Stephen in my life

[Shasta]

So, I've always noticed Stephen King everywhere - Family Guy, the movie Twixt, books, NBC's Revolution. These are just to name a few that popped into my head.

But this weekend it seemed to get a little ridiculous. Here's what happened.

Saturday - I was getting ready to go camping and my neighbor came over to get cat feeding instructions. She said, "Did you hear Cujo bit some dude on his face?" Cujo is her nickname for Britney, the awful rescue dog we have in our complex through our animal hoarding neighbor. She's called Britney Cujo for some time now so I thought nothing of it.

But then....

Sunday - I'm camping and in my tent getting ready for a hike. I hear a boy talking to someone else. It's muffled at first because he's riding his bike past my tent. "....yeah, I've read his entire Dark Tower series, and the Shinning, and......" He rode away. But I think, dang, that's the second time in two days.

And then.....

Monday - I get home from camping and my two neighbors are in the garage, talking. One has some old, red car that's falling apart that he loves. Her name is Sophia. I mention I did not know that she had a name. Other neighbor says, "He should call her Christine."

So that's that. Three in three days.

But then I start to think, how crazy would it be to be SO famous and influential that you and your work become the verbiage of the culture? I was wracking my brains trying to think of someone else who has had this type of influence, who has become a part of the lexicon, of the fabric of society. I mean, yes, you sometimes hear someone call a whale Moby Dick. Or a dolphin Flipper, or a horse Black Beauty.

But who else is not only has work that is re-used and adapted but his own name as well?

Could you even imagine? I couldn't. No way.

[GNTLGNT]

...He is OZ....

[Autumn Gust]

His writing strikes a common nerve and it sticks. Everyone can relate to it, in one way or another. And, yeah, Sai King has permanently influenced mainstream culture. I'm trying to think of someone else who's had such an effect but at this point I got nothing!

[Todash]

Hmm. Now that you put it that way ... I'm not sure I'd like it very much, if it were me. But, you know, done bun can't be undone. I guess you'd get used to it, but in a way it's a little odd, a bigger sphere of influence than I would probably want for myself.

[king family fan]

My son calls Pennywise the stephen king clown. For mothers day at church they got up and said why they love their moms. My son proudily says cause she likes stephen King. How awesome hes special needs and 8. So everyone just smiled.All the places King is talked about. I find it amazing sometimes.

[Lily Sawyer]

Walt Disney. He's the only one I can think of in ten seconds or less.

[Tim D.]

I remember when I was a teenager in the 1980's and just getting into SK's books how a lot of people were so dismissive of his work because it was horror, and horror writers weren't "real" writers. My own family was convinced that reading his books would permanently warp my mind (jury's still out on that). Now, not only is he one of the best selling author's of all time, but a pop culture icon. His work is now widely acclaimed by critics, even showing up on prestigious lists like the New York Times' years best. Considering the way his work used to be viewed in "serious" literary circles I'm sure SK must take a little satisfaction in the level of acceptance his work now enjoys. I simply can't imagine a world without him.

[blunthead]

Stephen King is an ongoing, ever-growing phenomenon. It's an exciting time in history to be an sK fan. One cannot throw a rock and not hit a TV with a sk-related program playing, which then does not ricochet into another TV advertising plans for an sk-related movie (involving major Hollywood, like friggin Spielberg), which then does not careen off the nose of a cashier pre-ordering two sK novels due for release that year and one which hasn't even occurred to sK yet. Take my word because I've thrown many rocks but never in the same store twice.

Oh, and I got signed by the Sox, yay! Gotta serve my time first, though.

[Jojo87]

Now it's the time to come up with this. I was listening to radio on work one day last week. When the
radio speaker was talking about that Brits had did a research about loosing weights. And one good
advice was that. Watch horror movies then you loose some weights. (If you skip the candy or popcorn eating at the same time)
and they had listed three horror movies that you should watch to loose weight . You never can image which horror movie came on
first place Shining I couldn't believe when I heard that Shining is so scary that you loose weight when you watch
that. Guess I should give it a try. Of course I try with the exercise before Shining. :biggrin2:

[carrie's younger brother]

But for all his recognition, awards, etc., I'd still love to go back in time and have him be the Stephen King of Carrie and Salem's Lot, when he was all mine and NOBODY I knew ever heard of him. I'm like that with music too. I hate when groups I love get popular. But, on the other hand, being popular means they make money and stick around longer, so in the end it's all good. :smile2:

[Shasta]

Hmm. Now that you put it that way ... I'm not sure I'd like it very much, if it were me. But, you know, done bun can't be undone. I guess you'd get used to it, but in a way it's a little odd, a bigger sphere of influence than I would probably want for myself.

You couldn't pay me enough money to be as famous as he is. My husband and I talk about this all the time because he's always wanted to be famous. No thank you. No way no how. He's best friend was vaguely famous for about six months and even that annoyed me.

And Mr. King seems so down to earth. I can't even imagine how hard it must be on him to be that type of guy who just has an enormous talent that people love. A blessing and a curse!

[Shasta]

Walt Disney. He's the only one I can think of in ten seconds or less.

Ooooo.... good one!

[Shasta]

But for all his recognition, awards, etc., I'd still love to go back in time and have him be the Stephen King of Carrie and Salem's Lot, when he was all mine and NOBODY I knew ever heard of him. I'm like that with music too. I hate when groups I love get popular. But, on the other hand, being popular means they make money and stick around longer, so in the end it's all good. :smile2:

I used to feel this way too, and I still do to a degree.

Like, I wanted to go see Green Day recently. It was $70+ to sit behind the stage. WHAT??? I saw them at 924 Gilman in SF in 1994 for $4!!!! That drives me nuts. But I am happy for THEM. Just not for ME.

Or, like the fact that you used to be able to send SK books and he would sign them. If he did that now that's all he would 24 hours a day!! But because he's famous it enables us to get more King, all the time.

Again, a blessing and a curse!

[jchanic]

I had to take my car in for service (a problem with the brakes) and I tried a new shop. When I picked it up, I got talking to the (assistant?) manager and discovered he is a big King fan. He just loves the Dark Tower series and even has a couple tattoos (one is the coffin of the Regulators!). He hasn't yet read The Wind Through the Keyhole so I strongly recommended it to him.

John

[Samantha_]

You never can image which horror movie came on
first place Shining I couldn't believe when I heard that Shining is so scary that you loose weight when you watch
that. Guess I should give it a try. Of course I try with the exercise before Shining. :biggrin2:

Ha! :grinning: That's funny!

[GNTLGNT]

Oh, and I got signed by the Sox, yay! Gotta serve my time first, though.

...in the world of modern sports, the two are NOT mutually exclusive...:eyebrow: