The Magnus Archives – Sheeple Chase 1: "Dead Singer"

Release Date: October 2, 2025
Host: Rusty Quill (Episode by Sasha Sienna)
Voices: Georgie Barker (Sasha Sienna), Celia Ripley (Lorianne Davies)

Episode Overview

This episode of Sheeple Chase ("Dead Singer") dives into classic and modern celebrity impostor conspiracies—focusing on the "Paul is Dead" Beatles theory, the Avril Lavigne/Melissa Vandella rumor, and the rise-and-fall speculation around fictional riot grrrl singer Mia Hill. Hosts Georgie Barker and Celia Ripley dissect the evidence, origins, and cultural fascination with the idea of stars being replaced by doubles after mysterious deaths. With an investigative yet bantering tone, they challenge the credibility and motivations behind these rumors, particularly honing in on the music industry’s penchant for spectacle and profit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Framing

[04:00]

• Georgie Barker: Welcomes listeners to Sheeple Chase, describing it as a show that scrutinizes the dangerous, dubious, and dodgy.
• Celia Ripley: Establishes herself as the skeptic: "And I don’t believe a word of it." (04:12)

2. Paul McCartney ("Paul is Dead")

[05:30]

• The infamous late-60s conspiracy theory: Paul died in a crash and was replaced by lookalike Billy Shears.
• Celia: MI5 feared public grief would spiral into mass hysteria; Capitol Records is said to have held a lookalike competition, winner being William Campbell Shears.
• Other Beatles supposedly taught 'Billy' the accent and left-handed bass.
• Press manager denied rumors twice; theories persisted—especially after a 1969 Drake University student article.
• "People claimed the sleeve art included suspicious symbols like a flower wreath on the ground shaped vaguely like a left handed bass guitar." (07:37)

Notable Evidence Discussed

• Album covers: "He’s turned away from the camera... wearing a black patch... barefoot on Abbey Road." (07:59–08:27)
• Alleged secret lyrics and backmasking: "Some people claim... if you play it backwards, it sounds like 'Paul is dead man. Miss him. Miss him.' " (09:03)
• Quote:
  • Georgie: "So you don’t believe this conspiracy, but only because you believe there’s a different, more profitable conspiracy behind it." (09:46)
  • Celia: "You've got to admit it makes sense." (09:53)

3. Avril Lavigne / Melissa Vandella

[09:58]

• The Avril Está Morta rumor: Avril died in 2003; replaced by decoy Melissa Vandella per a 2011 Portuguese blogspot boosted by Brazilian media and a viral 2017 Twitter thread.
• Alleged 'evidence':
  • Vocal differences from two live clips
  • Physical changes (nose, height)
  • Song lyric scrutiny
• Celia: Debunks with Occam's razor: changing style, maturing, illness, or just different shoes.
• “Maybe she spent all day yelling at a moose.” (11:21)
• "It’s more likely her voice was tired from yelling at a moose than that she secretly died and was replaced by a clone." (11:31)
• Photo of Avril with "Melissa" reportedly on her fist—a late artifact, not a “label” for a double.

4. Mia Hill ("Mia’s Missing")

[14:17]

• Modern (and fictional) case: Mia Hill of the Manic Pixie Scream Girls; rumors after 2nd album that she died and was replaced.
• Georgie: "Everywhere they went, people would just not recognize Mia Hill. There’s videos of people who definitely met her before clearly having to be told who she is." (15:08)
• Mislabeling in press photos (Daily Mail, another outlet)—but it’s just two real cases, not pervasive.
• Song lyric analysis: “Six feet down, so bury me deep if it helps you sleep. You’ve tried to replace me, but you can still taste me…” (15:50)
• Viral TikTok and a government petition for a murder inquiry, both cited as evidence of the idea’s reach and absurdity.
• Possible suspects ("fan, manager, or bandmate"), with both hosts concluding it's farfetched.

Quotes:

• Celia: "It would be a whole production." (18:08)
• Georgie: "But this is the entertainment industry—putting on productions is literally their job." (18:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Celia (about ‘Paul is Dead’ clues):
  "Unfortunately, it seems the actual clues were so cryptic they were almost undetectable." (07:37)
• Georgie (on backmasking):
  "Say thousands of Iowan students are all playing their records backwards... Guess who now has to replace their Beatles albums? It’s all a con by the labels to sell more records." (09:27)
• Georgie (on personal style changes):
  "God, when I was 17, I said I’d never move to London, get a tattoo or start a podcast—so you can’t really hold it..." (11:53)
• Celia (on disguise evidence):
  “Because as every plastic surgeon knows, being replaced by a double is the only way [a nose] can change shape.” (12:07)
• Georgie (wrapping up):
  "Sing is fine, music industry sketchy—sounds about right." (19:15)

Structured Breakdown with Timestamps

• [04:00]–[05:30]: Introduction, setting episode theme
• [05:30]–[09:55]: "Paul is Dead" theory: history, evidence, and skepticism
• [09:55]–[13:13]: Avril Lavigne/Melissa Vandella rumor: origins, online spread, debunking
• [14:17]–[19:15]: The Mia Hill hoax: band dynamics, viral rumors, typical conspiracy escalation
• [18:08]–[18:21]: Logistics of celebrity replacement, credulity check
• [19:12]–End: Conclusions—pop star doppelgangers aren’t real, but music industry manipulation certainly is; lighthearted banter

Final Thoughts

With their classic skeptic/believer dynamic, Georgie and Celia deftly pick apart beloved celebrity conspiracies, pointing out the psychological and cultural mechanisms that drive such stories. Celia’s relentless need for evidence curbs Georgie’s flights of fancy, but both agree the real conspiracy might be the profit-motivated tricks of the entertainment business itself.

Despite the wild claims and persistent rumors, the episode concludes that while celebrity doubles are a fascinating cultural myth, there’s far more to question in the manipulations of the media and record labels than there is in the supposed deaths and replacements of music’s brightest stars.

If you missed the episode, this summary should have you ready to identify "clues" and roll your eyes the next time Twitter decides a pop star is a pod person.