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PAPERBACK WRITERS - STEPHEN KING (320kbs-m4a/137mb/60mins)
BBC Radio 6 Music broadcast: 8th October 2025
In this very special show, Stephen King, one of the world's biggest selling authors, chooses his favourite songs and talks about what they mean to him; from his love of AC/DC to appearing on stage with John Cougar Mellencamp, his running buddy.
Stephen King has sold over 350 million copies of his books, many of which have been made into films and TV series. As well as his love of literature, Stephen also owns three radio stations in the U.S. and is a huge music fan. Over this hour, he plays a selection of tracks from his record collection and tells us the stories behind them.
His latest book is a thrilling new collection of short stories called the Bazaar Of Bad Dreams.
There's a curio for every reader – a man who keeps reliving the same life, repeating the same mistakes over and over, a firework competition between neighbours which reaches an explosive climax, a columnist who kills people by writing their obituaries or a poignant tale about the end of the human race.
AC/DC - Stiff Upper Lip [Promosound]
Danny & The Juniors - At The Hop [EMI]
John Mellencamp - Pink Houses [Universal]
Jan & Dean - New Girl In School [X-tra Collection]
The Rolling Stones - Dance Little Sister [Rolling Stones]
KC And The Sunshine Band - That's The Way (I Like It) [Global Television]
The Standells - Dirty Water
The Kingsmen - Louie Louie [Old Gold]
Creedence Clearwater Revival - It Came Out Of The Sky [Fantasy]
Johnny Rivers - Secret Agent Man [EMI America]
Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The U.K. [Virgin]
The Searchers - Needles And Pins [Pye]
Nathaniel Rateliff - S.O.B. [Stax]
Kenny Loggins - Footloose [CBS]
The Knack - My Sharona [Sony Tv/Columbia]
Ben E. King - Stand By Me [Global Television]
Siouxsie And The Banshees - Christine [Polydor]
THE ARCHBISHOP INTERVIEWS - 6. STEPHEN KING (320kbs-m4a/64mb/28mins)
BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 27th March 2022
In this series, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has deep conversations with people who have made a significant contribution to public life about what they believe. How have the navigated their inner life alongside their public profile? What has been their moral 'touchstone' through the good times and the bad? How do they engage with faith and spirituality?
This week's guest is the author Stephen King. He's written more than 60 novels, hundreds of short stories, and has sold hundreds of millions of books worldwide. Described as the "King of Horror", he became a household name with novels such as Carrie, The Shining, and Misery. Those and countless others have been adapted for the big screen, including The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, providing some of the most captivating moments in cinema history.
Producer: Dan Tierney for BBC Audio North.
DESERT ISLAND DISCS REVISITED: CASTAWAY NOVELISTS - STEPHEN KING (320kbs-m4a/98mb/43mins)
BBC Radio 4 Extra broadcast: 31st January 2021
Kirsty Young's castaway is the author Stephen King. He's written more than 40 novels, won 23 major awards and sold hundreds of millions of books worldwide. He is best known for his tales of small-town America corrupted by the supernatural and macabre; with novels such as The Shining, Misery, Salem's Lot and Carrie making him a household name.
His first success came with Carrie - at the time he was scraping a living as a teacher, living with his young family in a trailer and writing short stories to supplement his income. He threw the first draft of Carrie in the bin and it was his wife Tabitha who fished it out and urged him to finish it. But with success came drug and alcohol abuse - and again it was his wife who intervened and encouraged him to stop. He nearly gave up writing after a road accident in 1999 which nearly killed him. But, to the delight of his legions of fans, he took up his pen again and the stories keep on coming.
Favourite track: Desolation Row by Bob Dylan
Book: Collected poetry by W H Auden
Luxury: Water hammock
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006.
The Beatles - She Loves You [Apple]
Bob Dylan - Desolation Row [Columbia]
James McMurtry - Choctaw Bingo [Sugar Hill]
The Pretenders - Middle Of The Road [Real]
Old 97's - Barrier Reef [New West]
Bruce Springsteen - Ramrod [CBS]
Rihanna - Pon De Replay [Def Jam]
Ryan Adams - When the Stars Go Blue [Lost Highway]