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6.58am
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1 May 2011
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Thanks for the interview @guitarman. a very interesting read.
Although the proposed date for volume 2 is 2020 i do agree with Lewisohn that its better not to put it out just because we want to read it.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
6.03am
18 October 2013
Offline 
I think ML may have to tread carefully in Vol III.
I hope I’m here to read what really went on during the break-up……..Perhaps he’s waiting for Paul..Ringo……Yoko! to pass on.
With that in mind I wonder if Vol II will end just before the arrival of Yoko……….Who certainly wasn’t the sole reason for the break-up but she may resent being considered a factor.
4.53pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline guitarman said
Brand new interview with Mark, published yesterday:
So, the sumbitch has time to talk but not write?!?!
WRITE THE DAMN BOOK, ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wigwam said
I hope I’m here to read what really went on during the break-up……..
I hope HE is around to finish it! In 2020, he will be 62. That’s not VERY old, but what kind of shape is the man in? Does he smoke? Does he eat fatty foods? I know the man drinks because Joe had a pint with him. Who the Hell knows when he’ll get around to the third one?
WRITE THE DAMN BOOK, ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*walks away muttering unintelligible curses…yet again*
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
7.05pm
18 October 2013
Offline Now, now Zig……..Deep breaths. All those exclamation marks can’t be good for your blood pressure!
But you make a good point.
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Zig11.06am
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline Thanks Wigwam. Deep breaths are working.
In all seriousness…
He keeps saying he is still conducting interviews, checking facts, blah blah blah. I get tall that. I also agree with mmm above when he said “its better not to put it out just because we want to read it”. Hard to argue with that. At the same time here are my concerns.
*By the time he finally gets around to the 3rd volume, many of us who have been Fab fans for 30, 40 or 50 years won’t be alive to enjoy it.
*As I said above, Lewisohn himself may not be alive to finish it. What happens then? Do we just not get what he wrote so far? Does the editor/publisher/whoever simply let the project die on the vine?
*Just who does he still need to interview and how old are they? Will they be alive when he finally finds the time? If they are still alive at that time, how accurate will their memories be? The Beatles themselves could not agree how a few things went down and they were there.
I joke about this a lot, but deep down it really bugs me. The man needs to get off his ass and finish this thing.
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C.R.A.To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
5.14pm
Reviewers
19 February 2013
Offline Zig said
Thanks Wigwam. Deep breaths are working.
In all seriousness…
He keeps saying he is still conducting interviews, checking facts, blah blah blah. I get tall that. I also agree with mmm above when he said “its better not to put it out just because we want to read it”. Hard to argue with that. At the same time here are my concerns.
*By the time he finally gets around to the 3rd volume, many of us who have been Fab fans for 30, 40 or 50 years won’t be alive to enjoy it.
*As I said above, Lewisohn himself may not be alive to finish it. What happens then? Do we just not get what he wrote so far? Does the editor/publisher/whoever simply let the project die on the vine?
*Just who does he still need to interview and how old are they? Will they be alive when he finally finds the time? If they are still alive at that time, how accurate will their memories be? The Beatles themselves could not agree how a few things went down and they were there.I joke about this a lot, but deep down it really bugs me. The man needs to get off his ass and finish this thing.
Good points, Zig. And I’d add a further – ever-present – concern of my own: that given the sheer scale of work the man has set himself, and the mammoth effort involved in marshalling and synthesizing all this into not one but three epic, sophisticated, tomes; that he will simply burn out. The overwhelm must be staggering and life-devouring at times!
He has been listening to, thinking about, writing, researching, talking, cogitating etc about them for a number of decades. And from what I can gather, this huge undertaking isn’t ever likely to make him comfortably well off.
I consider myself – by most people’s standards – a huge Beatles fan ( though not on the scale of Mark, or some people here perhaps); yet there are times, especially when I have gorged myself silly on all things Beatles for days or weeks, when I just need a break for them, usually for a day or two, in order to maintain my affection for them over the longer term.
Sometimes I can’t help wondering if Lewisohn ever just gets sick of the sight and sound and mention of that bloody band.
5.35pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline You have to remember that Lewisohn is working full time here, its not that its just something he is doing in his spare time like a lot of us do with the Beatles, so he will be having days off as required and enjoying other things. He has been living and breathing the Beatles for decades as well so will be fully aware of the routine and demands. Money-wise he is making a living from speaking at functions, helping on other projects etc; all of which he is incorporating into his research plans.
Time-wise he is working to a deadline and is aware that he has to meet the demands of the publisher(s) who have paid him a lot of money to write it; he has to get the books out or they will want the advance back.
As for us getting to read it or Lewisohn not being alive to write it – well you/I/we could be dead tomorrow after getting hit by a mad cow(s) running thru the streets so why worry about that. If i’m alive to read it then fantastic, if not then i’m dead so I wont be bothered. If i think about dying not reading a book about the Beatles is not high on the list of concerns.
"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
1.12am
28 June 2013
Offline I get that people are impatient and concerned that they won’t live to see volume three. That’s understandable but it’s got to the point where people are using social media to tell Mark to hurry up. That’s unacceptable and, if you look at his Twitter feed, he’s posted a very wry riposte to them, directing them to the interview if they want to know why it can’t be rushed.
The interview is one of the best that he’s done in terms of giving an insight into how he works, and the challenges he faces. He is just about getting by financially and had to take out a bank loan to finish volume 1. As he says, that was horrible. Even though his publishing deal works against him (because neither he nor the publisher knew how long this was going to take), the sheer brilliance of Tune In is such that the academic community has almost become the de facto funder of volumes two and three because they are willing to pay him to speak at seminars etc. It’s just as well because he won’t be seeing any royalties for years – and he still has to pay his bills like all of us.
As meanmistermustard says above, none of us know when we’re going to hop the twig. Let’s just be thankful that the story of something we all cherish is in the hands of someone who cares about getting it right and give him our full support.
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WigwamSomebody spoke and I went into a dream
3.58am
18 October 2013
Offline I’m glad about that too……If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be bothered when he get’s round to it.
Hopefully he’ll see the pressure you speak of as an energiser…. flattered to know he’s so well thought of and his next words are highly anticipated. He certainly is the right man for the job.
We all accept it will be when it will be……..We’re just excited……. so take it easy.
The Olympics….World Cups……. are carved in stone…….I might have one or two left. Even though we might die tomorrow most of us try to have optimistic expectations……..
The longer he takes………..Is a concern. It’s like waiting for Christmas, the anticipation is delicious.
The apex predator on this planet is time…Everything good or bad rots and fades. Can’t blame us for wanting though.
……….So ease up both of you.
3.55pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline I have my reasons for wanting to see this finished AND being able to read it.
All over this Forum, you can read about how I have loved these guys since I was four years old and saw them wearing animal costumes on the cover of Magical Mystery Tour . Look at that cover. What fun for small child! Read the track list on that album. Every one of the titles could have been a song written for kids. This was before Sesame Street, Scooby Doo, Teletubbies, Smurfs and all of the other kiddie type groups of characters children eventually outgrow. The most wonderful thing about this once small child’s fascination with The Beatles is that I will never have to outgrow it. I will never be considered “too old” to be a Beatles fanatic. I have never met any of them. Yet, for the past 47+ years they have been my uncles, my friends, my brothers, my diversion from the rest of the world when I need to lose myself in something warm, cozy and familiar. Last year, when I had the privilege of seeing both Ringo and Paul in concert within a month of each other, I considered it to be the second best year of my life. At both shows, I wept with joy. When John died, I cried like a baby even though I had just turned 17. When George passed away, I was still numb from the shock of 9/11. But when that numbness started to fade, I started grieving very hard over the loss of my favorite Beatle – to this day, I still do. When the times come to bid farewell to Paul and Ringo, I hope to God I am at home. I will lose it for sure. My love for all things Beatles may be over the top obsessive. But that’s my business.
Like many here in the Forum I have read, watched and listened to countless books, movies, documentaries and audio clips. Most of it rehashes the same stories, accounts and what not. I’ve read most of the aforementioned books several times. I don’t care about the repetition. I just love reading about them. I want to read more. I want to read it all. I want to read it before it’s too late. That’s my business.
When this book was first announced years ago, I was so excited I couldn’t stand it (read this thread from the very first for proof). Finally, it was coming – THE book to end all Beatles books. Yahooooo!!! Logic said that if it was going to be published in three separate volumes, there will be a few years between them. No sweat! Bring ‘em on (I bought the shorter US version first, just to keep me occupied until the longer UK version was available to me a month later). Shortly after, we found out it was going to be published over many, many years. Surely, Lewisohn was joking!! If you got a puppy two years ago when the first volume was published (two years after it was SUPPOSED to be), the odds are that the dog will be dead by the time the third volume is published in 2027/28 (average canine lifespan is thirteen years – look it up). How’s that for some perspective?
In the last interview posted by @guitarman (thank you, BTW), Lewisohn says:
People are dropping off the perch right, left and centre at the moment, and I have to accept that I can’t get to everybody. Another concern is that even the people who haven’t yet left us may not be as sharp mentally as they once were. The aging process takes its toll on everybody and is no respecter of fame or fortune.
That’s what I have been saying. He also said:
I couldn’t possibly use everything I’ve already got. I already have enough to write volumes two and three… but I won’t. I’ve not yet found everything I’m looking for – and that, in a nutshell, is one of the things that differentiates this project from any other. Typically, an author will look at what he or she has and say “I have enough now; I can write the book.” But with a project like this, it’s not about quantity; it’s about quality. Well, it’s about quantity and quality. Merely “having enough” is irrelevant because there’s still more to be found, and there are discoveries, both big and small, that could substantially enlighten or alter this history, things I’ve not found yet. I’m not going to stop looking just because I already have a welter of material.
I may be obsessive, but I’m not stupid. Realistically, I understand perfectly about his wanting to get it right. But damn – if he keeps waiting for the next piece of information and the next piece of information and the next piece of information, he will never finish it. One cannot argue against the fact that it would be utterly impossible. Why even bother starting it?
This is not all about just me. I also feel horrible for those older than me and those who are even more Beatles-obsessive than me – the folks who absolutely deserve (yes, I said deserve) to see this finished. If they and I don’t get to see this thing through, just because Lewisohn is worried about dotted i’s and crossed t’s, it would be a shame.
So there it is. If I am worried over not being able to complete this series before I die, that’s my business. Please don’t tell me not to worry about it. If I want Lewisohn to hurry up and finish this series before 2027 or 2028, that’s my business. Please do not – in the name of John and everything Bealtey – tell me this is unacceptable.
Impatiently yours…
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meanmistermustard, Shamrock Womlbs, Ahhh Girl, Wigwam, sigh butterfly, Beatlebug, Linde, guitarmanTo the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
7.05pm
18 October 2013
Offline Well said Zig…………
“Ars longa, vita brevis.” Hypocrates The work (art) is long, the life is short.
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Zig, sigh butterfly8.35pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline I must add that i am currently reading volume 1 for the first time and have a good number of hundreds of pages to go (i’m at the 4th September 1962 recording session) so currently in no rush to see volume 2, when i finish it however my opinion will no doubt change. I honestly have no idea what i’m going to read next as as the non-Beatles song almost but doesnt go
Now you’ve gone & raised the bar right up
Nothing I read is ever good enough
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Zig, sigh butterfly"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
8.10pm
11 June 2015
Offline @Zig – you are one hell of a good writer. Soul, pathos, humor, passion, and anger just pouring off the page. The next time I’m struggling to explain how I feel about the Beatles, I am going to reference this post. Many thanks!
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ZigYou and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
8.54am
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline sigh butterfly said
The next time I’m struggling to explain how I feel about the Beatles, I am going to reference this post.
High praise, indeed. Thanks, sb!
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
9.57am
31 March 2008
Offline
I may be obsessive, but I’m not stupid. Realistically, I understand perfectly about his wanting to get it right. But damn – if he keeps waiting for the next piece of information and the next piece of information and the next piece of information, he will never finish it. One cannot argue against the fact that it would be utterly impossible. Why even bother starting it?
He’s also said that he’s uncovered (or been given) a whole bunch of new info that would have made it into Tune In. I wonder if there’s going to be a revised edition in a few years. Perhaps a three-book super-extended edition!
But yes, he has to draw the line somewhere and just start writing, otherwise he’ll be waiting forever for evidence that might not come. The thing is, he knows that this is the one chance to publish the Beatles’ definitive history, and that he’s the man to do it. His reputation was already fairly untouchable, but with All These Years he’s cementing his feet to the plinth. So corners can’t be cut, words can’t be written until he has the complete picture.
It’s not just a matter of telling the story. He’s going through the evidence to see if the story is right or wrong. When I met him in Laugharne he’d recently been analysing floorplans for the Tokyo hotel they stayed in in 1966. I don’t know why he needed to do that, or what he extrapolated from them. The broader point is that he’s taking the forensic approach to everything, and ultimately our understanding of the Beatles story will be better for it. Even if the floorplans (or their equivalent) don’t yield any usable info, at least he can say for sure that he didn’t miss the story by ignoring a lead. You can’t conjure up evidence that doesn’t exist, but you have to check the evidence if you know it’s out there somewhere.
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10.43am
21 November 2012
Offline Blimey, Ringo will be 80 by the time part 2 comes out!
I’m also still occupied with part 1, so not in a rush either. My only concern is something that’s been mentioned already, namely that both Lewisohn and the people he would want to interview may not be very sharp mentally anymore, or worse, dead.
And if it’ll happen otherwise, well then I just think ”tough shit”.
7.31pm
Moderators
Members
Reviewers
20 August 2013
Offline Maybe he should put out his “working” copy with fill-in-the-blank lines and (italicized notes) for the things he is still looking into. Perhaps he could get help from folks – like he has gotten enough feedback from vol. 1 to perhaps fill another part to it. Then the fully filled out books could be published.
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12.12pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline Joe said
It’s not just a matter of telling the story. He’s going through the evidence to see if the story is right or wrong. When I met him in Laugharne he’d recently been analysing floorplans for the Tokyo hotel they stayed in in 1966. I don’t know why he needed to do that, or what he extrapolated from them.
That’s amazing. If that building still exists, I would not be a bit surprised to learn that he timed how long it took The Beatles to go from their rooms to the hotel lobby – just to corroborate what George and Ringo said about it in Anthology. The man is thorough, I’ll give him that. It makes me wonder if he’ll go to Manila with the sole intent of snubbing Imelda Marcos just to experience what that feels like.
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meanmistermustardTo the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
1.59pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline 
After will he need to go and hide behind a couple of nuns?
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Zig"I told you everything I could about me, Told you everything I could" ('Before Believing' - Emmylou Harris)
2.22pm
Reviewers
14 April 2010
Offline If I were being roughed up by the locals, that’s where I’d hide…especially behind these bad ass abbesses!
To the fountain of perpetual mirth, let it roll for all its worth. And all the children boogie.
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