Everyone,
Those of you who have been following this blog for some time know that its updates have been sporadic at best, as my time has been severely limited following the births of two children (one in 2018, one in 2020), which brought my sum total of kids to a Fab Four. The blog’s co-admin, Karen, and I have attempted to keep some new content coming, primarily through podcast interviews, both those done with other podcasters, and through our own podcast, All Together Now. Even those podcast interviews required extensive schedule juggling on my part, meaning I had to secure babysitting and/or my spouse’s running interference on our two youngest in order to devote the several hours needed in order to get uninterrupted time. This entire system, which allowed me to produce any Beatles-related material, balanced on a precarious edge which relied heavily on the contributions of not only my spouse but other extended family members to provide child care.
Over the last two months, the landscape has changed. My primary source of child care is no longer available, due to serious health issues. Further, that same close extended family member now requires and deserves my husband’s and my time, care and support as they grapple with their health situation. In addition, my husband undergoes foot surgery later this month, and will be on crutches for 4-6 weeks. All of these factors have essentially extinguished what little time I could scrape together to devote to any Beatles’ related work.
Given everything, I’m stepping back, and closing the door on all Beatles work for the moment. I don’t know how long the door will be closed. I don’t intend for it to be forever. I understand that this hiatus will not help in a “publish or perish” atmosphere, but believe this is the only option available to me, given the extensive demands on my time and the needs of my immediate and extended family. My interest in the Beatles has not waned: I would love nothing more than to sit and binge-watch Peter Jackson’s “Let it Be” and dissect it according to historical methods, and place it in the larger arc of Beatles historiography. I simply don’t have the time. For the duration of this period, I ask for your patience and understanding, especially from those who might have been interested in asking me for podcast or other kinds of interviews, publisher copy reviews, personal correspondence/emails regarding Beatles questions/issues, etc. Please do not take it personally when my response is a polite refusal and reminder of my hiatus, because I will be offering that same polite refusal and reminder to everyone.
Thank you for your understanding,
Erin
The Historian and The Beatles 
Nothing is more important than taking care of yourself and your family. We’ll still be here when you get back.
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Wishing you and your family all the best. I think you’ll always have an audience whenever the time is right for you to find your way back into the public’s eyes and ears.
All the best,
Jay
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Take care, Erin. We’ll be here when you guys “get back”.
(Ugh, sorry ‘bout that)
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Be well Erin, you shall be missed. As we’ve discussed before, I have 2 little people at home (although my eldest at 6 would wince now at being called little. I won’t tell her if you won’t) so I have some idea of your position.
Hopefully once things have got back to normal (the joy of children, my mother once told me is unlike Maggie Simpson, they do grow up) I could
have you back on the podcast again. And hopefully you’ll find a snatched moment to look in on me and my interviews – I genuinely sometimes think ‘What would Erin ask?’
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I was just thinking of you. I’m reading Finding the Fourth Beatle: The 23 Drummers Who Put the Beat Behind the Fab Three, by David Bedford. Great book because the authors analyze everything from every imaginable source. Not necessarily about the individual drummers but about various Beatles related myths that have developed over the decades, revolving around Pete Best’s ousting, Ringo’s arrival, the mysteries surrounding their recording contract with EMI and George Martin’s role in all of these events. He even weighs in on Mark Lewisohn’s first Beatles volume and disputes some of his findings, quoting the evidence to back up his theories. Maybe when you get some time, you might be able to read it. In the meantime I’m sorry about your family member. I hope everything works out, health wise. I’ll definitely be waiting patiently for you to come back. Best wishes and good health!
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Dear Erin,
Please don’t feel sorry about stepping back! With your book, you’ve already made made a tremendous contribution to musicology; anything else is gravy.
Take care of yourself and your family. Stay healthy.
Take a deep breath!
Carl Woideck
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Thanks, everyone, for the understanding comments and the willingness to patiently wait while things hopefully improve. Best wishes.
Erin
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You did great things! I have read every article here and they are amazing! I hope you will be always safe!
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Hi Erin, I’ve only recently came across yours and Karen’s podcast, (via your appearances on Diana Erickson’s ‘One Sweet Dream’ podcast, and loving it! Hope all is going okay with your family and as many above have commented, I’ll be here with the rest of your listeners, waiting patiently for your return.
Martin x
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Thanks for your comment and your patience, Martin.
Unfortunately, it appears that the hiatus is still necessary, as the medical issue our close extended family member is grappling with is still severe enough that they require extra care and attention on our part. In better news, Diana still has yet to put out the second part of the interview we did, so there will be new material coming out eventually, even if we recorded it some time ago.
Best wishes,
Erin
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