Dark Secrets The Media Missed About ‘The Beatles’

1. The murderers that copied characters

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Roman Polanski, the acclaimed film director married Sharon Tate a Hollywood star, who was murdered by the Manson family. The family and the murder they committed was claimed to have been inspired by The White Album. John Lennon was also murdered by a man named Mark David Chapman who copied a character in The Catcher in the Rye.

2. Hidden messages to Charles Manson

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Unfortunately, The Beatles found themselves linked to The Manson Family. The White Album inspired Charles Manson as Manson believed it contained hidden messages. He believed that the song Helter Skelter referenced the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

3. John was accused of being physically abusive to his loved ones

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Cynthia was John Lennon's first wife, and she recounted periods of the marriage when John Lennon had outbursts of physical violence. It is also reported that he may have physically abused their son Julian to the point on one occasion that it damaged his hearing permanently.

4. Some people believed that Sgt. Pepper is Aleister Crowley

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Aleister Crowley was an English occultist who was thought of by many as the 'wickedest' man in the world. It was believed by some fans that he was was 'Sgt. Pepper' who was referred to in The Beatle's lyrics. And, there were similarities between John Lennon's and Crowley's speeches as both started with the phrase 'do what thou wilt...'

5. They were spiked by their friend John Riley

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The Beatles had a close friend named John Riley who was a dentist by profession. He grew very close to the group. One night when The Beatles were round at his house, he spiked their drinks with an illegal substance that the group was not familiar with. They dubbed him the 'wicked dentist' as a result.

6. The 'Paul McCartney is dead' hoax

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Some wild conspiracy theories circulated regarding The Beatles. One of the most prominent was the 'Paul McCartney is dead' theory which stated that he had died in a car crash on November 9, 1996, and had since been replaced by a doppelganger. The theory gained a LOT of traction.

7. John Lennon's 'Lost Weekend'

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John  Lennon and Yoko Ono's relationship was highly publicized, especially the breakdown of their marriage. After his separation from Yoko Ono in the 70s, John Lennon went on a binge of excessive partying and drinking in Los Angeles which was famously called 'John Lennon's Lost Weekend'.

8. John Lennon had multiple alien encounters

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Lennon wasn't afraid of a controversial statement. In fact, he was adamant about the existence of aliens, believing that he had been visited by extraterrestrial beings on multiple occasions. One time he recalled seeing a UFO outside his bedroom window. Another time he opened his door to a white light, the aliens inviting him in, and when he tried to refuse them, they stunned him with the power of their minds.

9. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were conspiracists

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Paul McCartney and John Lennon were true conspiracists who came up with or believed some wild theories. One of McCartney's most passionately believed theories was that Lee Harvey Oswald worked for the CIA and had not actually assassinated J. F. Kennedy.

10. They had a close friendship with Jimmy Saville

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The Beatles had for many years had a very strong friendship with one of the most prolific child sex offenders to ever live. In fact, they had on reflection deemed him a 'suspect' character. Some people even suspected that The Beatles had also been involved in crimes, however, this only ever remained an accusation.

11. The Beatles started the devil horns sign

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So many groups or individuals have taken credit for starting the infamous devil horn, rock hand gesture. But, all of the people who claimed it was them, they always came after The Beatles. So, the true creators of this now iconic symbol were officially The Beatles.

12. John Lennon saw the number 9 everywhere

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The number 9 became strongly associated with John  Lennon as he found himself surrounded by the number throughout his life. It became his lucky number and he used it in his professional career as well as his personal life. For example, 'Revolution 9' was inspired by Lennon's favorite number.

13. The rooftop concert was unknowingly their last performance as a group

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The iconic final concert was never really intended to be the last ever concert that the Beatles performed together. It was totally impromptu, the band was attending a rooftop concert in January 1969 when they were asked to perform. They obliged, and it turned out to be the last one they would ever do.

14. The Beatles made some controversial statements

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The Beatles were a part of many controversies during their time and they made some outrageous statements. One in particular was their statement that The Beatles group was 'bigger than Jesus' which was said in 1966 and caused complete outrage amongst some individuals in the USA.

15. They stayed in bed for extended periods as a political statement

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The Beatles were openly outspoken about many important political issues, their stance which was firmly against the Vietnam War. John Lennon and Yoko Ono, in particular, used to stage protests against the Vietnam War. One way they did this was by having 'bed-ins' where they would stay in bed for prolonged periods of time to take their stand.

16. They were involved with legal issues and lawsuits

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The Beatles had founded Apple Corps which was the The Beatles' multimedia corporation. However, at a similar time, Apple Computer was founded. The logos had a very similar look and the two companies went head to head in a legal battle which ended up being settled by both companies compromising on not infringing upon the other.

17. The Beatles were first rejected!

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It's difficult to imagine one of the most successful groups ever being rejected. But in the very beginning, they were initially rejected by Decca Records who stated that guitar groups were no longer fashionable and were losing popularity. It's safe to say The Beatles went on to prove them wrong.

18. They posed with dismembered dolls and butchered meat

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The Beatles weren't always 'peace and love', The Butcher Cover controversy started when The Beatles released their album cover for Yesterday and Today. It featured the band members dressed in butcher smocks with pieces of meat and dismembered surrounding them. It had to be withdrawn because of public outcry!

19. Pete Best was fired for being too good-looking

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The Beatles had berated Pete Best (their drummer) for showing the rest of the boys up when he was assaulted by a fan who took to his shirt with a pair of scissors. The band fired him after some time, essentially for his looks. Ringo took over as the new drummer and Pete Best described himself as 'emotionally smashed' after being fired.

20. They were at the brunt of violence in Hamburg nightclub

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The Beatles almost broke up after enduring violence in a nightclub in Hamburg, in 1960. they experience an outburst of violence and insults that severely knock down the group's morale. But, a successful gig in Liverpool after their return gave them the confidence boost they needed to keep on going!

21. There were major fall-outs

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The album Let It Be caused many problems within the group, and some of them were even caught on video which led to a film due to the controversies within the group. Cracks were beginning to form in the tight-knit friendship group which has somewhat to do with the break up of the group.

22. The Beatles manager suffered addiction issues

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Brian Epstein was renowned for his ongoing struggles with addiction issues and illegal substances. It ultimately led to his untimely death in 1967 when he was just 32 years old. Epstein had successfully changed the appearance of The Beatles and his death led to the breakdown of the band.

23. Brian Epstein had a bad reputation

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Despite having done great things for The Beatles, Paul McCartney's dad had initially discouraged him from letting him manage the group. When he was enrolled in compulsory service he was fired after being deemed 'emotionally unfit' after just 10 months. He was also expelled from two schools for being lazy.

24. The huge break-up came in 1970

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The group broke up in 1970 and all of them went on to pursue their own solo careers afterward - and fairly successfully so, yet nobody acquired the same traction or legacy as The Beatles. The group broke down due to many reasons including financial issues, disagreements, the death of their manager, and other complex issues.

25. George Harrison was often overlooked

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George Harrison had a huge part to play in The Beatles and he was crucial to its success. yet his contributions often went uncredited and overlooked. For example, his contributions led to the creation of certain songs, such as 'Taxman' and 'And Your Bird Can Sing'.

26. The Beatles were banned from the Philippines

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In 1966 The Beatles which had taken its hold across Britain and America, found themselves banned from the Philippines, and kicked out! They had unintentionally snubbed the First Lady, Imelda Marcos, and learned the hard way when they had been told to leave the Philippines and never come back.

27. The FBI was after John Lennon

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Because of John Lennon's controversial way of thinking, he had a huge FBI file building up. The FBI wanted to gain information on him to stop him from speaking openly against the government because of his activism and anti-war politics in the 1970s. But, this didn't stop him!

28. The group was known for being involved with illegal substances

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The Beatles were one of the most iconic groups at the time, and ever. Their legacy exceeds them. But there was a time when they were known for more than their music. The group was known for its involvement with illegal substances in the 1960s. Paul McCartney was actually arrested in 1980 for possession of illegal substances!

29. Comments against the Queen

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The Beatles spoke out against Queen Elizabeth II and her rule, as well as the government, due to the participation of the country in the Vietnam War. John Lennon and Yoko Ono returned their MBE to make a statement that they could not hold allegiance to the late Queen at such a time.

30. The Beatles had huge financial struggles

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The Beatles had huge success, but that didn't mean that they had huge financial success. In fact, their manager Brian Epstein was renowned for his lack of financial abilities and irresponsibility when it came to the financial side of management. The group also had very high expenses.