Ski Tooele

As long as I can remember, there has been talk about creating a ski resort in the Oquirrh Mountains near Tooele, Utah. I've skied the Oquirrhs on a few occasions and find them to be more suitable for cross-country skiing, but a strategically placed ski lift or two would change that. I hope that never happens and it probably never will. Tooele has already grown too big, too fast. It isn't the little town I remember.

Someone made this awesome Ski Tooele sweatshirt sometime in the eighties.

Because of Tooele's close proximity to military proving grounds and a major Army depot, the small desert town has acquired a bit of a reputation for chemical and biological weapons tests and storage, therefore, the skier on the sweater wears a gas mask. I recently had to steal it back from my son who thinks it's his now. Teenagers!

Bye Bye Blacksheep

On this day in 1968, early in the morning, ranchers discovered that thousands of their sheep had mysteriously died overnight. Toxicologists from the National Animal Disease Center at Ames, Iowa, determined that the sheep had died from exposure to the highly volatile VX agent, a terribly toxic chemical weapon, which just so happened to be in large supply at a couple of neighboring military bases at the time.
Read Allah Bout It.

Merlin's Magickal Birthday

I've never met anyone like Merlin. Of all of my amazing friends, Merlin was certainly the most capable of all of them. Merlin could do anything better than anyone else... anything.

I've known Merlin since a basketball clinic we both attended during the summer between fourth and fifth grade. He had a little baseball cap with his name across the front... Jimmy.

In Jr. High, Merlin's family moved to my neighborhood, and he became a super friend. We did all kinds of stuff together: Scouts, motorcycles, skiing and etc. and I was always impressed with his supernatural abilities in academics, athletics and mechanics.

Merlin would ride his unicycle both up and down stairs. He built his own skateboard which he cut to his specifications out of a block of aluminum. He skated as well as he skied... effortlessly. The high school football field was located a block from where we lived, and Merlin and I spent quite a bit of time there. I watched Merlin kick one-hundred yard field goals rather regularly. On the basketball court he could easily throw full court and make the basket.

Today is Merlin's BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy BIRTHDAY!

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Post-Punk X - Pickin' on the Knitters

The Knitters at Moe's Alley Last Night

Something that is difficult for me to get my brain around is the fact that I started listening to X before Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. Five presidents later, I still listen to X, but even more surprising is the fact that the raucous and rowdy rockabilly punk band from LA is still going strong... in one form or another. These days, they're touring as a bona fide cowpoke band.

When pUnK Wasn't Cool

The first time I heard X was in the Spring of 1980. Jon and I were hanging out at our friend David's house in Tooele, Utah listening to music and talking about bands when David asked, "Have you ever heard X?" I replied, "I know Generation X, is that what you mean?" He pulled out his newly acquired record and began to educate us about the band and their legendary producer, Ray Manzarek, from the Doors, who, he informed us, also plays keyboards on the record. He removed the black vinyl disc from it's sleeve, placed the record on the turntable, and after a quick dusting, placed the stylus on the first track of side one... Los Angeles. It was obvious from that moment that X had a truly unique sound, and that they were worth paying attention to. I did. To me, X was evidence that punk could be poignant artsy and smart... eXactly what the stagnant music industry needed.

Sometime in the early eighties, I had the opportunity to see X live for the first of what would become many times. The show was in Salt Lake City at the old dilapidated fairgrounds coliseum... an appropriate place for the big rockabilly sound of X. 004, a local ska band, opened the show that night. 004* was followed by Angst, a semi-punk bay area band. Both gave exceptional performances, but when X took the stage, it became obvious who everyone was there to see. X sounded great, and seemed to give it all they had. The crowd's enthusiastic appreciation was reciprocated by the band who seemed joyously surprised by their favorable reception behind the Zion Curtain.

When Mighty Mo and I first met, one of the things we had in common was X, and we still go to see them perform whenever the opportunity presents itself. Strangely, from San Francisco to Madison, the most fun X shows have always been in SLC.***

Knit Pickin' and Grinnin' Twenty-Nine Years Later

I was thrilled when I learned that X had a country music alter ego band called The Knitters. First, I can't resist silent letters, (especially K), and secondly, I thought the idea was brilliant - Cowpoke music played by punk rockers. It's stuff like that that keeps life worth living. Speaking of living, one thing that I love about living in Santa Cruz, is the fact that I've had so many opportunities to see my favorite musicians perform in quaint venues, like Moe's Alley. Last night, Mighty Mo and I took the bus across town to see the Knitters play at Moe's. We had found out about it only a day before the show, and were happy that it hadn't sold out.** Whew!

Moe's Alley was filled to capacity. Apparently, word had gotten out about the Knitters, and the fact that the band features three X Patriots. The eclectic stylings of wardrobe exhibited by attendees was entertaining and amusing to observe. I assumed there would be lots of rockabilly folks, but saw only a few watered-down versions thereof. No jet-black haired gals sporting Betty Page bangs. Dang!

As we sat at a table in the back, listening to the opening act, X's vocalist, Exene strolled right behind Mighty Mo on her way to use the restroom while the crowd was distracted. I told Mighty Mo who had just walked behind her, and she proclaimed, "I love her." When Exene came out from the restroom, she passed by us again. As she did, I got her attention and told her, "We love you, Exene." She blushed, and sheepishly said, "Thanks" and disappeared into the crowd, hoping not to be recognized by anyone else.

When the Knitters took the stage, Moe's Alley came alive. We muscled our way to within fifteen feet of the stage before being thwarted by a wall of compressed thirty-five to fifty-five year old bodies that prevented us from getting any closer. It had been cold earlier, but now, within that mass of huddled humanity, I was warm and cozy.

The Knitters played for two hours, to an appreciative and enthusiastic crowd. The songs were truly country floavoured, but there was no mistaking the tell-tale harmonies of John X Doe and Exene that are so prominent in X.

Dave Alvin, the smokin' guitarist of Blasters fame really impressed me with his marvelous playing. His skillful manipulation of his fancy Fender Stratocaster gave the band a rockin' down-home sound. I think he gets better with age.

The low ceilings at Moe's are conducive to a powerful punch from the bass, and Jonny Ray Bartel made use of the special space. His stand-up bass sounded clear and powerful. An integral part of rockabilly, it was a pleasure to observe Mr. Bartel's technique.

The five Knitters played a handful of Merle Haggard covers and even treated us to a country version of The New World, a classic X song. The crowd swayed and sang along with most of the Knitters tunes, too. A truly warm and memorable show.

I called Moe's ahead of time to find out what the camera policy would be, and was happy to find out that I didn't have to sneak it in. Even though Moe's was crowded, and we didn't have the best position in the house, we managed to take a few photos and video before the batteries died.

The Knitters front-man, John X Doe, was personable and engaging

X band members, Exene and D.J. Bonebrake at Moe's

John X Doe and Exene

John X Doe's Highy 17 Warning

* 004 featured fellow Tooelian, Phil Miller, on saxophone

** Maybe it did sell out. That would explain why the joint was so crowded. I don't think I've seen so many people stuffed into our popular roadhouse before. It's probably happened, but not while I've been there.

*** I think it may have been the Dee Burgers.

A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste

The plan seemed easy enough, but it wasn't without serious risks. I knew that the Indians on the reservation didn't take kindly to white folk trespassing on their land, and I had heard some terrifying stories about people who had been caught out there. The Indians had a reputation for dragging the offender behind his own truck across the desert, then confiscating the vehicle, forcing the injured person to walk many miles, never to see his truck again. The same thing would happen to us if we weren't very careful. But if we were successful, we would have in our possessions some of the choicest specimens of quartz crystals anywhere in the world.

The crystals were said to be five to six feet long and more than a foot wide. What made these crystals special wasn't their size so much as their impeccable quality. The US Government had been mining them for use in spy satellites, but before long, Uncle Sam wore out his welcome on the reservation and the mining of the quartz crystals came to a halt. Now, all we had to do was figure out how to get to the crystals without being killed... or worse.

We decided to approach the reservation from the east, which meant that we'd be passing over the large Ibapah Mountain range. There was a bit of a road there, but much of our travel would have to be done on foot. After a couple of surveillance trips to the area, we had it all figured out regarding how to proceed to the mine entrance on the other side of the mountain. From there, Shalom would unlock the gate using the combination he had procured from his usual source in law enforcement. Then, we'd proceed to the crystals with the aid of a map of the mine. The moment we arrive at the quartz is when the work really begins. Quartz is a very hard substance and doesn't yield to hand tools easily. It would take a bit of time and effort to remove the crystals, and since there would be only two of us, we'd have a limited amount that we'd be able to carry with us back through the mine, and over the mountain to Shalom's truck tucked away in the bushes. We didn't have much time to accomplish our mission either. The entire adventure would have to take place under the shroud of darkness, giving us only a handful of hours. We awaited the next new moon, hoping for favorable weather.
I had been on subterranean expeditions with Shalom before, and was confident in his almost supernatural abilities to navigate through the catacombs of tunnels in search of semi-precious stones. Shalom had quite a reputation among the other mineral collectors who revered him with a kind of saint-like respect. He was the Indiana Jones of underground exploration, and had narrowly escaped death many times. But unlike Indiana Jones, Shalom always returned home with the treasure, and possessed one of the finest private collections.

The day of the new moon approached, and it looked like all systems were go. I headed to bed early the night before the expedition, knowing that I wouldn't be getting any sleep the following night. As I soundly slept, I dreamed about our adventure to the mine on the reservation. Everything was going as planned. We had procured some nice specimens and were making our getaway when a band of angry Indians on three-wheeled ATV's began chasing after us. There must have been five or more three-wheelers in hot pursuit when Shalom reached under his seat and grabbed a stick of dynamite, lit the fuse on his in-dash lighter, and tossed it out at the savages. Direct hit. One down. Shalom continued throwing dynamite at our angry pursuers. After a lengthy chase across acres of sagebrush and halogeten, I awoke from my nightmare, sweaty and heart pounding. It was so real. I didn't sleep well from that point on, and began having second thoughts about the expedition.

I decided to not let my crazy dream keep my from going, and Shalom picked me up at my house on schedule. We left the Salt Lake Valley behind, traveling west on I-80, passing the Great Salt Lake on our right, then exited south on Highway 36 through Tooele Valley and Rush Valley. We left Hwy 36 near Vernon and heading west over Lookout Pass, on the old Pony Express route, spewing up enormous dust-clouds as we sped along the southern boundary of Dugway Proving Grounds.

Shalom knew about a vein of quality fluorite crystals not far from the road we were traveling and we decided to make a quick stop there to gather some specimens. It would only take a little while, and we'd be off to pursue the valuable minerals on the other side of the Ibapah Mountains. We turned north and followed the western boundary of the proving grounds about a mile or so before turning off on a rough and rocky road that headed in a westerly direction a hundred feet or so, and we were there.

The sun was setting when we arrived at the location of the fluorite crystals. Unfortunately someone had beaten us to them. There was evidence that heavy equipment had beenworking in the area. They had taken it all. Bummer!

When we returned to the truck in preparation to leave, we discovered that the back driver-side tire was completely flat. Shalom said, "I hope I have a jack and lug wrench." We searched through the back of the truck, and found a jack, but were unable to locate a lug-wrench. Double bummer!

Now it looked like our quartz quest had been thwarted by a flat tire. We pitched a tent about two hundred feet outside the fence that contained the proving grounds and prepared to sleep. Rest didn't come easily however. It was as though there wasn't enough oxygen in the air, and I had to struggle for every breath. I don't know if they were conducting some kind of experiment at Dugway, or if the fine dust was making it difficult to breath, but I was awake most of the night. In the distance I could see lights from the proving grounds, and could only assume that they were aware of us as well. It was an uncomfortable situation.

The darkness couldn't last forever, and the sun arose on schedule, illuminating the valley to reveal a desolate landscape before us in every direction. It would be a long walk to find help. Shalom decided to look through the cab of his messy truck in hopes of finding a lug wrench. We were in luck. Tucked beneath his seat and under a hundred maps and papers, next to a couple of loose sticks of dynamite, Shalom retrieved the lug wrench, and before long, we had changed the tire and were on our way home. The quartz crystals would have to wait.

2 B continued?

Tooele Mystique

What is this?

I spotted this mysterious object North of Grantsville Utah.

Click on the image to reveal the mystery.

No one knows for sure where the word, Tooele, comes from. One suggestion is that tooele is a kind of Native American mystical gateway to other dimensions, where alternative worlds may be transcended and explored. In Tooele County, a person doesn't have to travel far to find places where worlds come together. Magickal!

In November, Dad, Ferrel and I drove the long washboard-ridden road all the way to Stansbury Island on the Great Salt Lake. My butt was sore when we finally arrived at the northernmost point. In the above photo, I am looking West from the furthermost northern tip of Stansbury Island, where land, salten sea and sky optically infuse; to shroud the point where one feature ends, and the other begins.

What would anyone be doing on an island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake? Stansbury Island is usually a pretty desolate place, but strangely, there was someone else taking photographs off in the distance. I wonder if he got any pictures of us??? Cheese!
Looking west from Black Rock Beach, Stansbury Island appears to be a world away.

From Black Rock Beach, (above), to White Rocks, (below), Tooele County is sure to surprise anyone who has his or her eyes open. Even though White Rocks elevation is much higher than that of Black Rock Beach, thousands of years ago, the waves of Lake Bonneville, the ancient predecessor of the Great Salt Lake, worked relentlessly to erode and expose the stone there. Today, White Rocks is a long long way from the Great Salt Lake, but evidence of the ancient lake is easy to see all around.There are also places where a more definite line exists. Physical boundaries established by man.

A tall, cable reinforced chain-link fence with barbed wire contains one of Uncle Sam's high-level, top secret research facilities where hundreds of biological and chemical weapons tests have taken place. A few hundred employees and military personnel still keep the vast facility operating.

Outside the forboding fence, antelope run free, with no concern for what happens beyond the very real-life barrier in the desert.


Any unlucky antelope that happened to be in the wrong place (below) at the wrong time (in 1968) found itself dead among 6000 sheep who mysteriously died from what was determined to be a chemical warfare agent called VX. I wonder where that came from? Unfortunately, aerosolized chemical weapons don't always respect physical boundaries.

A powerful ascension motif, the mountains rise from the flat valley and extend up to meet the heavens. I shot this photo one afternoon in late November as the sun peeked beneath the clouds to illuminate the west-facing slopes of the Oquihr Mountains east of Lincoln (Pine Canyon). The ancient shore lines of Lake Bonneville are permanently etched into the mountainside, a reminder of how drastically things can change in our world.
I created the following image on Google Earth by zooming in on the spot where I took the above photo, then turned the image to a horizontal position and panned to the east until I found the proper direction. Wow! Virtual world looks so much like real world these days, it's hard to know what is real and what isn't.
Nothing to get hung about!

Ritz a la Tooele: le Rhetro Futuristique

You've never seen a theater like Tooele's Ritz. These days the theater experience is dominated by the mega-plex, where customers are herded and processed like dumb animals. With so much of the same old same old, it's good to know that a place like the Ritz Theater in Tooele, Utah, still exists in spite of the Borg-like mega-plexes that seem to be taking over the projected entertainment realm.

The Ritz has a long and colorful history. Tooele's third* theater, the Ritz was built by SL Gillette, and opened in 1939. It was a good time to open a movie house in Tooele. Dugway Proving Grounds opened in 1941, and Tooele Ordinance Depot** opened the following year. Both brought well paid contractors, scientists, officers and enlisted personnel who were happy to get away from the desolate restricted areas of the depots, and enjoy modern movies in a ritzy theater with their dates or families. Tooele prospered.

In 1962, the Ritz was purchased by Ralph W. Bradshaw, and has remained a family-run operation since. Ralph's son, Alan, is the current owner/operator of the Ritz. Recently, I had the opportunity to meet Alan at the Ritz, and talk to him about his unique and historic theater.
The Ritz has a fully-functional cry room where bawling babies and unruly children can be taken, away from other patrons. Don't you wish every theater had a cry room? Once inside the cry room, a nursing mother can enjoy the movie through a large window and in-room speakers. My own mother tells me that when I was a baby, she took me to the Ritz to see Mary Poppins. My first movie. I'm told that I didn't like it at all, and had to spend a bit of time in the cry room. I still don't like Mary Poppins, but have learned to control myself a bit better when I see her.

Although the cry room is unique, what is most interesting about the Ritz, to me, is the rhetro-futuristique mural that spans the inside walls of the theater.

I asked Alan about the mural, and he told me that he remembers being thirteen years old in 1964 when his father hired the artist who drove from Salt Lake to paint it. Alan remembers watching with interest how the artist air-brushed the space scenes on the theater walls, but unfortunately didn't know the name of the artist. I suggested that the artist may have left his signature somewhere on the mural, but Alan was pretty sure that there wasn't one. As I enlarged the following image of the planet Jupiter, I noticed what may be the initials of the mysterious artist.
Even though we can't identify the artist, evidence of the mural's age can be found in the image of the Mercury era capsule plunging through Earth's atmosphere upon re-entry. The space program's project Mercury ended in 1963. Project Gemini began in 1965, so it makes sense that the mural was painted sometime in 1964 as Mr. Bradshaw recalls.
The assassination of President Kennedy was still an event of recent memory when the artist did his part to keep the dead president's dream of landing a man on the moon alive. When the unknown artist painted this depiction of a lunar landing, the now familiar Lunar Module hadn't been designed, therefore he was left to his own imagination to create a landing vehicle.
I noticed that Florida, home of Cape Kennedy, is featured prominently in the images of both the re-entry and the Lunar landing scenes.
Alan told me that the artist didn't work with any source materials for his ideas, and that the process looked pretty spontaneous. His ideas came from out of thin air so to speak, and they're still there, on the walls of the Ritz. The future isn't what it used to be.Since my most impressionable times, I've gazed at the mysterious mural with wonder and speculation. I hadn't seen the familiar myriad of crafts, planets and stars for many years, and it was a bit like seeing an old friend.

For unruly children who don't appreciate the space mural, and need a reason to cry, the Ritz still displays these incredible Mexican velvet clowns.
Have a nice cry!

* Preceded by the Nick and the Strand, respectively.

** Later became Tooele Army Depot

The Road to Knowheresville: Toxic Tooele

Next time you're planning on taking your high-level nuclear waste on vacation with you, be sure you don't visit Skull Valley, Utah... Unless, of course, you have your permit...Then, apparently your high-level nuclear waste is welcome here, and I guess you are welcome to bring in low-level nuclear waste at your own convenience, and without a permit. Tongue in Cheek?


Skull Valley is no stranger to toxic governmental activities, and has seen it all - from rocket tests, to open-air biological weapons tests.

Highway 196 is a long windless road and serves as the primary access from the north.
The old Tekoy Test Range, once a high-tech test area for rockets and related operations, appears more like a ghost town now.
Behind the gate a lone, cracked and overgrown road heads west across the desert.
A bit further south is the location where thousands of sheep mysteriously died in 1968. The infamous Sheep Incident, as it has come to be remembered, was the result of an accident during one of hundreds of open-air chemical weapons tests at the nearby Dugway Proving Grounds. Oops!
Dugway Proving Grounds is off limits to anyone other than official personnel. And they're dead-serious about it too.
Dugway Proving Grounds has hosted hundreds of open-air biological and chemical weapons tests, even intentional meltdowns that were conducted for research purposes.

Looking back into Skull Valley from Lookout Pass reveals part of the expansive property of the Proving Grounds. The Lincoln Continental Highway once passed through Dugway, but now, that route is closed to tourists and historians alike.
To the east of Dugway, over the Stansbury Mountain Range, in Rush Valley, sits the south area of the Tooele Army Depot where Uncle Sam has been busy destroying the United States' chemical weapons stockpile at the Deseret Chemical facility.
TAD was home to the majority of the United States nastiest weapons of mass destruction stockpile. Now, nearly all of the chemical weapons have been eliminated in this high-tech incineration facility.
The Tooele County Emergency Warning System was designed to alert local citizens of chemical and biological leaks, threats and accidents at the proving grounds. Numerous announcement towers are located throughout the county, in the event of an emergency. The system is tested every Wednesday afternoon.

With Deseret Peak in the background, this tower serves the Grantsville Reservoir area.
This tower serves the South-East edge of Tooele. Notice the Tooele Army Depot north area in the valley behind the tower.




If this had been an actual emergency, you may have heard one of the following prepared messages:

"Warning. Warning. An emergency condition exists at Deseret Chemical Depot. Stand by for instructions and tune to a local radio station or television station for emergency information."

"Evacuate. Evacuation is required for your safety. Evacuate quickly and calmly north toward Interstate 80.""Go inside. Stay indoors. Close all windows and doors. Turn off all heating and air intake systems. Stay indoors."

OR

"If you have not evacuated, go inside now for your safety. Close all windows and doors... Stay indoors and stand by for information."

Enjoy your stay in Tooele.

Cranberry Sauce: Zenberg Blogue Remembers when Paul McCartney was Dead

It's hard to believe that it has been almost forty years since rumors spread that the cute Beatle, Paul McCartney, was dead. Everyone was talking about it. Clues: Commercial Coup, or Coincidence?

There seemed to be evidence that the Beatles had intentionally placed clues on their albums and in song lyrics indicating that Mr. McCartney had died years earlier. As the rumors of McCartney's death spread, sales of Beatles records soared because fans and curious investigators alike purchased albums to carouse for clues.

In 1969, KCPX Radio 1320 AM in Salt Lake City, Utah was the station to tune into to hear the latest rock music. When the McCartney story swept the nation, KCPX took the lead in presenting a cohesive program that detailed many of the alleged clues. At the time, I was more interested in GI Joe, than anything else, but five years later, I was intrigued by the possibility of clues about McCartney's death in Beatles music and on their albums. My very wise older sister, Skarzita, suggested that I contact KCPX and request information on the program they had run in 1969. I took her advice, and sent a letter to the radio station, not really expecting to hear back. It had been five years since they had aired the program, and I figured the whole thing had probably been pushed to the background.I was sitting in Mr. Barton's sixth grade class when I looked up to see my sister standing in the doorway waiving a manila envelope to get my attention. Her purple and white Tooele High School Cheerleaders uniform commanded sufficient authority for her to enter the school and pull me from class. Mr. Barton didn't seem to mind. He was always happy to see a pretty girl in a short skirt. Apparently, Skarzita had been home for lunch and had seen the envelope addressed to me from KCPX radio, and had taken it to West Elementary so that I could open it. I think she was a bit excited about it, too. After all, it had been her idea to write the station in the first place. I carefully lifted the flap, making sure that I didn't tear the sacred vessel that contained vital information from the station. The glue put up a bit of a fight, but before long it was defeated and I cautiously withdrew a multiple-page document of white paper secured together with one staple in the upper left-hand corner. It was so much more than I had hoped for. After closer examination, I discovered that K-PIX (KCPX) had sent me the transcript from the program they had aired in 69. I was thrilled, and as soon as I got home from school, I began examining my album covers and songs while I poured over the document.

The following is a new electronic transcription from KCPX's McCartney program in 1969. I have attempted to transcribe it as accurately as possible, leaving spelling and punctuation errors and variations to preserve the historical viability of the document. I have also provided hyperlinks to photographs of each original page.
KCPX Radio
AM 1320 KC

OPENING STATEMENT

THIS IS GARY WALDRON, PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF KCPX RADIO,...... in the past, we at KCPX have strived to inform our audience of the things which are making news in the world of pop music. The Beatles are an integral part of the music scene today....The Paul McCartney death thing has been going on for many months on an underground basis. This week, all hell broke loose.....suddenly it was a Big Thing in many major cities to discuss the many oddities which may or may not point out that Paul McCartney is either dead or dying. We at KCPX felt that Salt Lake City had a right to know what was going on in other cities across the country, especially because it involved the Beatles, who you, our listening audience, voted as your favorite group in the recent KCPX Star Poll. We acknowledge the reports that claim Paul is alive and well....we feel great about them. All of the Disc Jockies, and I'm sure, all of our audience, was greatly relieved to hear these reports; however, there is still a certain amount of mystery concerning the well-being of Paul McCartney.....AND THIS SPECIAL PROGRAM IS DESIGNED AS A COMPLETE RECAP OF ALL THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, IN SALT LAKE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS.

Page 1

THE BEATLES.......
GREATEST SUPER MUSICAL GROUP OF ALL TIME.......

For the duration of this special KAY-PIX presentation, it will be attempted to let you determine for yourself whether or not The Beatles have been putting on the entire world. Whether or not The Beatles are taking us all in a "Magical Mystery Tour".......

(Magical Mystery Tour)

Is Paul McCartney dying? Is Paul McCartney already dead, as some believers in the supernatural, propose? A fantastic number of people think one of these possibilities is a reality. Since last Saturday, the entire world has been discussing the eerie signs from album pictures and Beatle records....that The Beatles are somehow obsessed with death; and, in particular, the death of Paul McCartney. This program will not solve the magical mystery. The intention is to present the many, many coincidences that have appeared concerning that mystery.

In the song just played, "Magical Mystery Tour", the lyrics say.... "The Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away, waiting to take you away." In the next verse, the lyrics are changed to "Hoping to take you away." In the next verse, the lyrics are changed to "Hoping to take you away." Followed by "Coming to take you away." and finally, "Dying to take you away."
Listen.... as we play all four together.....

Thus begins the "Magical Mystery Tour". It appears it all started with the album "Yesterday and Today", released in 1966. Capitol records released the album with a cover that was so gruesome and publicly

Page 2

distasteful that it was rejected before being released. The cover showed The Beatles sitting and standing in meat cutter's attire, with large chunks of beef over their shoulders, pools of blood at their feet, and parts of a mutilated child's doll completing the scene. Since the cover was unacceptable, The Beatles substituted the photo that is presently on the album as you see it today. This picture shows Paul McCartney sitting in a trunk, poised in the European burial position, with his legs crossed and his hands one on the other. What this meant at the time is not known, but from "Yesterday and Today" to the present, indications of death or dying have been discovered on Beatle records and album covers.

The song, Rain" was the first experiment with backward segments.

(Rain)

"Rain" was played here because later on, backward segments of Beatle songs became very important in the Magical Mystery Tour.

In the "Revolver" album, the Beatles music began to change....becoming more progressive, with emphasis on messages. Lyrics started to be very important, and from "Revolver" on, popular music was in a new bag. On the album cover, Paul is the Beatle who is different. Three Beatles are facing front, while Paul is shown in profile. Many believe this to be another sign that The Beatles were going to profile Paul's death in their LP covers and songs. Also, "Revolver" was the first album cover done in black and white....black...another symbol of death. The significant song in "Revolver" is "Tomorrow Never Knows", where the lyrics in the first part say, "It is not dying, it is not dying". The song ends with the words, "It is not living", and "Of the beginning". Of course, the title, "Tomorrow Never Knows" is also taken by some as a clue.

Page 3

(Tomorrow Never Knows)

The album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a whole new thing. The cover alone won The Beatles an award for the Album of the Year. On that cover, hints of Paul being singled out, emphasized, different from the other Beatles. Here, for the first of many times, a hand is being held over Paul's head, representing the hand of fate, and a sign of impending death. Keep this in mind, because it will be pointed out that a hand is held over Paul's head in several future album photos. In the title song, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the lyrics say, "So let me introduce to you the one and only Billy Shears, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". It is said that Billy Shears was the winner of the Paul McCartney Look-Alike Contest, conducted by The Beatles. Why did The Beatles have a contest designed to find a look-alike for Paul McCartney?

(Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)

"So let me introduce to you, the one and only Billy Shears, and a little help from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (possibly the other three Beatles?)

(With a Little Help From My Friends)

Once again, back to the cover of Sgt. Pepper's"....it is very apparent the Beatles are at a funeral, at least that is the general mood of the cover. The word "Beatles" is spelled across the bottom in red flowers, representing a grave, and under this, is a left-handed

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bass guitar. Paul McCartney plays his bass guitar left-handed. Also, it seems that if you slightly tilt the album with the left side upward, the yellow flowers that make up the guitar appear to spell the letters "P-A-U-L'S". It is quite close, but a little imagination needed here. Also, on the front, notice that John, George and Ringo are holding brass instruments, while Paul is different....he is holding a black woodwind. Between the L and E of "BEATLES", there sets what may be an ashen, used to contain the ashes of a person who is cremated after death. The ashen is definitely pointing directly at Paul. There is also a red-haired doll representing Jane Asher, McCartney's ex-girlfriend. The white bust near the word "BEATLES" bears a strong resemblance to early pictures of McCartney's father. Both of these people are close to the grave, and both were close to Paul. Another song from "Sgt. Pepper's", which some think is another direct clue from The Beatles, is "Good Morning, Good Morning". The lyrics you will hear are at the beginning of the song, "Nothing to do to save his life, call his wife in". Nothing to say but what a day." Also, "Everyone you see is half asleep, and you're on your own, you're in the street.", and "Everywhere in the town is getting dark. Everyone you see is full of life."

(Good Morning, Good Morning)

Now, immediately following these animal sounds, the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" comes in. Listen carefully...to the counting...."one, two, three, four". Between two and three, you can definitely hear the word "dying". Some believe there is the phrase,

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"Paul is dying", but you can definitely hear "dying". Now, hear it again.

In the center picture, when you open the album, Paul is again sitting in the European burial position, which is also the Hindu position monks use when they burn themselves to death. On the back cover of "Sgt. Pepper's", the four Beatles are standing, and here again Paul is the one who is different....he is standing with his back to you, while the others are facing front.

Sgt. Pepper's album came out in 1967; at that time, The Beatles experimentations with drugs filled the news. It is interesting to note that John Lennon and George Harrison were both convicted of violating drug laws, while Paul McCartney has never had any publicity regarding narcotics. Paul was missing from The Beatles drug scene. Just as if he had his back turned to it, as seen on the back of the album cover. The Beatles big drug record was "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". Take the first letter of "Lucy", "Sky" and "Diamonds", and you have.....LSD.

(Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds)

With the four Beatles standing on the back cover of the Sgt. Pepper's album, George Harrison's right hand index finger is pointing to the words, "Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins". The story goes that that Paul McCartney was involved in an automobile accident in 1966, at 5 o'clock on a Wednesday morning. The results of that accident are not clear. Still others believe that George's finger pointing to Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock indicates that

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calling a 'phone number in London at that time will reveal the whole McCartney story. Some believe this is the phone number of Billy Shears, who will ask you if you know the rest of the riddle. If you can tell him, you'll receive a personal invitation to Paul's funeral. the 'phone number is revealed on the cover of the album, "Magical Mystery Tour". To get the number, you must hold the front cover of the LP up to a mirror. The word "Beatles", formed by yellow stars, will then be backwards. Starting with the "S" in "Beatles", you come up with two-three-one....seven-four-three-eight. This number in London has been called several times with the same result. It is not a working number. In 1967 it may very well have been a working number, and as many believe, was possibly the 'phone number of one, Billy Shears.

"Strawberry Fields Forever" contains some extremely important lyrics. From the first, "Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to, Strawberry Fields"......to the very last audible portion which says, if you listen very closely, "I buried Paul". Listen carefully to the lyrics, particularly, the very end.

(Strawberry Fields Forever)

Let's listen to that ending again. Unmistakably, you will hear, "I buried Paul", at the very last part of the song. (Play end again) One more time. Listen (Play again)

The album "Magical Mystery Tour" contains a picture book inside, and many of the photographs seem very strange, with possibly more signals. On the front cover, the Beatles are dressed in costumes, with Paul as the walrus. The walrus is the Nordic symbol of death, and the walrus

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is referred to many times in Beatle songs, as will be pointed out.

Here is "I Am the Walrus". Some of the lyrics to listen for are, "Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come (possibly a hearse).... a reference to Edgar Allen Poe, who always wrote about death. It also mentions a dead dog's eye...here again the death theme. Near the end of the song, many things are thrown in, mostly obscure, but some believers say they can hear the phrase, "I am near death".

(I Am the Walrus)

In the Magical Mystery Tour booklet, on page three, Paul is sitting at a desk with British flags crossed over his head, possibly another sign. Also, on front of the desk are the words, "I, You, Was". Again, I Am the Walrus, I Was the Walrus.
On Page 5, Paul is standing with his guitar and John Lennon is dressed as the walrus, seated at the piano. This may mean John wanted to be in Paul's place, since they are such close friends. On the inside cover, where the song titles are listed, under "I Am the Walrus", it says, "No you're not", as if John isn't going along with what's happening. In the same picture, on page 5, with Paul in the center, there are fifteen doctors around...maybe an indication of sickness or disease.
On page 7, the cartoon #6 at bottom right, says I Am, I Was," with AM and WAS in red, the other letters in black. Again, going back to the walrus lyrics: on Page 8, the table everyone at is shaped in the form of a cross.
On Page 9 of the booklet, in cartoon #8, Paul plays the part of the fool on the hill, and it says, "Paul begins to daydream. His thoughts fly far away". The cartoons here also mention five magicians

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casting wonderful spells. Five magicians may refer back to Billy Shears being the fifth Beatle. In the last cartoon on Page 9, they are going to the Amazing Land of the Walrus. John says, "I Am the Walrus,".... "No You're Not", someone says, indicating Paul is really the Walrus.

Turning to page 10, three Beatles have shoes on...Paul does not. McCartney is seen many times without shoes such as on the center double, Pages 12 and 13; as you know, people are not buried with shoes on.

On Page 18, Paul is seen again with a hand over his head. Page 23 shows the Beatles in white suits, white for heaven or a symbol of mourning in in Britain, with three of The Beatles wearing red carnations... but Paul has a black one. Paul is also holding a bouquet of dead flowers. On Page 24, Paul has a hand over his head again. On the back cover, Paul has his arm at an angle different from the others, as he salutes. Once again....Paul is the different Beatle.

The next Beatle album was "Yellow Submarine". Again, on the front cover, and also on the back, a hand is being held over Paul's head. On the front, to the right at the bottom, there are cartoon characters symbolizing the Beatles. The other three Beatles are playing brass instruments as in Sgt. Pepper, but Paul is out of line, with a flute....a woodwind instrument.

A yellow submarine is said to be a pill, a narcotic. As stated previously, Paul has not been associated with the dope scene. The following song could be about a girl named Judy. But it could also be about H...Heroin...and it is sung by Paul.

(Hey Jude)

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The album entitled, "The Beatles" (The double album ) is almost totally white...white again for English mourning or heaven. The only exceptions are the four black pictures of the Beatles inside and the song titles. As for the music in the LP, "Yer Blues" says, "Yes, I'm lonely wanna die, if I ain't dead already". "Feel so suicidal even hate my rock and roll."

(Yer Blues)

Another song from the Double Album is "Glass Onion". This one mentions many of The Beatles' past efforts, including this important line...."I told you about the Walrus and me, man...you know that we're as close as can be, man. Well, here's another clue for you all, the Walrus was Paul."

"I'm So Tired" contains some unintelligible jibberish at the end. The jibberish sounds like this:
Reversing your turntable and playing it backwards reveals the words, "Paul is a dead man".

The most easily heard clue on the Double Album is obtained by playing a portion of "Revolution Number Nine" backwards, which changes "Number Nine" to "Turn Me On Dead Man"!

The latest Beatles' album is "Abbey Road". This LP has sparked still more questions about the entire Paul McCarntey mystery. A thorough look at the album cover in just a few minutes. But first, to confirm that the Beatles are still lingering on the death theme, here is a song from "Abbey Road" concerning murder, treated in a light manner .

(Maxwell's Silver Hammer)

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In the foreground of the "Abbey road" cover, The Beatles are walking across a street which is assumed to be Abbey Road. Each is dressed completely different from the others. John Lennon is in the lead, dressed completely in white, a symbol of mourning or of heaven. Behind John is Ringo Starr, dressed in a black suit which resembles an English mortician's clothing. The suit is well pressed, and his shoes are spotlessly shined. Following Ringo is Paul, wearing a suit which could easily be taken as burial clothing. Paul is clean shaven, just as a man who had been prepared for interment. Paul is left-handed, yet he is holding a cigarette in his right hand. Most people agree that Paul's eyes are closed. and onced again, he is barefoot, a reminder that people are buried without shoes, and Paul has been photographed this way many times. Next in line is George Harrison, who appears to be dressed as a grave digger, in levis and a blue denim shirt. The most striking and noticeable thing about The Beatles in this picture is that Paul McCartney is the Beatle who is different! Paul is the one who is out of step; the other three have their left foot forward, Paul has his right foot forward. Another graphic example of the strangeness of this photo is the license plate on the white Volkswagen. The figures on the license are 28-I-F..... twenty-eight, If. Paul McCartney will be 28 on his next birthday.....IF....

Listen to the lyrics of "Come Together". Almost every line seems to fit into the strange series of circumstances concerning Beatle, Paul McCartney.

(Come Together)

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Here again, more references to the Walrus...."early warning, you can feel his disease, he wears no shoeshine because he wears no shoes". "One and one and one is three"....Three Beatles. "Got to be good lookin', cause he's so hard to see....feet below his knees"...again no shoes. So many things adding up in "Come Together".
The mystery may have come together with this song. Maybe there will be more to follow. You can believe whatever you wish.

(Reprise of Sgt. Pepper)

Maybe you've been on a Magical Mystery Tour without even realizing it.....OR....COULD IT HAVE BEEN JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BEATLES???????????????????????

(A Day in the Life)

CLOSING STATEMENT

"Hello...this is Johnny Ryder speaking for the Disc Jockeys here at K-PIX Radio.

Last Saturday, "Skinny" Johnny Mitchell presented some pertinent facts about some very definite and obvious symbolisms on Beatle Album covers, posters, fold-outs and the records themselves. All of these symbolisms, as best we could figure out, seemed to point to one of three things:

(1) Someone, perhaps many people involved with The Beatles, or the Beatles themselves, purposely put these symbolisms in and around Beatle records to make people talk, and wonder, and ultimately...sell more records as a direct result of the publicity involved.

(2) All of these symbolisms were inserted in and around Beatle records by John, George and Ringo to connote the death or dying of their fellow Beatle, Paul. Whether it was the spiritual, psychological or physical dying or death of Paul McCartney, it was and still is, a question unanswered, or....Number...

(3) The entire bit...the symbolisms on the album covers, the strange eerie death sayings heard when playing certain Beatle records backwards, the Paul McCartney look -alike contest, etc., were all nothing....but coincidence.

As to the Station's policy concerning what has been said on the air since last Saturday afternoon, let's go back to that Saturday when "Skinny" Johnny Mitchell first presented some of the facts concerning the Paul McCartney "mystery". These were not facts conjured up by "Skinny" Johnny Mitchell or any member of the K-PIX Staff or management.

(closing statement) Page 2

They were facts brought to our attention by You!! the listener. After the mention of these facts on "Skinny's" show Saturday, thousands of 'phone calls and hundred of letters, again from You, the listener, poured in demanding more information on the Paul McCarntey "mystery". So we gave you what information we had. When that was gone, we asked you, the listener, for all the information you had, and again, you responded with thousands of 'phone calls and hundreds of letters. The program you have just heard, ladies and gentlemen...was...in truth...put together by you.

Once again, speaking for all the Disc Jockeys here at K-PIX, we believe, as the majority of you do, that Paul McCartney is alive and living with his family in London. But, we also believe the obvious symbolisms in and around the Beatle records, and they are there, point to one of of the three aforementioned statements. As to which one.... in any...is a decision you must make.

Thank you!

Cranberry Sauce

Not long after KCPX aired this program, LIFE Magazine did a cover story on the missing Beatle, who, it turns out, had been keeping a low profile with his new family on a remote farm in Scotland.

Rhetro Zenberg's Conclusion

After completing the transcription of the KCPX document, I find it difficult to believe that so many people got caught up in this silly quasi-conspiracy. In my opinion, the conclusions reached were less than convincing, and in most cases, outright off the wall. Some of the lyrics used as evidence weren't even quoted accurately. I must admit that I am a bit disappointed that the evidence isn't more convincing and provocative. I suppose what it all boils down to, is that people are gullible, and have a need to believe in something ridiculous.