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Stephen King Live
2 cassettes, 90 minutes
In August 1998 Stephen King appeared for his first ever live reading in the UK at London's Festival Hall. The evening was a complete sell out and the audience was treated to a magnificent entertainment. Stephen King held the audience spell bound as he read an unpublished short story, and then he answered questions about his life and work with Muriel Gray. This audio is a chance to share a unique event, an evening that all who were there will remember for the rest of their lives
In August 1998 Stephen King appeared for his first ever live reading in the UK at London's Festival Hall. The evening was a complete sell out and the audience was treated to a magnificent entertainment. Stephen King held the audience spell bound as he read an unpublished short story, and then he answered questions about his life and work with Muriel Gray. This audio is a chance to share a unique event, an evening that all who were there will remember for the rest of their lives
2 pages, Audio Cassette
First published June 17, 1999
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About the author
Stephen King
2,299 books891k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 17, 2015
Some time ago, I heard an audio book version of Stephen King’s “LT’s Theory of Pets”, which was, at the time, an unpublished story read by the author himself live at the Royal Festival Hall. At the time I was disappointed that the introduction to the tape suggested there would be questions at the end but that these weren’t included on the reading.
However, there is a recording in existence called “Stephen King –Live!” which is a recording of the whole show. The first half was always likely to be a minor disappointment, as it’s the reading of “LT’s Theory of Pets”. It's not a bad tale, and it’s quite engagingly told. However, King’s voice isn’t the most interesting to listen to, and he does seem to overdo the humour in it, as if he’s trying to entertain the audience, rather than just telling them a story.
The pieces that disappointed are still present, with the introduction and Stephen King’s words before he goes into the story both hamming up his “King of Horror” reputation. However, the good things from that story are also still present and it is one of the most out and out fun stories that King has written. Largely because of this, King doesn’t seem as draining to listen to as on a previous collection “Blood and Smoke”, where his attempts to voice characters and add gravitas to a more serious reading does end with you getting quite bored of his voice after a while.
However, the main problem with the single cassette version of “LT’s Theory of Pets” for me was that the introduction promised questions later in the recording, which didn’t appear on that version. It is that which made me want “Stephen King Live!” most of all – the chance to hear King answering questions and talking about (hopefully) his life and his work.
With the story been and gone, this time the end of the tape is not the end of the end. Instead, the second can go in, and we get Stephen King, with questions being put to him by Muriel Gray, who is a Scottish writer and broadcaster. This is going to be so good!
Well, no, not quite. Admittedly, there are a lot of very good question put to King, and the tone he keeps up is very light hearted. It seems as if the tone of the evening was set by the story, which was filled with humorous moments and that has been continued for the questioning. King never takes himself too seriously, although he doesn’t try to crack as many jokes when talking about sensitive subjects, such as an eye disease he may be genetically predisposed to. There are a couple of points where his humour could be guilty of bad taste, though – there’s a line he does about Alzheimer’s that really is a little too nasty to be funny.
Some of the questions are well asked, concerning his potential eye problem, and about the future of his writing. Some of those relating to his past, his influences and how he sees himself and his opinions on how others see him are pretty interesting. Some of the questions concerning the way he has written certain things are illuminating, as there are points where you feel you’re actually getting inside the mind of a great writer, which is almost essential for a fan. Some of the questions on these subjects may be the ones you would ask if you had the chance. For fans of King’s film work, his answers to questions on that subject and particularly concerning the original version of “The Shining” are particularly interesting.
There are problems with this tape, though. The first of these is Muriel Gray. It’s always likely to be an interesting conversation – held at London’s Royal Festival Hall, it conversation between an American with a fairly dull voice which has been compared, not unfairly, to Elmer Fudd and a Scottish lady with a fairly strong accent and a very loud, very high pitched laugh. It is this laugh that gets in the way, as she is highly amused, almost to the point of it seeming fawning at points, by more or less anything King says. Admittedly, most of the audience are laughing at some of the things he says, but she laughs louder and longer than anyone else. Considering that she’s closest to the microphone than anyone else, it does get pretty grating after a while.
She doesn’t seem to be the greatest of interviewers, either. There are occasions when she tries to interject things, and she seems a little too amused by things she herself has said at points, as if forgetting that she isn’t the main attraction there. There’s one point where King seems to be getting a little upset with her and ends up talking over her, and he does have to raise the volume of his voice in a couple of parts to avoid stopping talking as she laughs. To her credit, she does deal with the issue of King’s eye disorder quite well and her tone is suitably concerned and sympathetic. Most of the time, though, she seems to get in the way.
Although the answers are actually quite funny, there’s a fair bit of the time that King spends talking about the cricket game he had been to see during his visit to the UK. Whilst it’s funny to hear what he has to say, it’s not really what a fan would want to hear Stephen King talking about; particularly after getting hold of a recording that promises questions on “his life and work”. Given that it’s only a 45 minute session, taking some of that time away, and it does take up a fair chunk of that time, almost seems like a waste. It’s a good thing its funny, is all I can say.
The other major problem is that it has dated quite badly since it was released. The show in question was recorded in August 1998 and some of the questions refer to his “latest” novel which at the time was “Bag of Bones”. Since then he has published all of the works he lists in an answer to one of the questions, as well as many that weren’t even conceived at the time. There’s even a slightly sad moment where he says he feels he stayed settled as a writer largely because “I stayed married and I stayed healthy”. Of course, only half of this has been true for some of the intervening years.
So, the question is, should you buy? Simple answer, no. But let me justify that a little more. If you’re not a King fan, or if you’re someone who would say they liked King, but wasn’t crazy about him, then the answer remains in the negative. But if you’re a massive King fan, as I am, merely learning of the existence is going to make you want it. After all, it’s a rare chance to own an interview, however poorly executed, with a man who could well be one of your favourite writers. If this is how you feel about King, and it’s exactly the way I feel about him, I’m not likely to put you off by telling you it isn’t very good.
It’s going to disappoint you, largely because it’s almost certain that the question you want to hear the answer to wasn’t asked. It’s also going to be appalling value for money as all it has is novelty value - there is no shelf life to it at all. Once you know the questions and you’ve heard the answers, there’s no reason for you to play it again . But if you’re that determined to own it, pick it up on the cheap.
However, there is a recording in existence called “Stephen King –Live!” which is a recording of the whole show. The first half was always likely to be a minor disappointment, as it’s the reading of “LT’s Theory of Pets”. It's not a bad tale, and it’s quite engagingly told. However, King’s voice isn’t the most interesting to listen to, and he does seem to overdo the humour in it, as if he’s trying to entertain the audience, rather than just telling them a story.
The pieces that disappointed are still present, with the introduction and Stephen King’s words before he goes into the story both hamming up his “King of Horror” reputation. However, the good things from that story are also still present and it is one of the most out and out fun stories that King has written. Largely because of this, King doesn’t seem as draining to listen to as on a previous collection “Blood and Smoke”, where his attempts to voice characters and add gravitas to a more serious reading does end with you getting quite bored of his voice after a while.
However, the main problem with the single cassette version of “LT’s Theory of Pets” for me was that the introduction promised questions later in the recording, which didn’t appear on that version. It is that which made me want “Stephen King Live!” most of all – the chance to hear King answering questions and talking about (hopefully) his life and his work.
With the story been and gone, this time the end of the tape is not the end of the end. Instead, the second can go in, and we get Stephen King, with questions being put to him by Muriel Gray, who is a Scottish writer and broadcaster. This is going to be so good!
Well, no, not quite. Admittedly, there are a lot of very good question put to King, and the tone he keeps up is very light hearted. It seems as if the tone of the evening was set by the story, which was filled with humorous moments and that has been continued for the questioning. King never takes himself too seriously, although he doesn’t try to crack as many jokes when talking about sensitive subjects, such as an eye disease he may be genetically predisposed to. There are a couple of points where his humour could be guilty of bad taste, though – there’s a line he does about Alzheimer’s that really is a little too nasty to be funny.
Some of the questions are well asked, concerning his potential eye problem, and about the future of his writing. Some of those relating to his past, his influences and how he sees himself and his opinions on how others see him are pretty interesting. Some of the questions concerning the way he has written certain things are illuminating, as there are points where you feel you’re actually getting inside the mind of a great writer, which is almost essential for a fan. Some of the questions on these subjects may be the ones you would ask if you had the chance. For fans of King’s film work, his answers to questions on that subject and particularly concerning the original version of “The Shining” are particularly interesting.
There are problems with this tape, though. The first of these is Muriel Gray. It’s always likely to be an interesting conversation – held at London’s Royal Festival Hall, it conversation between an American with a fairly dull voice which has been compared, not unfairly, to Elmer Fudd and a Scottish lady with a fairly strong accent and a very loud, very high pitched laugh. It is this laugh that gets in the way, as she is highly amused, almost to the point of it seeming fawning at points, by more or less anything King says. Admittedly, most of the audience are laughing at some of the things he says, but she laughs louder and longer than anyone else. Considering that she’s closest to the microphone than anyone else, it does get pretty grating after a while.
She doesn’t seem to be the greatest of interviewers, either. There are occasions when she tries to interject things, and she seems a little too amused by things she herself has said at points, as if forgetting that she isn’t the main attraction there. There’s one point where King seems to be getting a little upset with her and ends up talking over her, and he does have to raise the volume of his voice in a couple of parts to avoid stopping talking as she laughs. To her credit, she does deal with the issue of King’s eye disorder quite well and her tone is suitably concerned and sympathetic. Most of the time, though, she seems to get in the way.
Although the answers are actually quite funny, there’s a fair bit of the time that King spends talking about the cricket game he had been to see during his visit to the UK. Whilst it’s funny to hear what he has to say, it’s not really what a fan would want to hear Stephen King talking about; particularly after getting hold of a recording that promises questions on “his life and work”. Given that it’s only a 45 minute session, taking some of that time away, and it does take up a fair chunk of that time, almost seems like a waste. It’s a good thing its funny, is all I can say.
The other major problem is that it has dated quite badly since it was released. The show in question was recorded in August 1998 and some of the questions refer to his “latest” novel which at the time was “Bag of Bones”. Since then he has published all of the works he lists in an answer to one of the questions, as well as many that weren’t even conceived at the time. There’s even a slightly sad moment where he says he feels he stayed settled as a writer largely because “I stayed married and I stayed healthy”. Of course, only half of this has been true for some of the intervening years.
So, the question is, should you buy? Simple answer, no. But let me justify that a little more. If you’re not a King fan, or if you’re someone who would say they liked King, but wasn’t crazy about him, then the answer remains in the negative. But if you’re a massive King fan, as I am, merely learning of the existence is going to make you want it. After all, it’s a rare chance to own an interview, however poorly executed, with a man who could well be one of your favourite writers. If this is how you feel about King, and it’s exactly the way I feel about him, I’m not likely to put you off by telling you it isn’t very good.
It’s going to disappoint you, largely because it’s almost certain that the question you want to hear the answer to wasn’t asked. It’s also going to be appalling value for money as all it has is novelty value - there is no shelf life to it at all. Once you know the questions and you’ve heard the answers, there’s no reason for you to play it again . But if you’re that determined to own it, pick it up on the cheap.
Displaying 1 of 1 review