Kingsize

" I soak myself in the only terrors that can match my own, and I, often reluctantly, leave the rest to whatever shadowed future waits for us ahead".

Matt talks to the very special author and mother Elizabeth Austin about her essay "Finding Comfort In The Horror Of Stephen King's Maine" . We explore the catharsis of horror, the darkness of the monster that is cancer and the light that still shines.

TRIGGER WARNINGS - we do talk about child cancer, depression, suicide idealisation.

The Stephen King essay can be found here: https://reactormag.com/finding-comfort-in-the-horror-of-stephen-kings-maine/ The Substack chronicling our years after cancer: https://writingelizabeth.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writingelizabeth/ The wish list for the Child Life Services department at St. Christopher's Hospital in Philly, where we received treatment: https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/21PW0WWV6RNLU/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1] Link to the Children's Oncology Group site: https://www.childrensoncologygroup.org/ Link to Alex's Lemonade Stand: https://www.alexslemonade.org/

Matt and King expert Jamie Stewart keep the thrills coming your way as they join Bill Hodges in The Mr Mercedes Trilogy . King as crime writer - let's get forensic. And then back to full dark no stars with the horror of Revival, and some Bad Dreams...

The man needs no introduction from me, but I'll do it anyway. Long time friend and collaborator of Stephen King, Bev is the author of The Road To The Dark Tower and the upcoming Stephen King A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. We get stories and exclusive scoops fit for the King.

You like it darker. We go off the beaten path and end up in a place which hits hard. Light relief thanks to our celebration of King's retweet ! And a celebration of lefties.

We are so lucky to have Stephen King's favourite mid grade horror author Ally Malinenko on the island as our Survivor Type. We talk Losers, Censorship, Cancer and Why Story Matters. Unmissable.

If you go down to the woods today... The teddy Bears' picnic but it's Zombie Bears! Join Matt and Si as they stray off the path and pick away at the surface of domesticity and sense the monsters lurking within King's classic novel. We cover the first part of the novel.

Following on from the Amused Bouche of last week's interview, now we sink our teeth into the main event - Richard is our Survivor Type. What 3 Kings will he worship ? Which King will be thrown on the flames? Will The Beam be upheld or left to ruin away ? What character will Richard set traps for ... and which King protagonist will share the sands with him ? All this and more.....

Matt kicks off 2024 with author & King expert Jamie Stewart as they bring back the much loved "King Through The Ages" series. King is 63 in 2010 and shows no sign of slowing down - in fact he's speeding up. In this bonanza episode we talk Full Dark No Stars, 11/22/63, The Wind Through The Keyhole, Joyland and Dr Sleep. The man is clearing the shelves and fleshing out fan faves and ideas that have been percolating for 20 years plus.... it's a trip.

On 22 Jan we have a new Survivor Type - the fascinating Richard Sheppard, host of The Constant Reader Podcast . Simon and Matt had such an in depth chat with Richard, that we decided to release a tasty morsel of our interview in advance of the main course next week. He's in the lifeboat with us , sharing his insights before we throw him overboard. Come grab a bite....

Cometh the hour, cometh the Ice Man. We reach the endgame . The man on the mission marches us to this glorious book's final suckerpunch conclusion. Take our hand, let's roll.

Let us take care of you all in that strange nomadic place that is Betwixtmas where we are all dazed and confused. Let's talk the power of the laughing tiger - watch out for the claws on this one.

Some Christmas love and thanks to you all from The Kingsize Boys. x

What could a nicer way to spread festive joy than by spending an hour with The Castle Rock Strangler ? You're welcome. Hold our hands as we go in search of the Slick Killer - this one casts a long shadow in the King multiverse.

Survivor Type is back with even sharper teeth this time around. More questions, more King insights ! What three Kings are you saving from the waves? What King are you throwing in the flames to keep you warm? Which King character are you setting traps for and which one are you breaking bread with ? All this and more ... with our special castaway , the one and only Dave Musson! Author of The Stephen King Quiz Book and host of Dave Reads King on Youtube... get ready to rock n roll.... x

A very small shift in direction can lead to a very meaningful change in destination. Johnny continues to be in the lion's den, and Stillson is a stirring. This episode will suck you in like quicksand.

Boyfriend in a coma I know I know, it's serious. The world rolls on whilst Johnny's stays still. Until one day he awakens... We follow the fallout & the Resrrection in this episode.

We continue our walk through the cracked landscape of The Dead Zone .

We look at the twin evils of Frank Dodd and Greg Stillson.. mediocrity to hell !

Blessings or curses , lightness and dark - hold our hand and let's trip. x

Let your hosts Simon & Matt take you back to the winter wonderlands of The Dead Zone film. King & Cronenberg - a good marriage. Altogether now, " The ice is gonna break " !

We kiss goodbye to 22/11/63 with a look through the lens at the mini series adaptation starring James Franco. We talk credits , poundcake and philosophy. Meet you by the Depository. x

Join Matt and Si as they host a (haunted) house party with the finest Stephen King VIPS to celebrate 11/22/63. We throw back the wines and get stuck into the nibbles with Derry Public Radio, The Constant Reader Podcast, The Year Of Underrated Stephen King, Chat Sematary, Tower Junkies, Dave Musson, Jamie Stewart and Discover Derry Maine. It's a party with a guest list to die for ! Everyone shares their standout moments from the novel, where it ranks for them and what mark it leaves upon them. Deep dives into the heartache and the heart joy of this masterpiece... So put on your dancing shoes and come join us under the lights..

Lee Harvey has the Day That Changed The World in his sights. Jake & Sadie are fighting against the machines with teeth. The world is going to nuclear hell in a handcart . And Si and Matt are discussing the meaning of the word "boffo". Come dance with us.

It's finally here. The book that is a fan favourite & often an introduction to new Constant Readers to our Greatest Living Author. Join Matt and Si as they step back in time for the first 200 pages of the novel . We just look at Pts 1 & 2 in this episode, so it's spoiler free for anyone doing the readalong. We talk root beer, The Past, the power of a good cry.. oh, and a certain Clown makes an appearance yet again.

Join Matt for an in depth interview with the thriller writer Jessica Huntley. Her psychological page turners leave you wanting to read just one more chapter!

We chat about her upcoming thriller "Jinx" , and address what it means to be a writer who explores the darkness. We chat King ( of course ! ) ; mental health, self publishing, recovering from trauma , police procedural, multiple twists ( but no spoilers ) ; the enemies to friends narrative arc and much much more...

This was an absolute joy to record . Join Matt as he casts away the wonderful Alex - independent bookshop owner, and man responsible for shipping all King lovers globally their beloved new Hodder paperbacks. We talk King . Where to stock his books on your shelves. We talk about the whether the book will survive . We talk about censorship and re editing. We talk about what makes a book great , and not so great. We talk AI. If you love portable magic , we have the spells for you right here. A blockbuster bestseller of an episode.

We approach the business end of the decade and there are some absolute belters here . Matt and Jamie get their Zombie On with "Cell", discuss the nature of grief with king's personal fave " Lisey's Story". From one King fave , to the fave of a King, Jamie talks about why "Duma Key" is his standout novel. And via some short stories and discovered Bachman beauties , we end up with Big Ol Jim Rennie in Springfield, sorry, Chester's Mill in "Under The Dome".  The boys argue the case for this decade rivalling the heavy hitters of the 70s. 

Join Matt and Jamie as they walk along the beam of The Tower - Wolves of The Calla, Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower . This episode is full of meaty spoilers , so if you haven't reached the clearing at the end of the path yet then we have another episode released simultaneously with no spoilers at all. This is  a feisty episode that we expect and hope will divide opinion. Also featured are "From A Buick 8" and the physical scars King is weaving into his stories, and the 14 dark tales of "Everything's Eventual" . Walk with us if you dare. x

Join Matt and Jamie as they walk along the beam of The Tower - Wolves of The Calla, Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower . This episode has had all spoilers filetted out so you are safe to listen to if you haven't finished your quest to The Dark Tower. We don't want to spoil anything for you , but this gives you a flavour of this time in King's career.  Also featured are "From A Buick 8" and the physical scars King is weaving into his stories, and the 14 dark tales of "Everything's Eventual" . Walk with us if you dare. x

It's the new millenium . King is still with us , despite staring his own mortality in the face after an accident in 99. But it's a very different author we see at the start of the century , and Dreamcatcher - or Cancer as it was originally called , and Black House are testament to this . And King opens up to the world in  "On Writing".  Join Matt and Jamie as they enter the new dawn of the King. 

Matt and Simon nervously stick their thumbs out on the dark highway and hitch a ride into one of King's classic campfire stories . They discover risk, regret and deals with the devil along the way. They look at what became the world's first mass published e book , and put it in the ring with the "portable magic" of the paperback. Fancy a ride ? 

Ever wondered why Tony Soprano’s therapist stuck with him? Why Fleabag is obsessed with sex or why Walter White is always in his underpants? This week Matt meets psychotherapist Sasha Bates, the co host of new podcast "Shrink The Box', where  fictional characters such as Shiv from Succession, Omar from the Wire and Ross from Friends are put on the couch to analyse why their behaviour causes them so much drama.

We talk therapy, mental health, box sets and much more ! 

"BANG! What’s that? Bang-Bang! Oh, Hark, The guns are shooting in the dark! Little guns and big ones too, Bang-bang-bang! What shall I do?" - Enid Blyton

Come shine bright like a firework with Matt and Si as they ignore advice to keep a safe distance back, but go right into oen of King's classic short stories from " The Bazaar Of Bad Dreams" 

Take the lift up to the "13th" floor and join Matt and Simon as they enter Room 1408 in The Dolphin Hotel. Will you last longer than an hour ? Bloody hope so as the episode is nearly 90 mins ! Let's join hands , take a breath and look at the short story , the film adaptation and the broken heart of both. Warning - HippyDippyShit at one point. 

Simon & Matt shake off the January blues with a full throttle road trip into one of King's short stories from " Everything's Eventual". They also look at the TV adaptation and discuss if objects in the rearview really do appear closer than they are.  watch out for the canine landmines...

For this special  episode to kick start 2023, Simon and Matt are joined by the wonderful Kim C from The Underrated Stephen King podcast. Kim brings class and insight , the boys bring questionable impressions and even a sing along.  The three dissect King's novel , discuss the prose and the relationships , and also become casting directors as they talk Billy adaptations. There's even a Sean Penn in a lift anecdote. Happy New Year x

Join us for a special ep of Survivor Type where the new castaway is none other than Chris Jiggins of "discoverderrymaine". Chris is from Port Hope, Canada and shares some incredible stories about the cast he met when It chapters 1 and 2 were filmed there . Stories may include meetings with a certain  owner of Secondhand Rose ; what is was like to be involved with the filming ; some great stories on the locations ... and of course Chris' choices of King goodies to keep him sane on the sands. 

Join Matt and Jack as they venture into a dark and brooding world of twists and turns where things are rarely as they seem, and terror reigns supreme....

Jack talks us through the tales of psychological horror that make up "Dark Lines" and we also have a world exclusive in a sneak peek and author read of the upcoming "Warning Signs".  Warning :- James Corden Abuse within the episode. 

We round off the 90s with a horror high - from fan favourite Desparation to it's troublesome twin The Regulators;  from the so called Last Castle Rock story "Needful Things" to the study of grief and crisis in the highly personal "Bag Of Bones"... Join us as we complete  this decade and century and head towards an event like no other....

The final chapter in our trip down 80s memory lane sees us shacking up with Annie Wilkes , scratching our beards at the loony tunes of The Tommyknockers and wanting to hug an author when we meet that not very nice guy George Stark. Matt also gets a deep insight into the traditions and approaches of being a writer thanks to co hosting with the acclaimed horror author Jamie Stewart ! And ratings - the boys get ready to go all I'm A Celebrity and hand out the stars to the 80s cast of novels.

So that plan to do the 80s in one episode proved to be as ambitious as trying to remember the cast list of "Under The Dome" without a cheat sheet. Just full of meaty goodness - King is having a wild ride in the 80s and we would love you to join us as we get lost in the blizzards of that decade. We talk Thinner, Talisman, It , Skeleton Crew and The Drawing Of The Three..

We leave the 70s behind for a trip through the trip that is the 80s. Experimental and fearless . Some stimulants may have been involved ( Sai King , not us ) . 

Join Matt and Jamie as they start to excavate the 80s through the lens of Stephen King and his masterpieces . 

This special episode hurls the other half of Kingsize - Matt Robinson - onto the sand as the Survivor Type. Check out his choice of fave King books, album, film , non King book , luxury item and which King tome he throws in the flames. First though, he has to deal with a previous castaway who is claiming squatter's rights. 

Join Matt and special guest host Jamie Stewart as they pull a Jake Epping and time travel back to the 70s. They discuss the decade that bought King to the world with the fiery "Carrie " right though to "The Dead Zone". They look at the themes King weaved into his stories; the books with bite ( "Salem's Lot" please rise up ) to the tricky times of "Rage". Unmissable for any King fan. 

Join us in this electric interview with Steven Weber - the man behind the voice of the audiobook of "IT". Steven takes us deep into Derry as we learn about how he bought Pennywise and The Losers to life in such a memorable way . We talk to the man who played Jack Torrance in "Stephen King's The Shining" about the leap from the page to the screen . And social media , microwaves , politicians and Pot Noodles all take a star turn in The Big Interview. 

The final fling with the silver screen is here . We carry on into the heart of Derry , look at the hits and misses , and get caught up in the Eddies and streams.

Oh yeah , and we announce our Very Special Guest for our IT finale episode ! You will float ....