“No bounce, no play…”
Few Stephen King novels have as lousy a reputation as Dreamcatcher. It was the first fiction novel he released following his near-fatal 1999 accident, and the author famously wrote it while blown out of his mind on painkillers. And, yeah, it’s a weird book. There’s telepathic aliens, viral mold, psychotic government operatives, and “shit weasels” that eat their way out of people’s buttholes. Oh, and Duddits. Can’t forget about Duddits.
Join Losers Randall Colburn, Mel Kassel, Jenn Adams, and Ana Marie Cox as they probe and dissect a book that astounds as much as it baffles. Is it as bad as its reputation suggests? Yes and no. Dreamcatcher’s relentless musings on death and pain hit that much harder when viewed through the lens of King’s own recovery. And as the author made clear in a number of interviews, there’s a good reason the story places such an emphasis on the bathroom and our bowels. “You see something in the [toilet] bowl that’s not supposed to be there—that’s scary,” he told CBS at the time.
All of this is to say nothing of Lawrence Kasdan’s reviled 2003 film adaptation, which the Losers will be unpacking come April. Until then, stream the book episode below and stay tuned next week when the Losers offer up an unusual episode for April Fool’s Day. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
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