Musician Practical Jokes/Hoaxes By Jon White, Multimedia Reporter
There has been no shortage of pranks or hoaxes perpetuated about musicians over the years. Every year, there are dozens of jokes added to the pile, but over the years there have been stand-out pranks that are still entertaining to read about. In honor of this past April Fools’ Day, here are some of the most entertaining jokes that have been done by musicians.
Paul McCartney is dead?
MTV/www.mtv.com
Probably one of the oldest and best known hoaxes of all time, there was a period when there was a rumour that Paul McCartney was dead. While it was dismissed at the time, fans that scoured through songs and photos and connected the dots that were not there. They believed that there were hidden messages in the songs that told the listener that Paul had died. This seemed plausible to people as Paul was in car accident, but it was reported that he was alive. Still, people believed Paul was killed and thought that a replacement Paul had been brought in so as not to alarm fans. This was addressed later on by Paul himself. In the end of course, we know that Paul is alive and well and is currently one of the two remaining Beatles that are still alive.
Justin Bieber pranks TMZ
Normally, there is nothing really positive to say about Bieber or his music, but one has to hand it to him when he punked TMZ last year. Bieber sent out an announcement on Twitter that he would be taking phone calls from fans and answering questions, followed by a phone number to call. The number? The TMZ tip line. Considering the millions of followers that he has, one can only imagine how much the TMZ phone lines exploded with confused fans wondering where their idol was.
Artist PAZ swaps his CD inside Bieber’s ‘Believe’
The Province/www.theprovince.com
Bieber fans got pranked again this year, when local artist in Los Angeles, PAZ, slipped his CD into 5000 retail copies of Justin Bieber’s ‘Believe’. While this prank only happened days ago, it is sure to go down as one of the better pranks pulled off, as the sheer determination is admirable, especially considering the legal ramifications that could come from it. Paz Dylan does not seem too concerned, as he was quoted as saying, “I've always believed that retail stores can be the best outlets and ambassadors for independent music. They just choose not to be and sell the same recycled shit. We thought if they're going to lock their doors to independent musicians, we're just going to knock them down and get our music in there." While it is unlikely that PAZ will obtain the same level of fame as Bieber, he will gain some fame from this stunt.
Meg and Jack White pretend to be siblings
The White Stripes exploded onto the scene in terms of popularity at the turn of the century, but with sudden fame comes the inevitable prying by reporters. Of the questions that were eluding reporters, the main focus was what kind of connection Meg and Jack White had. After much prying, the two said that they were brother and sister. However, after some digging by reporters, it was found that the two were actually married but had divorced. Jack’s rationale for the hoax was so that people could focus on the music rather than them, but unfortunately it sparked a whole new set of questions from reporters.
Trent Reznor and Timbaland unite!
Billboard/www.billboard.com
In 2009, Trent Reznor announced a new Nine Inch Nails CD, only it was co-produced by hip-hop producer Timbaland. Many people were astounded by the news, but the few people who looked at the date could tell it was a practical joke. Still, with NIN having a spot to download the album on their page, some fans thought that it had to be real. Still, looking at the track listing, there were some laughs to be had. Some of the tracks were, ‘Pussygrinder’ featuring Sheryl Crow, ‘Slide to the Dark Side’, and having an outro and intro skit. One would wonder what a collaboration like that would sound like though.
There are some notable musician pranks throughout history! What are some of the ones you have enjoyed the most?