The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast

We (mostly) kept JFK conspiracy talk out of our 11/22/63 episodes, as the story is best enjoyed on King's terms. We did, however, think it would be enriching to chat with some smart people about King's assertion that "it is very, very difficult for a reasonable person to believe" that Lee Harvey Oswald wasn't the lone shooter.Previously, we spoke with Brendan James of Blowback about the book, Oswald, and King’s political evolution. You can find that episode just a bit further down the feed. Now, we're speaking with Jim DiEugenio, one of the leading experts on the political assassinations of the 1960s. Jim is the author of two books about the Kennedy Assassination, one of which was the basis for Oliver Stone’s documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass. He also has a new book out, The JFK Assassination Chokeholds and a website, KennedysandKing.com, that's loaded with resources.  Since Jim knows Kennedy scholarship like the back of his hand, we chatted with him about the research materials King cites in the afterword to 11/22/63, the ones that make him “98 to 99 percent” sure that Oswald acted alone. Jim also wanted to discuss an interview King did with filmmaker Errol Morris for The New York Times in November 2011, so it may be worth it to hit pause and give that interview a read before listening. The episode also contains spoilers for 11/22/63, in case that’s a concern.We hope you enjoy.Stay tuned for "Pt. 6: The Green Card Man" -- dropping this Friday.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63. In the fifth of six episodes, the Losers spend their time healing at the Parkland Memorial Hospital, all before the big, titular day.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63. In the fourth of six episodes, the Losers go on a stakeout and get stuck between stations, specifically Dallas and Jodie, Texas. Yes, our man Jake Epping experiences what we call the sweet and sour of life as he gets lovingly closer to Sadie Dunhill and yet dangerously closer to Lee Harvey Oswald. To keep things together, the Losers discuss the way King weaves fiction around facts before finally slicing into some freshly baked poundcake.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63. In the third of six episodes, the Losers head back to Derry, Maine, all before road trippin' down south to Sunset Point, FL, Dallas, TX, and Jodie, TX. Things take a dark turn along the way, proving - as King writes - it wasn't all Andy-n-Opie back in 1958.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63. In the second of six episodes, the Losers head to Derry, Maine, where they reunite with familiar faces and meet a new villain in King's Dominion: Frank Dunning. Along the way, they also discuss the evolution of Jake Epping -- err, George Amberson -- and how this section of the book affords Constant Readers the perfect opportunity to stakeout our main character ... during a stakeout of his own.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Look, we would've been perfectly happy enjoying 11/22/63 without getting into the weeds of the JFK conspiracy, but Stephen King himself took pains to detail how his research for the book convinced him that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. "It is very, very difficult for a reasonable person to believe otherwise," he writes in the book's afterword. Since that's no fun, we sought out some smart people to provide a counterpoint and share their own thoughts about the book's depictions of Oswald, Kennedy, and the assassination.In this episode, The Losers' Club speaks with Blowback co-host (and recent King convert) Brendan James about 11/22/63's Oswald, conspiracy in the 21st century, and King's political evolution over the years -- from the paranoia of The Stand to the regret of Hearts in Atlantis to the ghastly spirit of Donald Trump pervading his latest novels (and Twitter account). Finally, Brendan leaves us with some conspiracy fiction recommendations.Stay tuned for "Pt. 2: The Janitor's Father" -- dropping this Friday.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers finally reach Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63. In the first of six episodes dedicated to the 2011 best-seller and Constant Reader favorite, they wrestle with the novel's origins, its themes, and its commitment to history. Along the way, they also try to pinpoint what this story might have looked like when King originally dreamt it up way, way back in the early '70s.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers scan the nearby skyscrapers and gaze at the monstrosities watching from above. The stone monsters. The gargoyles! Join Losers Dan Pfleegor and Dan Caffrey as they flip through Stephen King and f-stop Fitzgerald's coffee table book Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques. Together, they discuss the impetus behind the project, King's essay, and the countless photos within. To stay on theme, they also revisit Stan Winston's 1972 telefilm Gargoyles. Note: This episode was recorded in 2021 and is being unlocked for the book's 35th anniversary.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here's a clip from Randall and Mel's Month of Halloween Hell 3, the Losers’ Club's Patreon-exclusive annual series in which Randall and Mel watch a horror movie every day in October and talk about it, returns for its third year, this time with fellow Losers Dan Caffrey and Justin Gerber along for the ride. It's a marathon four-hour episode.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 even more episodes of The Stephen King Archives, our Dark Tower Detour series, 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 Talkin' Hawkins and CrichtonCast. Not to mention, dozens upon dozens of locked episodes and one-offs, including a 24-7 Discord community featuring Constant Listeners just like you!Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The heat is on across King's Dominion. To cool off, The Losers' Club put on their shades, rev up their ol' Plymouth Fury, and feel the breeze in Hollywood King. Along the way, they sort through plenty of Needful Tweets. Topics include Stephen King's new short stories collection You Like It Darker, the forthcoming short story collection tied The Stand from fellow authors, and a whole lotta talk about the adaptations we've been waiting for like 'Salem's Lot, The Life of Chuck, The Monkey, and more.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.