Insanely unlikely coincidences

[Puce Moment]

I just found out a week or so ago that one of my friends growing up in London, but who I haven't spoken to for over 20-years, now lives 8-doors down from me in an extremely tiny, remote village in the arse-end of North Wales. We are friends on Facebook but never interact. He posted a photo of his front garden and I recognised it. It's fused my brain a little bit.

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Paul Daniels claimed to be a professional magician during his working life.

He would also say the words "that's magic!" to anyone who'd listen.


Two unrelated associations of magic to Paul Daniels, there.  Coincidence?  Or something altogether darker and more worrisome?

[Twed]

I once knew somebody who lived in Southend. The really weird thing is that their job was also in Southend... the exact same town as his house!

[wosl]

On 27th Nov 1966 John filmed an episode of Not Only But Also when this photo was taken.
In September 1969 John made a home movie called Self Portrait, a film which featured his member only.
Spooky!

Standing in front of a sign bearing the acronymic warning GENTLEMEN (Genuine enlightenment - not tosh!  Lennon, evade murder; escape New York).  You couldn't make it up.

[QDRPHNC]

A few weeks ago, as part of a larger conversation, a friend of mine told me I should read some Foucault, and I told him no.

Several days later, while sitting at a meal with this same friend, I receive a text message on my phone, from a number I don't know (a Philadelphia area code, I don't know anyone form there). The only content of the text was a photo - a snap of the cover of a collection of essays by Foucault.

[checkoutgirl]

The still is mind bogglingly unlikely

I disagree. There must be loads of pictures of Lennon. Also remember he's just one of many famous people who were murdered and someone noticed this about Lennon and now you're just looking at Lennon. If you take all the famous people who were murdered and study all the photos of all of them ever taken then in that context Lennon standing beside that sign with those letters isn't much of a coincidence at all. Plus as someone pointed out, Mark Chapman doesn't have an ampersand in his name.

I am fascinated by how your brain works Biggy, you remind me of Karl Pilkington going on about ghosts and telekinesis and stuff like that as if it's true.

[wosl]

.

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In this photo, Cynthia Lennon is wearing an outfit that if you squint makes her look like a skellington (the horizontal stripes resemble a ribcage and that).



The chilling coincidence is that Lennon himself transformed into a skellington once dead.

[MattD]

Concerning Liverpool FC's 2005 European Cup win against AC Milan. Here's a list of things that happened in previous instances when they won the European Cup.

1978: Pope dies, Wales win Grand Slam, Liverpool lose league cup final to the eventual league champions, Liverpool win European Cup....
1981: Prince Charles marries, Ken & Deirdre from Coronation Street get married, New Doctor Who, Crystal Palace and Norwich get relegated from the top division, West Ham promoted to the top division, Liverpool finish 5th in the league, Liverpool win European Cup...

And then....

2005: Pope dies, Wales win Grand Slam, Prince Charles marries, Ken & Deirdre from Coronation Street get married, New Doctor Who, Norwich City and Crystal Palace are relegated from the top division, West Ham promoted to the top division, Liverpool lose league cup final to the eventual league champions, Liverpool finish 5th in the league, Liverpool win the European Cup....

If anyones superstitions had held stubborn at half time in that final, then just imagine the money they would have won.

[Captain Z]

The way the film is cropped shows a sign that says 'the best way to go is by M&D C'.

Actually it says 'e best way to go is by M&D C', so the coincidence only works if Mark David Chapman was from Yorkshire.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Mind bogglingly unlikely? To your mind.

[Glebe]

The 'Gentlemen Members only' sign is a reference to the secret club of rock stars who have died at the age of 27.

JOHN LENNON WAS SHOT AGED 27 IN NEW YORK'S MANHATTAN STREET WITH A FATAL BULLET... ON 27/12/1927!

[mook]

I am fascinated by how your brain works Biggy, you remind me of Karl Pilkington going on about ghosts and telekinesis and stuff like that as if it's true.

really! i'm guessing you must have scrolled right on by the bugger's gazillion posts in the brexit thread then.

[billtheburger]

& Lennon was shot dead outside the building they made Rosemary's Baby in.

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How amazingly unlikely is your birth?

[Ptolemy Ptarmigan]

The 'Gentlemen Members only' sign is a reference to the secret club of rock stars who have died at the age of 27.

JOHN LENNON WAS SHOT AGED 27 IN NEW YORK'S MANHATTAN STREET WITH A FATAL BULLET... ON 27/12/1927!

"GENTLEMEN MEMBERS ONLY" is an anagram of MR GLEBE MEETS NYLON MEN, which describes your secret visits to London's public conveniences.  Uncanny and disgusting.

[Cerys]

It's also an anagram of GET ME LENNON'S MEMBER - LY.  1980, the year of Lennon's death, was a Leap Year.

I think we should be looking for that sign writer.

[Pepotamo1985]

About 10 years ago, some friends and I were driving around in our mate's mum's car in the early AM. The mate in question was behind the wheel, despite not having a license and had but two lessons. We ended up getting pulled over by a cop van (she hadn't turned the bloody lights on), and quickly went about shitting ourselves.

As it happened, we had nothing to worry about. One of the cops knew my dozy cow of a pal from many years prior, when she lived on the Isle of Wight, and another cop was the next door neighbour of another occupant in the tiny Kent town where he lived. They chatted to us for a bit in an entirely jovial way, didn't ask to see her non-existent license, told us to be more careful and sent us on our way.

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The upshot of that story being, of course, that your friend didn't learn her lesson and is now dead from a more recent car accident.

[Better Midlands]

& Lennon was shot dead outside the building they made Rosemary's Baby in.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Lyrics the hit single Scarborough Fair from another popular 60s beat combo - Simon & Garfunkel.

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

Paul Simon.

You couldn't write it.

[biggytitbo]

Are we saying the Lennon thing isnt a coincidence or just not an unlikely one?


An admitedly less unlikely coincidence, but the first Manson family murders, Tate, Sebring etc were committed the same day as the Beatles posed for the Abbey Road cover.

Maybe slightly weirder, someone at Spahn ranch wrote lyrics from the White Album and Abbey Road on a door, even though it was released after the murders took place:

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It's not a very unlikely coincidence but the first Manson family murders, Tate, Sebring etc were committed the same day as the Beatles posed for the Abbey Road cover.

That's one heck of an alibi, innit.

[biggytitbo]

'(go to heaven?)' makes it sound like they were transcribing the lyrics in blood but couldnt quite make out what was being sung.

[Pie Pie Eater]

Had a nice one today - I've had the UCB sketch show on my computer since January this year. I remembered that I had it today, and watched a few episodes. Later on I had a shave. I'm never clean-shaven I just use an electric shaver to get it back to a respectable post-stubble stage. I put down a piece of newspaper to shave onto, as there's too much to go down the sink. The newspaper is the inner page from a folded up half-finished crossword. Opening it up revealed this interview with Andrew Savage of Parquet Courts naming the UCB sketch show as his TV cultural highlight.

And then I opened CaB and saw a thread about coincidences.

[Serge]

Maybe slightly weirder, someone at Spahn ranch wrote lyrics from the White Album and Abbey Road on a door, even though it was released after the murders took place:

Although I agree that it is an odd coincidence that those lyrics turned up on 'Abbey Road', surely the inspiration for someone writing them on the door is that they're from a children's rhyme rather than them having somehow heard it in advance?

[non capisco]

I was on a book swapping site a few years ago, fancied reading Stephen King's 'It' again and guess what, Cook'd and Bomb'd? The copy I got off someone in the post was the same copy I had as a teenager, my own juvenile scribblings of REM song titles on the back inside page and all. That's better than a photo of John Lennon standing near some letters, I reckon.

[roboko]

I was watching a whole bunch of youtube videos on 17th century cooking demonstrated by historical re-enactors. I must have watched hours worth of this stuff (I have a procrastination problem).

I pause the video I was on and go outside to run an errand. The whole place is teeming with historical re-enactors, Morris dancing and stuff, I guess they were all there to attend an event. I'd never seen anything like that in real life, ever. I thought I had gone insane.

[biggytitbo]

Although I agree that it is an odd coincidence that those lyrics turned up on 'Abbey Road', surely the inspiration for someone writing them on the door is that they're from a children's rhyme rather than them having somehow heard it in advance?

Well it's in the context of Beatles lyrics though, it even says Helter Skelter on the same door.

It says on Wikipedia that after the murders but before their arrest, tex Watson left Spahn ranch, bought the just released abbey road on cassette, then trekked back on foot across the desert for several days listening repeatedly to it for more hidden messages. Really?

In 1969 he had a portable cassette player that could last for days in the desert? A decade before the Walkman? Mmm ok.

There's lots of weird connections between the Manson family and the Beatles via the Process Church o the final judgement though. McCartney and Manson both contributed to the Process church newsletter around the same time, and the Process actually owned the indica gallery where McCartney first introduced yoko to john.

[Depressed Beyond Tables]

Sting from The Police Band has never been stung by a wasp. Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers have been stung by wasps and bees. Sting's real name is Gordon Bee.

[Dr Rock]

i]Really[/i]?

In 1969 he had a portable cassette player that could last for days in the desert? A decade before the Walkman? Mmm ok.

One of several portable cassette players from 1969. Doesn't say how long it could survive in the desert.