FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST IS A
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR WHO HAS BEEN SCARING YOU FOR OVER 40 YEARS. HIS LATEST NOVEL IS "THE
INSTITUTE." PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE
SHOW," STEPHEN KING! <i> ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i>
♪ ♪ ♪ <i> ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i>
♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: THERE YOU GO. <i> ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i>
NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. >> YEAH, WELL, IT'S NICE TO BE
HERE. THANK YOU. >> Stephen: THANK YOU, THANK
YOU FOR WEARING WHAT COUNTS AS FORMAL ATTIRE IN MAINE. <i> ( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> HEY, THIS IS MY "MAN OF THE
PEOPLE" OUTFIT. >> Stephen: OH, OF COURSE, OF
COURSE. AND YOU'RE SUCH A WRITER, YOU
HAVE A PEN IN YOUR POCKET READY TO GO AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE. <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
I EXPECT YOU TO-- >> THANK YOU, SHERLOCK HOLMES. >> Stephen: THERE YOU GO! NOW, THIS WEEK WE HAD ON BILL
SKARSGARD, AND JAMES McAVOY, STARS OF "IT CHAPTER TWO," WHICH
YOU WROTE IN 1986. BUT I LEARNED THAT YOU-- JUST
LEARNED, ACTUALLY, YOU ACTUALLY ALSO APPEAR IN THE FILM. THERE YOU ARE RIGHT THERE. <i> ( LAUGHTER )</i>
>> YUP. >> Stephen: WHO ARE YOU
PLAYING IN THIS FILM? >> I'M PLAYING A CROTCHETED OLD
ANTIQUE STORY DEALER WHO BASICALLY SCREWS THE MAIN
CHARACTER OUT OF HIS CHILDHOOD BIKE AND CHARGES HIM $300. WHICH IS A REALLY YANKEE THING
TO DO. <i> ( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> Stephen: WELL, "THE
INSTITUTE," YOUR NEW BOOK IS YOUR 61st NOVEL. >> YEAH. >> Stephen: THIS IS--<i>
( APPLAUSE )</i> THIS ONE IS ABOUT CERTAIN
CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY FROM PARENTS AND LOCKED UP. >> RIGHT. NOTHING LIKE THAT WOULD EVER
HAPPEN. >> Stephen: NO. >> IN AMERICA. >> Stephen: NOT IN THESE
UNITED STATES. >> NO, NO, NO. >> Stephen: DID THE WORLD
INFLUENCE YOU? DID OUR PRESENT POLITICAL
SITUATION INFLUENCE YOU IN WRITING THIS BOOK? >> WELL, BEFORE THE-- I STARTED
WRITING THAT, THAT WAS NOT ON THE FRONT BURNER, THE IDEA OF
RETURNING CHILDREN AT THE BORDER. BUT THE TIMES, EVER SINCE DONALD
TRUMP HAS BEEN ELECTED PRESIDENT, HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY
NERVOUS-MAKING FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND THAT WAS ON MY MIND, TOO. AND THE WHOLE THING ABOUT
EVERYBODY FROM MEXICO, IT SEEMED LIKE, IN MR. TRUMP'S MIND,
ANYWAY, WERE BAD HOMBRES, AND THAT SORT OF THING. YOU-- YOU DON'T WRITE-- I TRY TO
KEEP MY POLITICS AND MY STORIES SEPARATE. BUT THEY BLEED OVER ONE INTO THE
OTHER, BECAUSE I ALSO LIVE A LIFE, AND THESE HAVE BEEN KIND
OF DARK TIMES. >> Stephen: DO YOU STILL BLOCK
THE PRESIDENT ON TWITTER? >> YES. <i> ( LAUGHTER )
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i> BECAUSE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I
HAVE A FAIRLY HIGH TOLERANCE FOR CRAP, BUT THERE COMES A CERTAIN
POINT WHERE YOU'VE GOT IT JUST TURN IT OFF. >> Stephen: CUT IT OFF BEFORE
YOU NEED A SNORKEL. >> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. >> Stephen: BUT YOU DO ENGAGE
IN SOME POLITICS ON TWITTER. THIS IS ONE FROM JUST A FEW DAYS
AGO: <i> ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i>
NOT A FAN? NOT A FAN OF SENATOR COLLINS? YOU'RE A SENATOR FROM MAINE. >> WELL, LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY:
SUSAN COLLINS HAS BEEN THERE FOR ABOUT ONE HOW YEARS, AND IT'S
TIME FOR SOMEBODY A LITTLE NEWER AND SOMEBODY WHO HAS A LITTLE
BIT OF A-- A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A LIBERAL BENT. SHE CLAIMS TO HAVE A LIBERAL
BENT, BUT, REALLY, THAT'S NOT TRUE. <i> ( LAUGHTER ).</i> >> Stephen: YOU DEDICATE THIS
BOOK TO YOUR GRANDSONS. >> YUP. >> Stephen: DO THEY HELP YOU
WRITE THE VOICES OF CHILDREN TODAY? >> WELL, I THINK, LIKE MOST
GRANDPAS, I'M PRETTY MUCH IGNORED, UNLESS THEY WANT THE
KEYS TO THE CAR. THEY'RE OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE NOW. OR UNLESS THEY NEED A LITTLE
MONEY. BUT WHAT I CAN DO --
>> Stephen: GRANDPA JUST THREW THE GRANDSONS UNDER THE BUS
RIGHT NOW. ABSOLUTELY BACKED OVER. "YOU ROTTEN KIDS!"
YOU ROTTEN KIDS! >> NO, NO, THEY'RE GOOD KIDS. BUT THE THINGS, IS I'M ABLE TO
STRIP MINE THEIR LANGUAGE AND SOME OF THEIR ATTITUDE ON LIFE,
PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER. IT'S JUST LIKE YOU HAVE TO BE
KIND OF A FLY ON THE WALL AND TAKE IN THE LANGUAGE AND TAKE IN
THE SHOWS AND STUFF. BUT I LIKE TO WRITE ABOUT KIDS
BECAUSE THEY HAVE A UNIQUE VIEW. AND, ALSO, THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO
ARE PRETTY MUCH VULNERABLE TO THE ADULT WORLD. AND THAT'S WHAT I WROTE ABOUT A
LITTLE BIT IN "THE INSTITUTE." I WANTED TO SEE KIDS KIND OF GET
UP ON THEIR HIND LEGS AND FIGHT THE POWER. YOU UNDERSTAND? <i> ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )</i>
>> Stephen: THIS IS-- YOU'RE 72 THIS WEEK, RIGHT? YOU'RE TURNING 72 THIS WEEK? >> YEAH, I'M 72. >> Stephen: ASK THIS IS YOUR
61st BOOK. DO YOU HAVE A TARGET NUMBER OF
BOOKS YOU'RE GOING FOR? IS THERE A CERTAIN POINT YOU
WILL STOP? IS RETIREMENT IN ANY WAY AN
OPTION FOR YOU. GOD WILL TELL
YOU WHEN TO RETIRE. HE'LL SAY, "GET OUT OF THE GAME. HANG UPON YOUR SCWOK, YOU'RE
DONE." BUT UNTIL THEN-- I MEAN, THIS IS
THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD BECAUSE NOBODY CAN MAKE YOU
RETIRE, LIKE AT A MANDATORY AGE. YOU CAN JUST CONTINUE UNTIL YOU
START TO DRIVEL, AND THEN AT THAT POINT TMIGHT BE A GOOD TIME
FOR SOMEBODY TO SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT, STEVE? YOU OUGHT TO STOP." BUT I THINK THAT FOR NOW, I'M
ENJOYING WHAT I'M DOING. AND I GET TO BE ON "THE COLBERT
SHOW," WHICH IS NOT A BAD DEAL. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: THERE ARE A LOT OF ADAPTATIONS -- A LOT OF
ADAPTATIONS. YOU'VE GOT, OF COURSE, "IT
CHAPTER TWO." "DR. SLEEP" IS COMING OUT IN
NOVEMBER. WHICH IS THE SEQUEL TO THE
SHINING. "THE STAND" ON CBS ALL ACCESS. >> "THE OUTSIDER" ON HBO IN
JANUARY. >> Stephen: AND YOU'RE WORKING
ON SOMETHING WITH J.J. ABRAMS, TOO. >> WAIT! I'M NOT DONE! "MR. MERCEDES" STARTS TONIGHT
ON DIRECTV. >> Stephen: WHAT ARE YOU DOING
WITH J.J.? >> WE'RE GOING TO DO AN ADAP
TAIFGZ A BOOK I WROTE CALLED LEASEY'S STORY. JULIE ANN MOORE IS GOING TO BE
IN IT. >> Stephen: IS J.J. DOING THE
ADAPTATION OR ARE YOU? >> I'M DOING THE ADAPTATION, BUT
J.J. SIGNS THE CHECKS, WHICH IS COOL. >> Stephen: HE'S A GOOD MAN. >> YOU KNOW HIM? >> Stephen: I DO. >> I TOOK A WALK WITH HIM, LIKE,
10 BLOCKS, DIDN'T YOU, AT ONE TIME? >> Stephen: WE TOOK THE WHOLE
AUDIENCE DOWN TO A BROADWAY SHOW HE PRODUCED. >> DID THE AUDIENCE GET IN FREE? >> Stephen: NOT THESE PEOPLE. STEPHEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE. >> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: "THE INSTITUTE" IS
AVAILABLE NOW. STEPHEN KING, EVERYBODY!
