul McCartney perished in a car accident on November 9, 1966, and was secretly replaced by a look-alike to keep the band intact, with alleged clues hidden in album artwork, lyrics, and backward messages on tracks like those from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Other theories include suggestions of CIA involvement in suppressing the band’s radical anti-war messages or connections to the organization through extended associates, as well as occult pacts or Illuminati influences that purportedly fueled their rapid rise to fame and cultural impact.

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The history of rock music is littered with tragic deaths and strange legends, and on this episode of 13 O’Clock, Tom and Jenny are going to examine some of the most fascinating mysteries of rock and roll, from Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon syncing up to The Wizard of Oz; from the “accidental” deaths of Brian Jones and Bobby Fuller to the persistent myths that Elvis didn’t die in 1977 and was perhaps channeled by a man named Orion; from the bizarre proclivity of rock stars to die at the age of 27 to the possibility that Sammy Hagar was once abducted by aliens (which would explain a lot), it’s a darkly whimsical journey through the byways and oddities of musical history. Just take those old records off the shelf and sit and listen to episode 69 by yourself.

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Song in the middle: “Lonesome Angel” by Orion (aka Jimmy Ellis).
Songs at the end: “Godstar” by Psychic TV and “Rock and Roll” by the Velvet Underground.