Hey Joe | Page 5 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

@Ahhh Girl Sorry! I didn’t even see these questions. I think I answered the height Q in the other thread (six foot when I stand up straight, but I tend not to).

What do your parents and in-laws think about you running this site? Are they proud of you? Do you talk to them about it very much?

My parents are pleased that I’m putting all that Beatles knowledge to good use! As I’ve said before, I fell in love with The Beatles when I was about 14, and couldn’t stop playing the records and poring over books. I remember my dad coming into my room when I was about 15 and saying “Why are you playing all this old 60s rubbish?” while I was listening to With The Beatles . I don’t think he disliked the music; he was semi-joking. They were his vinyl albums to begin with. I think he was just a bit perplexed that I’d stopped listening to Pixies and U2 and had gone back in time.

All those years of casual research led me here, so it was time well spent. My parents always encouraged me and my brother to do things we loved doing, rather than pursue a career they thought was right. This site has taken me to Liverpool, Hamburg and inside Abbey Road Studios, has helped me meet some fantastic people, and should one day let me give up my day job (though not for several more years at the current trajectory). So yeah, they’re pleased and proud, though I don’t think they visit the site all that often.

(On a side note, kids, if you love something and can see yourself turning it into a job as well as a hobby, I very much recommend it. Hard work doesn’t feel like hard work if it’s a passion.)

I don’t really talk about it with them often, because there’s not a lot to say, but I did ask my mother to leave her memories of seeing them live (here and here). That led her to being interviewed by Martin Creasey for his (very good) Beatlemania! book. I didn’t even know about the interview until I read the book and saw her name on the page. Ever done a double take while reading? I have.

The in-laws think it’s a bit of a funny hobby that I have, and a go-to topic of conversation (and guarantees I get given Beatles-related Christmas presents). They sometimes ask daft questions like “Are you going to do The Rolling Stones Bible next?” or “Did you see that Paul McCartney got married the other day?”, but they mean well. Again, I don’t think they’ve spent much time here.

Not just for kids either. I was 31 when this site launched.

I’ve got a friend who despairs that her teenage son will only read rugby books. It’s his passion, all he’s really interested in. I told her one day he could work for the Wales national team or be a BBC sports reporter, so it’s not necessarily a waste. I know people who do both those jobs and they were both once enthusiastic kids who never put their passions to the side.