Music has always been surrounded by myths, conspiracies, and well, straight-up bollocks and nonsense really. Some tales are fuelled by paranoia, some by rock n’ roll egos or tomfoolery, and others because people just love a good, made-up yarn – Elvis didn’t die, Tupac‘s alive in Cuba, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat, Prince / Marilyn Manson had ribs removed for self pleasure purposes – the list is girthy.
‘The Curse of the Ninth Symphony‘ still has a flurry of classical music buffs believing a composer is doomed after their ninth symphony (The OG ’27 Club’ myth). Paul McCartney allegedly died in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike. And let’s not forget the infamous Phil Collins ‘In the Air Tonight’ myth, where conspiracy theorists reckon he literally watched a man drown and then happily wrote a song about it. Lyrical metaphors and analogies do not exist in their worlds.
There’s also a host of mysterious ‘lost’ albums… Pink Floyd’s Household Objects Project, an abandoned (although some tracks have leaked over time) experiment in making music entirely from everyday objects, which proved even musical legends have their off days… the “unlistenable” Radiohead record (insert gags here) ‘The Butcher’s Banquet‘ from 2001, that’s supposedly too dark and experimental for even the most die-hard fan to hear… and The Wu-Tang Clan‘s ‘Once Upon a Time In Shaolin‘ LP that exists as a single copy vinyl record in an ornate silver box. Bought by infamous hedge fund / pharma scumbag, Martin Shkreli for $2m in 2015 (with a legal agreement that the album couldn’t be commercially exploited until 2103 – although it can be played at listening parties), it was seized by the US government in 2018 when he was jailed and sold to “the non-fungible token collectors” (you’re guess is as good as mine) PleasrDAO for $4m (nice profit) and has so far only been listened to (partially) at two small art events in New York and Tasmania…
But what about those music myths that just won’t fizzle out and die? Here are our Top Five favourites ranked in reverse order:
5. John Lennon was assassinated by the FBI
It’s no secret that John Lennon’s anti-war activism made the U.S. government nervous. After moving to New York in 1971, Lennon found himself under surveillance by the FBI, largely due to his vocal support of the anti-Vietnam War movement and his association with a number of radical left-wing figures. So much so, J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI compiled a 281-page file on him, which included wiretaps and efforts to deport him.
When Lennon was murdered by Mark Chapman on the 8th December 1980, some conspiracy theorists refused to believe it was just the act of a deranged fan. Instead, they claim the U.S. government orchestrated his assassination to silence his influence. Their ‘Manchurian Candidate-style assassin’ theory gained traction when it was revealed that Chapman had been involved with some highly suspicious groups before the killing, including time spent at a right-wing Christian fundamentalist camp in Texas (where it’s claimed bizarre forms of psychological conditioning took place) and a strange stint in Beirut with the YMCA during a period of reported CIA activity in the area. Of course, there’s no solid evidence for any of this – but that hasn’t stopped plenty of people from believing it.
4. The frequencies of Aphex Twin’s music contain numerous hidden messages
Richard D. James (a.k.a. Aphex Twin) has long been an enigmatic and mischievous presence in the music world. Known for his otherworldly electronic compositions, bizarre track titles and unsettling aesthetics, he’s a true one of a kind. But is his music secretly manipulating our minds?
Fans have claimed for years that James embeds subliminal messages, ‘clues’, sonic images, and strange frequencies into his work. A proven, and famous example of this is Equation, a track that, when viewed through a spectrogram, reveals a demonic-looking image of his face hidden in the waveform. It’s also been rumored that he uses binaural beats and infrasonic frequencies to create physiological effects in listeners, with some claiming to experience nausea, hallucinations, or feelings of paranoia after prolonged exposure to his idiosyncratic tunage (hmm?).
3. Kurt Cobain was murdered by Courtney Love / the CIA / the FBI (delete as appropriate)
Few rock star deaths have spawned as many conspiracy theories as Kurt Cobain’s. Officially ruled a suicide, his 1994 death remains a hotbed of speculation over thirty years later. The most common theory? That Courtney Love had him killed, either due to a failing marriage, financial motives, or sheer malice. Conspiracy documentaries, like Kurt & Courtney, fueled this belief by pointing out alleged inconsistencies in the official reports and highlighting the claims of a private investigator hired by Love, who later turned against her – but a lot of it’s conjecture.
Of course, that’s just one theory. Others believe the U.S. government was involved. Cobain, with his anti-establishment views and influence over America’s disillusioned youth, was seen as a dangerous voice, and some claim the CIA or FBI took him out as part of a larger scheme to suppress anti-capitalist sentiment in American music. The problem? There’s no solid proof, just a lot of speculation, unanswered questions, and grainy interviews with people who seem way too invested in the idea of stretching out a very sad and messy story.
2. Jimmy Page practised and took part in Satanic rituals
Jimmy Page’s love of the occult is well-documented. He bought Aleister Crowley’s former home, Boleskine House, on the shores of Loch Ness, where Crowley had performed his infamous “Abramelin Ritual” (a months-long rite meant to invoke one’s guardian angel and confront demonic forces). Page also ran an occult bookstore, collected Crowley memorabilia, and infused Led Zeppelin’s iconography with esoteric symbols.
But some fans believe Page did more than just dabble in mysticism. According to persistent rumours, he conducted full-blown occult rituals and magickal ceremonies in Boleskine House, tapping into the eerie energy of a place with a long and troubled history. The house had once been the site of a church that burned down with its congregation trapped inside, and later gained a reputation for madness and suicide among its owners, long before Crowley’s experiments. Page is said to have kept parts of the house sealed off, and only visited occasionally, claiming the atmosphere was too oppressive.
Stairway to Heaven still carries the weight of backmasking accusations (“Here’s to my sweet Satan,” amongst others), while tales persist of songs composed under trance or occult influence. Then there’s the so-called Led Zeppelin Curse, a chain of calamities that shadowed the band: car crashes, injuries, the death of Robert Plant’s son, and John Bonham’s untimely demise. Of course, whether any of this is true or just rockstar mythology remains an open question. But if there was a deal with the devil, at least it produced a few belting albums, eh?
1. The Brown Note
Imagine a sound so powerful it could make you lose control of your bowels. That’s the legend of The Brown Note – a supposed infrasonic frequency that causes involuntary defecation.
The theory suggests that certain low frequencies resonate with the human digestive system, effectively forcing an uncontrollable expulsion. It’s been claimed that military researchers experimented with this idea for non-lethal crowd control, and that Western psy-ops forces have even used it during the interrogation and torture of terrorists. In music circles it’s claimed bands like Sunn O))) and Throbbing Gristle have dabbled in infrasonic experimentation during live shows too, with some concert goers swearing they’ve felt ‘something’ when exposed to certain extreme bass frequencies (or maybe it was just something they ate – hmm).
But does it actually work? Science seems to say no. While infrasound can create unsettling sensations – dizziness, nausea, and a sense of unease – there’s no verifiable evidence that it can cause spontaneous bowel movements. Even MythBusters tried to put the theory to the test in a now-infamous episode, hoofing their insides with low-frequency waves and walking away relatively scot-free. Still, the fear of shitting your pants mid-gig is enough to keep the myth alive – no one needs that.
That’s our five. Any you’d like to add?
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