The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast

With Blaze back on the shelf, the Losers have finished their Richard Bachman run -- at least until now. To cap it all off, they do what any self-respecting Constant Reader would do: gather around, argue, and rank all seven of his novels: from 1977's Rage to 2007's Blaze. Want to know more about Bachman? Seek out our exhaustive primer episode on ‘ol Dicky that offers an A-to-Z account of Stephen King's fictional (and deceased) author. You can get it now in the Barrens -- patreon.com/thebarrens -- where you’ll also find hundreds of hours of bonus content. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forgive the creaking hinges and fluttering moths, Constant Listeners. The Losers just cracked open Stephen King’s fabled TRUNK, the one where he keeps all the inked-up pages he’s not yet ready to unleash upon the world. It’s here where the final (?) Richard Bachman's Blaze moldered for decades. Join Losers Randall Colburn, Jenn Adams, Dan Caffrey, and Dan Pfleegor as they chat about this curio in the King oeuvre. Together, they debate the peculiarities of its history, its place in the King crime canon, and what it tells us about King as a young, struggling artist. Fear not, there are several references to season 2 of Burning Love. Want to know more about Bachman? Well, we’ve got an exhaustive primer episode on ‘ol Dicky that offers an A-to-Z account of the fictional (and deceased) author. Next week, we’ll be releasing a ranking of all seven of Bachman’s books that culminates with the question of what the hell a Bachman book even is. You can only get it in the Barrens -- patreon.com/thebarrens -- where you’ll

This month marks the 30th anniversary of George A. Romero's The Dark Half. To celebrate, the Losers are unlocking their Ka-mmentary track for the Stephen King staple that features Dan Caffrey, Dan Pfleegor, and Justin Gerber returning to Castle Rock to talk all things Romero and all things Rooker. For more Ka-mmentaries like this -- we have one for almost every King movie to date -- please join us in The Barrens: www.patreon.com/thebarrens. Otherwise, enjoy the show! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon | Store Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spring is here, but the Summer heat is on across King's Dominion. So, once again, The Losers' Club is putting on their shades, revving up their Plymouth Fury, and feeling the breeze in Hollywood King. Along the way, they sort through plenty of Needful Tweets. Topics include Welcome to Derry, Stephen King 4K releases, Mike Flanagan's latest ideas for The Dark Tower, favorite soul songs, The Last of Us, Yellowjackets, and The Wire. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a preview of our latest installment of the CrichtonCast, our Michael Crichton spinoff podcast exclusive to The Barrens. Last year, the series debuted by discussing The Andromeda Strain. This installment sees Randall and Justin engaging in a sweeping conversation about 1987's Sphere, a sci-fi page-turner that not only came out the same year as Stephen King's The Tommyknockers, but shares a shockingly similar premise. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens. You'll unlock over a hundred hours of exclusive, bonus content that includes other hilarious Ka-mmentary tracks, our King archival series, our Dark Tower Detour series, Jenn's King Character Corner, our spooky Soul's Midnights, dozens upon dozens of locked episodes from yesteryear, and more. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers reach Boo'ya Moon, where they discover Stephen King's 2006 novel, Lisey's Story. Join Losers Jenn Adams, Michael Roffman, Ana Marie Cox, and special guest Johann Trotter as they meditate on how King's personal story of love and trauma brings us closer than ever to the Master of Horror. Note: This episode was originally recorded and released in June 2021 ahead of the Apple TV+ series. It's being re-run as part of our Stephen King chronological journey. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers gather at Boston International Airport to close out their coverage on Stephen King's Cell. Now that they've explored the 2006 novel (see our book episode from back in March), they leap ahead a decade to dial into Tod Williams’ 2016 adaptation. Together, they discuss the film's super long production history (and time in development hell), the reunion of 1408 stars John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, the chopped up script, and, much, much more. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's St. Patrick's Day! To celebrate, the Losers untie another big ol' Bag of Bones and answer your questions. Questions like "Who's the luckiest (and unluckiest) character in King's Dominion?", "Who wins in a fight? Church or Cuj?", "What's the best St. Patrick's Day read?", "Which King book was the biggest let down?", "What's your favorite King sentence?", and, naturally, "Who in King's Dominion is in your pub crawl?" They also are tasked to cast a Stephen King sitcom. Good lord do they ever. Want to ask them a question on the next Bag of Bones episode? Become an Overlook patron at www.patreon.com/thebarrens. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will you accept this rose, Constant Listeners? Hope so. The Bachelor himself Zach Shallcross joins the Losers to discuss his journey through Stephen King's catalogue. Together, they discuss how he stumbled into King's Dominion, the books he's read so far, the books he can't wait to read, and how Billy Summers has kept him company on his quest for love. Elsewhere, we also discuss his affinity for the horror genre and whether or not he wants to share a scream or two with his future partner. The Bachelor airs every Monday on ABC at 8 p.m. EST. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a new crop in the cornfields -- it's Kurt Wimmer's Children of the Corn. The Losers head to Nebraska to cover the new re-imagining of the Stephen King short story and get high on the corn oil along the way. Together, they discuss how this franchise has amassed 11 features, why the Corn endures, where they could possibly even take this IP down the road, what an Adapted By credit means (as it relates to Sphere), and the durability of red wigs. This is one wild and crazy episode and chock full of spoilers. So, check it out in theaters this weekend or when it hits Shudder on March 21st. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a clip from Jenn’s King Character Corner, our new Patreon exclusive series that sees Jenn Adams embarking on a deep dive into our favorite Stephen King characters both on the page and on the screen. This kickoff episode sees her lighting fires with the Firestarter herself, Charlie McGee. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens. You'll unlock hundreds hours of exclusive content that includes The Stephen King Archives, the Dark Tower Detour, dozens of Ka-mmentary tracks for your favorite King flicks, all of our Lobstrosities episodes clawing through those silly King sequels, in addition to spinoffs like The Soul's Midnight, Talkin' Hawkins, and CrichtonCast. Not to mention, dozens upon dozens of locked episodes and one-offs. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers run out of Boston Common as The Pulse consumes the world around them. Luckily, they find a peaceful retreat at Gaiten Academy, where they catch their breath to discuss Stephen King's Cell. Together, they meditate on the reverberations of 9/11 throughout the post-apocalyptic novel, the parallels to H.G. Wells and Richard Matheson, the hilarious digital marketing campaign around its release, and why this often feels like King's version of a Greatest Hits album. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black Forest author Laramie Dean, practitioner of Montana gothic and one of Randall’s smartest friends, joins us for a spirited, enlightening chat about queerness in King’s work as it’s evolved from ‘Salem’s Lot and The Stand to 2018’s Elevation. Laramie also opens up about what he looks for in queer horror stories and tells us about his copy of Silver Bullet, which was sent to him at age 8 with a personalized message from King himself.  Get Black Forest here: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Forest-Laramie-Dean-ebook/dp/B09T3C6XLB Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a clip from our Valentine’s Day special exclusive to our patrons in The Barrens. We called it The Sweetest Slice, which, yes, is a reference to poundcake. Why? Because, this year, we played Kinky Cupid and tore out our favorite sex scenes from Stephen King’s works. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens. You'll unlock hundreds hours of exclusive content that includes The Stephen King Archives, dozens of Ka-mmentary tracks for your favorite King flicks, all of our Lobstrosities episodes clawing through those silly King sequels, in addition to spinoffs like The Soul's Midnight, Talkin' Hawkins, and CrichtonCast. Not to mention, dozens upon dozens of locked episodes and one-offs. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers head to the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC to help the FBI solve a strange case file sent from the Derry Private Library in Maine. It's an X-File dated February 8, 1998 and there's a single word at the top: "Chinga". Join Special Agents Michael Roffman, Justin Gerber, McKenzie Gerber, and new recruit Sammie Kuykendall as they attempt to solve this bizarre case and explain how best-selling author Stephen King is involved. Rest assured, the truth is out there ... somewhere. Note: This episode was recorded in October 2021 and is being unlocked from our Patreon to celebrate its 25th anniversary today. For more episodes like this, please join us in The Barrens: www.patreon.com/thebarrens. Tonight, we're even hosting a watchalong of the episode in our Discord. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon | Store Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One club welcomes another on the latest installment of The Losers’ Club’s On Writers series. This week, Losers Randall Colburn and Mel Kassel chat with acclaimed novelist Paul G. Tremblay about last year’s The Pallbearers Club. Tremblay unpacks his careful approach to ambiguity and the necessity he feels to earn his experiments with narrative. He also discusses A Knock at the Cabin, the M. Night Shyamalan-directed adaptation of his Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Cabin at the End of the World, and his experience as a novelist in Hollywood. He also teases his next novel, which centers around a “cursed” film production, and offers an update on the long-gestating film adaptation of his 2015 breakout A Head Full of Ghosts. And, yes, Stephen King is discussed. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Winter is fierce, but the heat is on across King's Dominion. So, once again, The Losers' Club is putting on their shades, revving up their Plymouth Fury, and feeling the breeze in Hollywood King. Topics include the just-released trailer for Rob Savage's The Boogeyman, all the updates surrounding King's next novel Holly, Kurt Wimmer's finally-to-be-released Children of the Corn, and all those King tweets you've been retweeting throughout January. Elsewhere, they also share their King crushes ahead of Valentine's Day and banter about banned books. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a clip of our Patreon exclusive series the Dark Tower Detour, which sees co-hosts Dan Pfleegor and Dan Caffrey studying the minutiae of Roland Deschain’s epic quest. Now that they’ve completed their run through Mid-World, the Dans are going back to the beginning. The very beginning. All the way back to Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”. Want to hear the full track? Become a member of The Barrens (Patreon) by visiting www.patreon.com/thebarrens. You'll unlock hundreds hours of exclusive content that includes The Stephen King Archives, dozens of Ka-mmentary tracks for your favorite King flicks, all of our Lobstrosities episodes clawing through those silly King sequels, in addition to spinoffs like The Soul's Midnight, Talkin' Hawkins, and CrichtonCast. Not to mention, dozens upon dozens of locked episodes and one-offs. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega

In the latest installment of their On Writers' series, Randall and Mel talk with Brian Evenson, author of such eerie and enigmatic works Last Days, Song for the Unraveling of the World, and Father of Lies. Brian discusses his "ruthless" style, body horror, and genre experimentation in his 2021 collection The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell. We also chat about his TV work on Peacock's Friend of the Family and the literary spin-offs of Aliens and Dead Space he's written under the name B.K. Evenson. Brian's got plenty of recommendations, too, so have some pen and paper handy. Learn more about his incredible body of work at BrianEvenson.com.  Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Losers return to Maine and take a ferry out to Moose-Lookit Island, where they learn about the mystery of The Colorado Kid. It's a slim tale with very little answers, but they quickly learn there's a lot of meat to chew on. Hell, you might even choke on it! Keep all that in mind as you join the Losers for their first book episode of Season 7. Together, they discuss the origins of the Hard Case Crime imprint, how Stephen King got involved, the ways this peculiar parable is built on hard-boiled tropes, and how it all aligns with From a Buick 8 and beyond. Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices