Stephen King — despite in some aspects being consistently predictable — still leaves a few surprises out for his fans to discover and enamor themselves with. His latest jaw-dropping revelation paints his music taste as being nowhere near what you would’ve probably expected from the crowned King of Horror.
King has had a busy few days on Twitter of late, going in-depth on many topics from politics to his latest movie and TV opinions. Stepping aside from dunking on the Republican party for a small while, he tweeted out his appreciation for none other than Waylon Jennings.
Jennings was one of the biggest names in outlaw country music, and played an unfortunate part in music history with deep connections to “The Day the Music Died.” Jennings had given up his seat on the infamous flight which crashed and resulted in the deaths of The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly.
Jennings’ music was groundbreaking in its day, especially as a trendsetter for outlaw country. The concept of doing country music outside the undisputed capitol of Nashville was contentious, but Jennings changed the game entirely.
King being a fan of outlaw country certainly is a slight surprise, given country music and horror writing seem to be at polar opposites ends of the tone and art. However, King himself is no stranger to music, playing in his own band called the Rock Bottom Remainders. He has also been included in several collaborations with big-name artists and groups such as the Foo Fighters and Blue Oyster Cult.
The author also penned a musical himself in the form of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, which was made alongside John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett. Maybe it’s time a King musical got the big screen treatment, although preferably not a country music one.
