‘No biggie, man’: Stephen King leaves his followers bemused after an evening of random online activity

Renowned author Stephen King left one of his fans baffled when he expressed his admiration for a poem recited by Steven Van Zandt.

A glaring generation gap emerged when a fan was baffled by one of the King of Horror’s posts on Twitter. However, King was unfazed and chose not to explain the subject to his followers. Instead, he offered a laid-back response.

The fan’s reaction stemmed from a previous post by King that might seem incomprehensible to uninformed millennials and members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. King was referencing Howl, a renowned poem by beat poet Allan Ginsberg. The verse is a countercultural declaration of independence from capitalism and social compliance and was shared by Van Zandt, also known as Little Steven, on his radio show.

The Underground Garage is a rock ‘n’ roll music program broadcast on Sirius XM Radio channel 21. The station is founded and run by Van Zandt, the legendary guitarist of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band fame. For eight seasons, Van Zandt also played mafioso Silvio Dante in the HBO classic TV series The Sopranos. 

Since 2002, Van Zandt has hosted a weekly two-hour broadcast called Little Steven’s Underground Garage that boasts 1 million listeners. In 2007, the multihyphenate has been making daily appearances on weekdays.

Readers of King’s books are well-acquainted with his unwavering affection for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Horror classics like The Stand and Christine contain selections of lyrics from their songs “Jungleland,” “Ramrod,” and “Wreck on the Highway.” 

King has never lost his affection for the music that informed his substantial cultural contributions. His books are profound meditations on good and evil wrapped up in spinetingling horror stories. However, at their core, they promote the idea that goodwill and kindness can conquer the shadows of life.