Turn Me On, Dead Man: The Beatles and the "Paul-is-Dead" Hoax

Turn Me On, Dead Man: The Beatles and the "Paul-is-Dead" Hoax

In the fall of 1969, a rumor swept across college campuses and airwaves: Paul McCartney of the Beatles had died in a car crash, and the surviving band members had replaced him with a double. Students and disc jockeys poured over album covers and songs claiming to uncover hidden clues. Headlines, radio shows, and late-night debates turned the rumor into a cultural phenomenon. Turn Me On, Dead Man tells the story of how the “Paul-Is-Dead” hoax spread and why so many people believed it. From a phone call to a Detroit radio station, to a satirical review in The Michigan Daily that became front-page news, the book traces the rumor’s rapid rise. With careful research and rare material from newspapers, radio transcripts, and firsthand accounts, Andru J. Reeve reconstructs how a six-week frenzy convinced thousands that the Beatles were sending secret messages about their fallen bandmate. More than a simple catalog of supposed “clues,” this book explores the rumor’s social and cultural impact. It examines why people were ready to believe, how the media fueled the fire, and what this phenomenon reveals about fame, rumor, and the power of storytelling in popular culture. Detailed, witty, and grounded in historical evidence, Turn Me On, Dead Man preserves one of the strangest and most fascinating chapters in the history of rock music and mass media.