FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS A BEST-SELLING AUTHOR WHO HAS BEEN
SCARING YOU FOR OVER 40 YEARS.
HIS LATEST NOVEL IS "THE INSTITUTE."
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," STEPHEN KING!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: THERE YOU GO.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> YEAH, WELL, IT'S NICE TO BE HERE.
THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR WEARING WHAT COUNTS AS
FORMAL ATTIRE IN MAINE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> HEY, THIS IS MY "MAN OF THE PEOPLE" OUTFIT.
>> Stephen: OH, OF COURSE, OF COURSE.
AND YOU'RE SUCH A WRITER, YOU HAVE A PEN IN YOUR POCKET READY
TO GO AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE.
( LAUGHTER )
>> THANK YOU, SHERLOCK HOLMES.
>> Stephen: THERE YOU GO!
NOW, THIS WEEK WE HAD ON BILL SKARSGARD, AND JAMES McAVOY,
STARS OF "IT CHAPTER TWO," WHICH YOU WROTE IN 1986.
BUT I LEARNED THAT YOU-- JUST LEARNED, ACTUALLY, YOU ACTUALLY
ALSO APPEAR IN THE FILM.
THERE YOU ARE RIGHT THERE.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: WHO ARE YOU PLAYING IN THIS FILM?
>> I'M PLAYING A CROTCHETED OLD ANTIQUE STORY DEALER WHO
BASICALLY SCREWS THE MAIN CHARACTER OUT OF HIS CHILDHOOD
BIKE AND CHARGES HIM $300.
WHICH IS A REALLY YANKEE THING TO DO.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WELL, "THE INSTITUTE," YOUR NEW BOOK IS
YOUR 61st NOVEL.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: THIS IS--
THIS ONE IS ABOUT CERTAIN CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY FROM PARENTS
AND LOCKED UP.
>> RIGHT.
NOTHING LIKE THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN.
>> Stephen: NO.
>> IN AMERICA.
>> Stephen: NOT IN THESE UNITED STATES.
>> NO, NO, NO.
>> Stephen: DID THE WORLD INFLUENCE YOU?
DID OUR PRESENT POLITICAL SITUATION INFLUENCE YOU IN
WRITING THIS BOOK?
>> WELL, BEFORE THE-- I STARTED WRITING THAT, THAT WAS NOT ON
THE FRONT BURNER, THE IDEA OF RETURNING CHILDREN AT THE
BORDER.
BUT THE TIMES, EVER SINCE DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN ELECTED
PRESIDENT, HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY NERVOUS-MAKING FOR A LOT OF
PEOPLE.
AND THAT WAS ON MY MIND, TOO.
AND THE WHOLE THING ABOUT EVERYBODY FROM MEXICO, IT SEEMED
LIKE, IN MR. TRUMP'S MIND, ANYWAY, WERE BAD HOMBRES, AND
THAT SORT OF THING.
YOU-- YOU DON'T WRITE-- I TRY TO KEEP MY POLITICS AND MY STORIES
SEPARATE.
BUT THEY BLEED OVER ONE INTO THE OTHER, BECAUSE I ALSO LIVE A
LIFE, AND THESE HAVE BEEN KIND OF DARK TIMES.
>> Stephen: DO YOU STILL BLOCK THE PRESIDENT ON TWITTER?
>> YES.
( LAUGHTER ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
BECAUSE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A FAIRLY HIGH TOLERANCE FOR
CRAP, BUT THERE COMES A CERTAIN POINT WHERE YOU'VE GOT IT JUST
TURN IT OFF.
>> Stephen: CUT IT OFF BEFORE YOU NEED A SNORKEL.
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
>> Stephen: BUT YOU DO ENGAGE IN SOME POLITICS ON TWITTER.
THIS IS ONE FROM JUST A FEW DAYS AGO:
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
NOT A FAN OF SENATOR COLLINS?
YOU'RE A SENATOR FROM MAINE.
>> WELL, LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY: SUSAN COLLINS HAS BEEN THERE FOR
ABOUT ONE HOW YEARS, AND IT'S TIME FOR SOMEBODY A LITTLE NEWER
AND SOMEBODY WHO HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A-- A LITTLE BIT MORE OF
A LIBERAL BENT.
SHE CLAIMS TO HAVE A LIBERAL BENT, BUT, REALLY, THAT'S NOT
TRUE.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: YOU DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO YOUR GRANDSONS.
>> YUP.
>> Stephen: DO THEY HELP YOU WRITE THE VOICES OF CHILDREN
TODAY?
>> WELL, I THINK, LIKE MOST GRANDPAS, I'M PRETTY MUCH
IGNORED, UNLESS THEY WANT THE KEYS TO THE CAR.
THEY'RE OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE NOW.
OR UNLESS THEY NEED A LITTLE MONEY.
BUT WHAT I CAN DO -- >> Stephen: GRANDPA JUST THREW
THE GRANDSONS UNDER THE BUS RIGHT NOW.
ABSOLUTELY BACKED OVER.
"YOU ROTTEN KIDS!" YOU ROTTEN KIDS!
>> NO, NO, THEY'RE GOOD KIDS.
BUT THE THINGS, IS I'M ABLE TO STRIP MINE THEIR LANGUAGE AND
SOME OF THEIR ATTITUDE ON LIFE, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY WERE
YOUNGER.
IT'S JUST LIKE YOU HAVE TO BE KIND OF A FLY ON THE WALL AND
TAKE IN THE LANGUAGE AND TAKE IN THE SHOWS AND STUFF.
BUT I LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT KIDS BECAUSE THEY HAVE A UNIQUE VIEW.
AND, ALSO, THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO ARE PRETTY MUCH VULNERABLE TO
THE ADULT WORLD.
AND THAT'S WHAT I WROTE ABOUT A LITTLE BIT IN "THE INSTITUTE."
I WANTED TO SEE KIDS KIND OF GET UP ON THEIR HIND LEGS AND FIGHT
THE POWER.
YOU UNDERSTAND?
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
72 THIS WEEK, RIGHT?
YOU'RE TURNING 72 THIS WEEK?
>> YEAH, I'M 72.
>> Stephen: ASK THIS IS YOUR 61st BOOK.
DO YOU HAVE A TARGET NUMBER OF BOOKS YOU'RE GOING FOR?
IS THERE A CERTAIN POINT YOU WILL STOP?
IS RETIREMENT IN ANY WAY AN OPTION FOR YOU. GOD WILL TELL YOU
WHEN TO RETIRE.
HE'LL SAY, "GET OUT OF THE GAME.
HANG UPON YOUR SCWOK, YOU'RE DONE."
BUT UNTIL THEN-- I MEAN, THIS IS THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD
BECAUSE NOBODY CAN MAKE YOU RETIRE, LIKE AT A MANDATORY AGE.
YOU CAN JUST CONTINUE UNTIL YOU START TO DRIVEL, AND THEN AT
THAT POINT TMIGHT BE A GOOD TIME FOR SOMEBODY TO SAY, "YOU KNOW
WHAT, STEVE?
YOU OUGHT TO STOP."
BUT I THINK THAT FOR NOW, I'M ENJOYING WHAT I'M DOING.
AND I GET TO BE ON "THE COLBERT SHOW," WHICH IS NOT A BAD DEAL.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THERE ARE A LOT OF
ADAPTATIONS -- A LOT OF ADAPTATIONS.
YOU'VE GOT, OF COURSE, "IT CHAPTER TWO."
"DR. SLEEP" IS COMING OUT IN NOVEMBER.
WHICH IS THE SEQUEL TO THE SHINING.
"THE STAND" ON CBS ALL ACCESS.
>> "THE OUTSIDER" ON HBO IN JANUARY.
>> Stephen: AND YOU'RE WORKING ON SOMETHING WITH J.J. ABRAMS,
TOO.
>> WAIT!
I'M NOT DONE!
"MR. MERCEDES" STARTS TONIGHT ON DIRECTV.
>> Stephen: WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH J.J.?
>> WE'RE GOING TO DO AN ADAP TAIFGZ A BOOK I WROTE CALLED
LEASEY'S STORY.
JULIE ANN MOORE IS GOING TO BE IN IT.
>> Stephen: IS J.J. DOING THE ADAPTATION OR ARE YOU?
>> I'M DOING THE ADAPTATION, BUT J.J. SIGNS THE CHECKS, WHICH IS
COOL.
>> Stephen: HE'S A GOOD MAN.
>> YOU KNOW HIM?
>> Stephen: I DO.
>> I TOOK A WALK WITH HIM, LIKE, 10 BLOCKS, DIDN'T YOU, AT ONE
TIME?
>> Stephen: WE TOOK THE WHOLE AUDIENCE DOWN TO A BROADWAY SHOW
HE PRODUCED.
>> DID THE AUDIENCE GET IN FREE?
>> Stephen: NOT THESE PEOPLE.
STEPHEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: "THE INSTITUTE" IS AVAILABLE NOW.
STEPHEN KING, EVERYBODY!