Ever notice how rock stars, after exhausting every possible form of excess—from chart-topping and cherry-popping to private jets and gold-plated toilets—often turn to messing with their fans’ heads? Maybe it’s boredom, maybe it’s marketing genius, or maybe they’re just having a laugh. Either way, here are some of rock’s most legendary pranks that had fans completely fooled.
Remember when Coldplay announced they were recording in zero gravity? Chris Martin claimed with a straight face that they’d “been searching for the right environment to record the perfect snare drum sound for many years now,” and space was obviously the answer. Released on April Fool’s Day, this gag actually had some fans believing that the band would boldly go where no boring stadium rock had gone before.
Speaking of space cases, in the mid-’90s, a bizarre video surfaced claiming that Jim Morrison hadn’t died in Paris at all—he was alive and well, working as a cowboy in Oregon. The story went that the Lizard King faked his death to escape a French assassination plot. Even though the supposed Morrison looked about as much like Jim as a jar of jam, Doors fans went wild with speculation.
Then there’s the masterful hoax of “The Masked Marauders,” a 1969 supergroup supposedly featuring Bob Dylan, members of the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine editor Greil Marcus wrote a spoof review of this non-existent album, complete with details about Mick Jagger crooning “I Can’t Get No Nookie.” The joke got so out of hand that they actually had to record an album with impersonators—which incredibly sold over 100,000 copies to gullible fans.
The White Stripes pulled off one of the longest-running rock deceptions by claiming to be brother and sister. Jack and Meg White maintained this sibling story for years, despite actually being ex-spouses. The ruse worked so well thanks to their matching appearance and chemistry on stage, though it’s worth noting that pretending to be siblings when you used to be married is… well, let’s just say unusual.
Prog rockers Jethro Tull took concept album parody to new heights with Thick as a Brick. The entire album was supposedly adapted from an epic poem by eight-year-old genius Gerald Bostock. Created as a satire of pretentious prog rock and concept albums, it hilariously became celebrated as one of the genre’s masterpieces. The joke was so convincing that some countries didn’t get the gag at all, truly believing some precocious schoolboy had written this complex rock opera.
Even Björk got in on the action, announcing she’d replace Robert Plant as Led Zeppelin’s new vocalist. The detail that really sold it? She claimed she’d only perform songs from albums “I” and “IV.” The wild part is that Zeppelin had actually been looking for a new singer at the time, making this April Fool’s joke just plausible enough to work.
Speaking of rock urban legends, let’s not forget the great banana peel smoking craze of 1967. When Donovan released “Mellow Yellow,” rumors spread that the song was about getting high from smoking banana peels. The hoax got so out of hand that there were actual “smokeouts” at Berkeley, and students chanting “banana-banana” in Central Park. The FDA even had to investigate whether banana peels could get you high (spoiler alert: they can’t unless you’re committed to potassium-based placebo effects).
But the granddaddy of all rock hoaxes has to be the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy. The rumor that Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced by a lookalike spawned an entire cottage industry of backward-masked message-hunting and album cover clue-seeking. Fans spent countless hours playing records in reverse and analyzing photos for hidden messages. The theory persists today, though looking at Sir Paul’s endless touring schedule, that replacement must be really earning his paycheck.
These hoaxes reveal something fascinating about both the music industry and its fans. From the marketing genius of The White Stripes’ faux-sibling story to the grassroots spread of the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy, they show how deeply fans want to believe in rock ‘n’ roll mythology. The industry knows this well—whether it’s Coldplay’s space recording stunt or Jethro Tull’s album parody accidentally becoming a prog rock masterpiece, these pranks often blur the line between publicity and playfulness.
But perhaps most tellingly, they demonstrate how rock music thrives on mystery, rebellion, and just a touch of chaos. After all, in what other culture could a banana-smoking hoax lead to FDA investigations, or a fake supergroup review result in an actual hit album? So next time you hear an outrageous story about your favorite musician, remember: in the rock world, the most successful hoaxes aren’t just about fooling fans—they’re about feeding our endless appetite for the extraordinary.
-Staci Wilson
Photo: Jack White (Getty)
Great! Thanks Staci.