The First Thing that Comes to Mind

Re the "Rage" debate, for what it's worth - an extract from the revised introduction to The Bachman Books (dated April 16th, 1996).

King writes (speaking of Bachman as a separate part of himself):

"One of his books, Rage, has become especially troublesome for Stephen King. It has been a factor in a number of nasty (and sometimes mortal) incidents in the real world, incidents in which disturbed teenage boys have held classmates and teachers hostage, have in some cases committed murder. How much responsibility does the author of a book bear when that book seems to form some part of the triggering mechanism for a psychotic or criminal interlude? I don't know. I've spent sleepless nights with the question, a lot of them, and I still don't know. Neither, apparently, does the FBI, who has queried me concerning the book. One psychologist associated with such a case stated that "this novel never walked into a classroom and shot anybody" and that is comforting, but one wonders - one has to wonder - if it is the whole truth. What gives me more comfort is the sure knowledge that the book was written with no bad intent. although it was written by a troubled eighteen-year-old boy-man who seems a stranger to me now; that boy-man was really neither King nor Bachman but a weird (and perhaps dangerous) hybrid of both."

There's more, but that's pretty much the gist of it

[Teriw]

Absentia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa1UJLqYeBU

It doesnt seem as creepy when I just watched it again with no sound. Either the lack of sound or me not being alone in my basement bedroom just after my mom scared the shit out of me. lol

[Teriw]

I've never been spooked by anything. I always wonder why I like the horror genre because it doesn't do what its supposed to do. The only time I get spooked or scare is when shit actually pops out in front of me...I'm a jumper. Horror movies I tend to just laugh at. Stephen King doesnt affect me in any way but pure awe and amazement with what he comes up with. The stories are just fantastic. Apt Pupil, so far, has been the only one that highly disturbed me, and I dont even understand how they could give the movie the same name...that baffled me. I did watch a trailer the other day, an independant film I think, its was really creepy. I dont know about the movie itself but whoever made the trailer did a damn good job of scaring me. Its a weird name, ill see if I can find it again.

[srboone]

Whew!!!! Thank you for that, TEri!

But I think that King's power to disturb is part of his draw. His early works are the spook stories me and my friends tried to scare each other with: the guy down the street was a vampire by night; the haunted house on Boeke street; Blue, the dog that every kid in town was afraid of, etc. We tried harder and harder to rattle each other, because we new that only really awful stuff would do. Maybe that's why I prefer them. but Apt Pupil is quite disturbing, beyond all that. But I wouldn't want it taken out of libraies.

[Teriw]

Completely agree with you Dan. I just get disturbed by that book. lol. I am a child of the GTA/COD generation and am highly addicted to both. I also don't shoot people in real life, if your wondering. haha

[Dan Hocker]

I'm not a big fan of keeping things our of school library's. I generally don't think that media should be blamed for a child's problems. This all relates highly to the "Violent Video Game" debate. I feel that it's the parents and educator's responsibility to teach children the difference between reality and fantasy. Just my humble opinion though.

[Teriw]

No offense, Teriw, but I disagree with you about King being bad for high school students. There's very little in his books that these kids haven't been able to see on television or the movies, perhaps even more graphically than King writes.

John

I didn't say King was bad, I'm the last person who would say that. Specially since theres so much worse out there. I just think Apt Pupil is not great...If it makes me cringe now and did then it can't be the best thing to be reading. I'm not even much older than current high school students, I watch and have seen all kinds of things that dont affect me at all. but that book disturbs me, I guess it does what its supposed to do though. It takes alot to disturb me, Apt pupil may be the only thing that ever has...well that and breaking bones. No matter how fake it looks or sounds I have to plug my ears turn my head and close my eyes. lol. Broke two bones in half when i was 12...ever since I can't take it.

[srboone]

I'm not about to go on a crime spree, either. And I'm willing to bet that his real fans aren't it either; it's the ticking time bombs that pick up a book like Rage who might be influenced by it. But taking it out of print and asking that printed copies be removed for fear that it might inspire similar events and then say he believed Rage had nothing to do with the events as unfolded is pretty disingenus to me. Besides, there have been at least 4 other incidents I can vaguely recall where kids who shot up their schools had a copy of or were inspired by events of the book. I'm not condemning King for his decison, it was avery mature and responsible thing to do. If he sleeps better at night by telling himself Rage had nothing to do with it...so be it. But don't hand me a bowl of BS and tell me it's lobster bisque!

[Martin]

I have been reading Stephen King since I was about 11 or 12 years old. As my mother did with me, I share my love for stories with the kids around me. I have three adult nephews who all say they love Stephen King stories because they were exposed to them by me. I have a niece who is currently 12 who has read several King books that I exposed her to. None of these children show any signs that they may commit crimes. Mentally ill people will commit these type of crimes without regard to the reading material they have access to. The difference I see with the book Rage was it was the authors decision to remove it from print, it is his material and he has the right to do that. I, in no way, believe that book being out of print has reduced the amount of violent crimes being committed. If a group of parents, teachers or other 'responsible' adults were responsible for the book being out of print I would feel very different about it.

Talking out of both sides of his mouth. And "how to bring guns into a school" sounds like content to me. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I don't think King should be taken out of school libraries, either. However, I remember being quite shocked by Apt Pupil when I read it.

But, then, I grew up in a small town in western Kansas where every year, a certain teacher would get hold of the Sports Illustrated swim suit issue and draw clothes on all the models with a black magic marker! Old Lady Johnson!

[rjmyers]

Redrum. Redrum.

[srboone]

Talking out of both sides of his mouth. And "how to bring guns into a school" sounds like content to me. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I don't think King should be taken out of school libraries, either. However, I remember being quite shocked by Apt Pupil when I read it.

But, then, I grew up in a small town in western Kansas where every year, a certain teacher would get hold of the Sports Illustrated swim suit issue and draw clothes on all the models with a black magic marker! Old Lady Johnson!

[Martin]

If I remember correctly King's reason for pulling Rage from print was not because of the content but because he felt it read as a kind of 'how to bring guns into a school'. That on top of the fact that a couple of school shooters had the book in their locker. He also stated that it was his decision to pull the book and that if a government official tried to censor him he would oppose that. I believe he also stated a strong belief that his book in no way caused the persons to commit the crimes.

[srboone]

Well, King did ask libraries all over the country to remove his book "Rage" after the Columbine incident. And I remember thinking the same thing about "Apt Pupil when I read it it 82. It wasn't in my library, I got it from the public library.

The book isn't even listed on the list of "Other Books by Richard Bachman" in the first print of Blaze!

[jhanic]

Thanks BW, I now remember that my actual first King story was the Apt Pupil Novella I read in High School, not actually The Drawing of the Three like I remembered. The more I think about it the more I wonder why Different Seasons is even on the Library shelf of a High School. Alot of Stephen King is not bad for High Schooler's specially these days but the graphicness of Apt Pupil makes me cringe a little. lol

No offense, Teriw, but I disagree with you about King being bad for high school students. There's very little in his books that these kids haven't been able to see on television or the movies, perhaps even more graphically than King writes.

John

[Martin]

I remember when Apt Pupil was coming out as a movie I told my wife that there was no way they would allow the movie to be true to the story. Sure enough they did not.

Thanks BW, I now remember that my actual first King story was the Apt Pupil Novella I read in High School, not actually The Drawing of the Three like I remembered. The more I think about it the more I wonder why Different Seasons is even on the Library shelf of a High School. Alot of Stephen King is not bad for High Schooler's specially these days but the graphicness of Apt Pupil makes me cringe a little. lol