Question You Would Ask Stephen King

[frik51]

I was one of the lucky ones to see King in NYC, at the Radio City Music Hall Harry, Carrie and Garp benefit, a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, I was not one of the lucky few selected to ask him a question. Salman Rushdie was, though. Or actually, his small son he had with him.
To tell the truth, I hadn't prepared any questions, so maybe I was lucky not having been selected.

sk

[pixie]

I would ask him if The Low Men In Yellow Coats were real? I would ask him to tell me everything he knew about The Low Men.

[Kenton]

I'd like to know if Fritzy the feline in "Big Driver" is so named in honor of Fritz Leiber!

[RJHubbard53]

I would ask him if The Low Men In Yellow Coats were real? I would ask him to tell me everything he knew about The Low Men.

i've read a lot of King and over the years my "favorite" aspects of his work have changed. Currently, I would say that the Low Men are my current favorite of his. I too want to know more about them - I especially liked their appearance in UR, his eBook

[njhorror]

I was one of the lucky ones to see King in NYC, at the Radio City Music Hall Harry, Carrie and Garp benefit, a couple of years ago.
Unfortunately, I was not one of the lucky few selected to ask him a question. Salman Rushdie was, though. Or actually, his small son he had with him.
To tell the truth, I hadn't prepared any questions, so maybe I was lucky not having been selected.

sk

I was there compliments of CD. It was a lot of fun.


I would ask him for a job.

[frik51]

I was there compliments of CD. It was a lot of fun.

That it was.
The moment King walked on-stage, the audience cheering and applauding...awesome.
Of course, seeing Annie Wilkes and Andy Dufresne in person was icing on the cake.

I got my ticket from George Beahm -through eBay- and met him briefly.
Very nice guy indeed.

sk

[theenormityofitall]

I'd probably ask if you're capable of writing in various genres like the incredibly underrated Richard Matheson is? LOL I know it sounds like I'm constantly down on King; I'm not, I just think he receives much more praise than he should and could never figure out why only his books are so "collectible". Maybe because of all the movies made from his books.

[frik51]

I know it sounds like I'm constantly down on King; I'm not, I just think he receives much more praise than he should and could never figure out why only his books are so "collectible". Maybe because of all the movies made from his books.

Yes you are! Which you're entitled to, of course.

And no, King doesn't receive more praise than he deserves. He deserves every bit of it.

His movies have nothing to do why his books are so incredibly collectible.
His unique style, his voice, is the reason they are.

sk

[Dan Hocker]

could never figure out why only his books are so "collectible"

I think it most likely has to due with his popularity most of all. He is a very popular author, which puts his books in higher demand, which makes him seem more collectible than other authors. He's also one of the few big name authors that even really do many signed limited. If you look at the authors on his scale in other genre's there just aren't signed limited. There are however 1st editions worth just as much as his. What makes an author collectible is the combination of popularity and rarity. King is one of the most popular author's published today, 1st editions of his early work are rare, and limited editions are rare by nature. Thus his work is "collectible". Or at least that is how I see it.

[theenormityofitall]

But I think he's popular not because his books are so good...Matheson has written many better ones IMO....but because of the media and because his early books were all made into movies. Once they make an author's work into a movie, they become much more famous before the movies were made. I keep thinking of Matheson. He's written episodes for so many different TV series and series about so many different things, I just don't understand why he's not much better known. And there are some Matheson limiteds that were done; I have some..many published by Gauntlet Press and just look at how much I Am Legend is worth now and it's not even a first edition. I think I paid $65 for it way back in the 90's. How many TV series has King written for? Or even Dean Koontz. He seems to write basically the same book everytime but just gives it a new title, sorta like King did with some of his novels like Gerald's Game.
Anyway, what I do like about King is how he makes characters who "speak" of brand name things and just like a common guy would sound.

[Dan Hocker]

How many TV series has King written for? Or even Dean Koontz.

Not really a good example.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000175/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0465588/

Koontz doesn't really have a lot, but King does. But really what it comes down to is personal prefrance. You say Matheson is a better writer than King, but that's your opinion, many others probably think the opposite. I really don't think it has anything to do with the movies tbh. As far as writing the same books over again, that's every author who has published as many books as King. I can't think of anyone who you can't really say that about.

[Nik Houser]

I think he sells because A: his early work was pretty damn great and earned him a reputation for being so. And more importantly B: his books have all the ingredients a bestseller needs. He's got the compelling idea (though how compelling certainly varies from book to book) combined with a VERY likeable narrative voice. And that voice, while seemingly no-frills and simple, has been imitated but not duplicated. I've read Matheson, and he's brilliant, but his books don't go down as easily as King's do because his voice is more challenging. Which isn't a bad thing. Unless you want to sell 10,000,000 copies. God, look at Dan Brown. Compelling idea, combined with a 3rd grade reading level. I can't stand the guy's style. King's way better than him, but still manages to be readable in a way that makes you want to keep reading. Matheson is great, but he doesn't make you feel at home in a book the way King can. King can make you feel like you're reading in your favorite chair at home, even if you're in an airport terminal. Matheson doesn't. He's gripping, but I never forget that I'm READING when I'm in a Matheson story. Then again, that's just me. But I guarantee, his success is based on his writing first. The movies and his fiction's reputation and the rest is important, but secondary.

[srboone]

For me, it's the intimacy of King's voice that makes his works digesteable. He speaks in the voice of the common man; and the secret is that even if you are a successful, well-adjusted person or a 30-year-old man with Down's syndrome, the voice of your base primal fears are the same.

I'm three chapters into Watchers and I'm finding Koontz' prose cold and lifeless. You can have a great story, but if the writing doesn't grab people, people won't read it; Conversely, you can have a weak, unoriginal story (Dreamcatcher), but if you can present it to people with a warm and human voice, people might read it.

All my life I had heard the book Lotita by Nabokov: the story a pedophile awaiting execution who is writing his confession of how his love for a 13-year old girl lead him to murder. Huhhh??? why would I want to read that; the idea made me want to vomit. But after reading it, I realize that it is one of the most beautifully-written books ever published. Life's full of it's little mysteries.

What question would I ask of King? I'd probably be too awed by the presence of the man to bore him with something he'd been asked thousands of times before. I'd probably simply shake his hand and tearfully thank him for a lifetime of extraordinary reading experiences.

And maybe tell him not to disreagrd the original version of The Stand...

[Randy D. Rubin]

First, I'd make him laugh. Then I'd smile and ask him if he wanted to read some of MY fresh story ideas, (which would probably make him laugh again.) And conclude with, "this way I could help you with your diminishing writing career and infuse some fresh ideas in your head, keeping you right on top where you belong." (at which point he would be rolling on the ground hysterically!) Then I'd ask him to get me Joe Hill's autograph. (At which point he'd pee his pants uncontrollably!) Then he'd be so embarrassed that he'd agree to come to my house and sign my whole King Library. Or maybe I'd stand there tongue-tied and awestruck too.

[frik51]

For me, it's the intimacy of King's voice that makes his works digesteable. He speaks in the voice of the common man;

And that's the reason he is so incredibly popular.

sk