Paul McCartney: Paul Is Dead, Smuggling Drugs, and Composing the World’s Most Beloved Songs (Rewind)

About this episode

This episode explores the wild life of Paul McCartney, including his artistic risks, legal troubles, and the infamous 'Paul is dead' conspiracy.

Despite his reputation as “the safe Beatle,” Paul McCartney was a badass. He took wild artistic risks, rubbed elbows with truly dangerous characters and because of his crimes, did hard time in one of the world’s most notorious prisons. His public spats with Beatles bandmate John Lennon are the stuff of legend, as is the “Paul is dead” conspiracy at the end of their time together as a band, but the truth may be even stranger. This episode was originally published on June 15, 2021. To see the full list of contributors, see the show notes at  www.disgracelandpod.com . To listen to Disgraceland ad free and get access to a monthly exclusive episode, weekly bonus content and more, become a Disgraceland All Access member at  disgracelandpod.com/membership . Sign up for our newsletter and get the inside dirt on events, merch and other awesomeness - GET THE NEWSLETTER Follow Jake and DISGRACELAND: Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter)  Facebook Fan Group TikTok   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Jake

Topics covered

• Paul McCartney
• Beatles
• conspiracy theories
• true crime
• music history

Keywords

• Paul McCartney
• John Lennon
• Beatles
• true crime
• music

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: DISGRACELAND

More episodes of DISGRACELAND

• Bonus Episode: Soccer Hooligans, Rockstars, Britpop Battles and War · June 11, 2026 · 36 min
• The Hillsborough Disaster: A Fatal Crush, Soccer Hooligans, and a Massive Cover-Up · June 9, 2026 · 36 min
• John Lennon: Violence, Protests, Provoking the FBI, and Pissing off the President (Rewind) · June 7, 2026 · 39 min
• Bonus Episode: Mafia Murders and the Music Behind Them · June 4, 2026 · 34 min
• Adele: The Pop Star Repurposed by the Criminal Underworld · June 2, 2026 · 42 min
• Aaliyah: Married Illegally at 15, Drugs, Corruption, and a Fiery Crash (Rewind) · May 31, 2026 · 33 min