On Saturday and Sunday, the Internet provider posted a picture of Olie, a McCartney lookalike, with a story on "The Concert for New York," where McCartney performed to raise money for the East Coast relief effort.

"It's the craziest thing," Olie told me. "My guess is that some 22-year-old intern found the picture on my Web site (sirpaul.mccartney.net) and threw it on there." The photo shows Olie posing with a guitar slung over his shoulder. After Olie's pal Kate Goldsworthy e-mailed AOL about the mug mix-up, the picture disappeared from the site. Olie e-mailed AOL, who said "they're checking into it."

"I'm quite keen on it. I'd be daff if I wasn't," Olie said, slipping into a McCartney-like Liverpool accent.

Olie said he started imitating the Beatle two years ago after he gained 40 pounds. Before that, he was too skinny at 135 pounds to play Paul. "I went on a see food diet," he said. (Get it? You see food and you eat it).

The weight gain brought out the hidden McCartney in him. A Longmont band called the Fab Four (a group of air traffic controllers) encouraged Olie to compete in the annual Beatlefest in Chicago. He won, got a shot on Good Morning America and went back to selling training materials for fire departments.

(As a side note, Olie was supposed to ship a set of training materials -- including a segment on hazardous materials -- to the New York Fire Department on Sept. 12. His company hasn't heard from FDNY since.)

Until he finds full-time work as a fake Beatle, Olie works side jobs at trade shows, private parties and public speaking engagements. He also plays bass in a band called the Magical Mystery Tourists.

Penny Parker's column appears Tuesday through Saturday. Call her at (303) 892-5224 or e-mail parkerp@RockyMountainNews.com. Listen to Penny at 8:50 a.m. Friday on Alice FM (105.9).

October 25, 2001

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