Show Notes
In June 2023, The Losers' Club began discussing Stephen King's EW column The Pop of King on their Patreon. What was initially going to be one full-length episode has since become a subsection of The Stephen King Archives that sees the gang dedicating one episode to one full year's worth of columns from King. What started with 2003/2004 -- an episode we unlocked for you last year (look it up) -- has since grown to four more installments, the latest being on 2008.
Today, we're dusting off the second of five episodes in the series as a way to shed light on this project. So, in this episode, which was recorded way, way back in 2024, Randall Colburn, Rachel Reeves, Dan Pfleegor, and Justin Gerber dial things back to 2005 and zero in on King's comically acerbic reviews, recommendations, and takedowns to discuss how that era of culture resonates now.
Topics include King's prophetic belief that stars don't sell movies, stories do, his bizarre hatred of DVD extras, his warning to the creators of Lost to not fuck up the ending (lol), his complicated thoughts about the work of Bret Easton Ellis, his annoyance with fancypants critics and their disdain of popular fiction, and his favorite (and our favorite) movies, books, and music of 2005.
Want more? Become a member of The Barrens -- patreon.com/thebarrens -- to digest all of The Pop of King (so far) and stay tuned for more episodes as time wastes away and makes us all old. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More from The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast
The Losers give a non-spoiler preview of Stephen King and Peter Straub's highly anticipated third Talisman novel, Other Worlds Than These, now available in stores. Shortly after, literal Constant Reader Patton Oswalt -- as he lends his voice to the audiobook -- stops by to discuss his journey through King's Dominion. Note: For the full book episode, you can join The Barrens at patreon.com/thebarrens.
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Did you know author Dennis Etchison was the first to take a crack at adapting The Mist for the silver screen? Sadly, that never manifested; however, it was used as the basis for ZBS Media's groundbreaking radio drama adaptation. Today, the Losers explore this curious artifact and weigh in on the what-ifs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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We're weeks out from the release of Stephen King and Peter Straub's highly anticipated third Talisman novel Other Worlds Than These. In anticipation, the Losers dust off the two preceding tomes: 1984's The Talisman and 2001's Black House. Don't forget, we have full book episodes on both of these novels. This is more or less a primer for Constant Readers and Listeners alike. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.