DERRY PUBLIC RADIO: A STEPHEN KING PODCAST
THEME: Stephen King Catalogue
FORMAT: Conversational
FREQUENCY: Biweekly
Many of us don’t have enough reading time to keep up with a regular book club, or simply lack a friend group that would go all-in exclusively on horror novels. Luckily there is Derry Public Radio: A Stephen King Podcast to help fill that niche. Operating as a virtual book club, the biweekly podcast has been working through the King library since 2018 and shows no signs of slowing down.
Hosted by SK mega-fans Joshua Kahn, Eve Godot, and C.M. Alexander, each episode begins under the guise of a radio broadcast from the fictional town of Derry before leading into a real-world discussion of a novel or short story. This includes the author’s mainstays, such as Pet Semetary, Carrie and Doctor Sleep, but also a variety of lesser-known pieces. A testament to King’s tremendous body of work, Derry Public Radio has amassed over 175 episodes so far.
Going chapter by chapter, the trio discusses characters, events, and themes while giving personal takes on the story. Judging by the impressive amount of detail they relate, it’s clear that the hosts are minutely acquainted with the material. Their vivid descriptions of the people and places that populate King’s work almost makes it seem like they’re discussing scenes from a movie; the rich imagery allows listeners to follow along even if they’ve not read the piece in question.
To keep things fresh, some episodes contain interviews with like-minded creatives, including the founders of KingCon, the production team behind Shining in Misery: A King-Sized Parody musical, and Anthony W. Northrup, author of Stephen King – Dollar Baby: The Book. There are also a wealth of special episodes, like the annual “Merry Derry” Christmas episodes, where the hosts field questions from listeners and play hilarious and disturbing games like “Marry, Fuck, Kill” with a variety of prominent King characters. Getting into the spirit of the season, they also participate in March Madness and pit story elements such as “iconic apocalyptic events” and “deadliest woman” against each other.
As comedians, Kahn and Godot stir up a lot of chaos and laughs, which are tempered by a sense of serenity from Alexander, who balances out the goings-on. While all three hosts speak lovingly about the topics at hand, they’re not above poking fun at certain King-isms where needed, which keeps the tone fun and engaging. Derry Public Radio is certainly best enjoyed by those who are already fans of the author, but it will also assist those who want to break into King’s vast universe but don’t know where to start. ■