~Chancellor Series at UMASS Lowell.
~Tsongas Center Arena.
Stephen King walked on stage to a standing ovation.
Of course he did.
Fellow author Andre Dubuse III (Townie, House of Sand and Fog) and a faculty member at Lowell moderated the event and began to count off Stephen King's list of accomplishments, Mr. King interjected with one liners as if he were on a comedy tour.
Andre stated that he has outsold Charles Dickens...
"He didn't have e-books in his day." Stephen King reminded the audience.
Andre brought up his many movie adaptations.
"Some of which were good." Mr. King allowed.
Andre revealed that he and Mr. King met 25 years ago.
"You made dirty jokes and I, (insert dramatic pause), talked about literature."
Andre told the audience that many years ago, his father was run over and basically crippled, Stephen King along with a few other authors, gave him money for his astronomical medical bills. "This is like Steve King's greatest hits. Let's play Freebird." King quipped without missing a beat. Then Stephen pointed out that John Irving put together the fundraising for Mr. Dubuse. Stephen King: Mr. Humble.
"I make all this shit up and you pay me!" He cried with glee. "You guys put my kids through college and I scared the shit out of you!"
The conversation turned to how Stephen is one of the most recognizable writers of our time and he regaled us with different tales. How people will just yell out from vehicles driving by. "Yo! Stevie! Cujo! Yeah!" How a cook at Nathan's in Coney Island mistook him for Frances Ford Coppola and Stephen gave him that autograph. But my favorite, (favorite, favorite) was when he had dinner with Bruce Springsteen in a restaurant in New York City. A teenage girl was out celebrating her birthday with her parents. She approached the table with her feet barely touching the ground. "The Boss" started to take out a pen from his inside jacket pocket. "Are you Stephen King?" She asked in adulation. "She never fuckin' looked at him!" Stephen exclaimed.
The Q&A was much more organized that I ever would have thought and I applaud the staff at the Tsongas Center. Or maybe it's simply because Stephen King fans are just so civilized. (Well perhaps with the exception of the zealous fan who was screaming something about going down on his hands and knees if Mr. King would look at his manuscript. Or maybe it was just a scrapbook. I didn't catch it.)
"They wouldn't want a ride I created because there'd be nooooo repeat customers."
A student asked about becoming a writer, Mr. King encouraged college, and talked about finding what gives you a buzz, whether it be writing or playing an instrument. "Tuition costs but dreams are forever." Stephen King: College advisor.
When someone thanked him for all his books, he replied. "I'm glad it was good for you. It was great for me."
When discussing the relationships in his books, he stressed that he sets out to tell a story and make the characters as believable as he can. What you want is reader identification and confessed, "I've got a reputation as a Horror writer, but I've really got a marshmallow for a heart." Stephen King: Romantic.
"Did you ever terrify yourself?" Stephen doesn't have bad dreams. He puts them in his writing. But after he wrote Pet Semetery it scared him so much that he put it in a drawer and thought no one would want to read it. The time he scared himself the most was when he was writing The Shining and counted down the days to the scene "...he knew was coming." Danny going in room 217. The room with a dead woman in a bathtub who's not really dead.
The evening was over in a flash. Where did the time go? As the audience prepared to depart, Mr. King warned that 7% of people forget to lock their car and to be wary of maniacs hiding in the back seat.
His stories, not just the ones that come out of his head, but his personal stories, his struggles, his thoughts, grant us a view into the mind of the most iconic writer of our time. His writing represents his love for the craft, story telling and exploration. His openness is a testament to his generosity, his thoughtfulness and wisdom.
I may have teared up once or twice. Of course I did.

8 comments:
That must have been an amazing experience for you!!!
I haven't read any of his books in awhile but I used to read his pieces for Entertainment Weekly when I was a subscriber. I love reading his views on pop culture.
Oh my God, I kind of want to print this post out and stuff it in a teddy bear and hug the heck out it! Thank you for making me feel like I was there!
I teared up reading this. And laughed. I'm jealous that you got to go to something this awesome, but you also did a great job of making me feel like I was there. And omg... that person shouting about the manuscript. There is always one. And I always feel embarrassed for them.
OMG that sounds like an amazing time. Its was interesting to hear all of his ideas came about for books. I grew up reading and watching his movies...my fave will forever be THe Stand
Dude. DUDE! What an amazing experience! I absolutely LOVED your thoughts and thank you for sharing the amazing night with us!
Wow, I am so jealous. What an amazing experience that must've been.
Thank you so much for allowing us to relive that with you. What a great experience to have, I like you always thought, Hey there is a guy I could sit and chat with. Funny isn't it.
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