What Was Your First Memory of SK?

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Andy4

Member
Dec 8, 2017
15
101
61
Manchester, England.
The first SK book I ever read was ‘Christine’ when I was in my early twenties. However, my first SK memory was much earlier than that,

Due to the Catholic/C of E divisional nonsense that used to pervade our society, I (We) used to have to commute 20 miles to the nearest Catholic Grammar School.

This journey took us past our local cinema - that was kind of Art Deco but not as stylish - think shabby-chic on a low budget.

I never have been a great cinema go-er, but I did watch a few films there. Including; Rollerball (fab - way ahead of it’s time), Tommy (crappy, but sort of okay), and Quadrophenia (I used to have a crush on Leslie Ash - until she got her trout-pout done!?!)

I was about 13 when I noticed the ‘Carrie’ promotional picture go up outside the cinema. And, thereafter, we must’ve passed it 20-30 times until the film finished showing.

There was something that attracted me to that poster - in fact I would say it is one of the most iconic movie posters of all time.

I know I/we are biased, but that poster encapsulated everything about the movie, in a way that very few movie posters do.

However, I never saw the film at that cinema (Rawtenstall, Rossendale - the theatre has long been defunct, but the building is still there, brooding & unoccupied, in the middle of the town centre) or any other for that matter.

Back then, before I had discovered SK, I was into a guy called James Herbert. He’s not as good as SK, but he is readable - 54 million books sold worldwide! (according to Wikipedia)

His best novels, if you are interested, are;

1. Magic Cottage
2. Rats (non of the 3 Sequels)
3. Fluke
4. Shrine
5. Survivor
6. The Spear

Sadly, James died in 2013.

Prior to JH, I read most of the James Bond Books - I loved them, but what 12-year-old boy wouldn’t.

What I can’t fathom is: how come it took me so long from seeing that poster to actually discover any of SK’s work?

I’m just grateful that I found it eventually. It’s the one thing I can absolutely guarantee will take my mind off all the pressures associated with being a fully-fledged member of the rat race.

Thank you SK, and all the members of the SK team.

Regards,
Andy.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
Seeing Carrie on the side table at my aunt and uncle's house. He was (and is) a huge fan of Mr. King's stories. It took a couple of years before I started my own King reading (Night Shift), but that Carrie cover stuck in my head.
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
The first SK book I ever read was ‘Christine’ when I was in my early twenties. However, my first SK memory was much earlier than that,
My first memory of Stephen King would be when my parents watched Maximum Overdrive in 1986 and told me how wild it was. My first King book was a paperback of Misery. I'm sure I saw plenty of King iconography way before 1987 but that movie was a pivotal moment for me.
 

thekidd12

Baseball is a good thing.Always was,always will be
Apr 8, 2016
1,791
11,136
60
NC
....my dad handing me this book.....
View attachment 25470
Paperback version of this book in summer of 1980.

First time really away from home. Spent six weeks at Governor's School with about 100 other high schoolers (half of them were female). My "newish" girlfriend gave it to me to keep me busy at night.

Scared the beejeezus out of me.

Worked I guess.

Ended up marrying her.
 

thekidd12

Baseball is a good thing.Always was,always will be
Apr 8, 2016
1,791
11,136
60
NC
back-to-the-future-quotes-doc.jpg
 

mjs9153

Peripherally known member..
Nov 21, 2014
3,494
22,165
You are just a child! Haha..
I think I was aware of the book Carrie kind of peripherally in the mid-seventies, and then Salem's Lot came out, and being an early teenager,a vampire book sounded super cool .. loved it and then the The Stand, and I was hooked well and good, for the rest of my life.. never read Carrie until sometime after The Stand, it was never one of my favorites..
 

Maddie

Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
Jul 10, 2006
4,945
9,346
that dollhouse at the end of the street
My most exact first association with a work of Stephen was in elementary school and my older cousin was telling us younger cousins how she saw a trailer of a super scary movie called Carrie and that a girl in this movie was having her
"that"
and all the other girls were throwing
"those"
at her in the bathroom at school and we were all like :icon_eek: .
 

Brittney

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2018
88
410
34
I used to go to the library as a kid to pass the summers along and also with our book store borders. I was about 12-13 and had been looking for something spooky. I went into the horror section and came across Carrie. I started reading and couple hours later I had finished my first book by Stephen King. I was hooked an had fallen in love with Carrie and the author. I quickly learned my dad did not approve of these books so I milked my time at the library an would read as much as I could or sneak home what I couldn't finish lol. I am now 29 in a month an I still am even more in love than I was when I picked up that first book.
 

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
46,336
195,472
79
Just north of Duma Key
I used to go to the library as a kid to pass the summers along and also with our book store borders. I was about 12-13 and had been looking for something spooky. I went into the horror section and came across Carrie. I started reading and couple hours later I had finished my first book by Stephen King. I was hooked an had fallen in love with Carrie and the author. I quickly learned my dad did not approve of these books so I milked my time at the library an would read as much as I could or sneak home what I couldn't finish lol. I am now 29 in a month an I still am even more in love than I was when I picked up that first book.
Hi and welcome
2906ed00b72b33488c21f9e87e458bc2--welcome-to-our-group-warm.jpg
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I used to go to the library as a kid to pass the summers along and also with our book store borders. I was about 12-13 and had been looking for something spooky. I went into the horror section and came across Carrie. I started reading and couple hours later I had finished my first book by Stephen King. I was hooked an had fallen in love with Carrie and the author. I quickly learned my dad did not approve of these books so I milked my time at the library an would read as much as I could or sneak home what I couldn't finish lol. I am now 29 in a month an I still am even more in love than I was when I picked up that first book.

Well, that is weird - I am having a problem posting an image at the moment.


Hey Moderator - is anyone else having problems?

Welcome to SKMB Brittney - nice toes!