It happens to the best of us. . . we buy something because it promises to have a "tribute" or essay or something by Stephen King -- only to discover HAHA!, you've been Stephen King'd. His named gets slapped on all kinds of things that at times offer nothing more than a passing mention of him.
For me, it was the July/August 2012 edition of Readers Digest, "best of America" issue. The cover reads, "including tributes by Stephen King, Dave Berry. . ." A tribute by Stephen King? Wow! I was interested.
Finding the "tribute" was real work. I realized it wasn't going to be a muti-pager, so I began searching page by page. Maybe a half page? Nope. But at least a box, right? . . . Nope. Remember in the olden days when Readers Digest printed their contents on the cover, and with each headline was a page number?
WAIT! I found it! Here is the Stephen King tribute:
Stephen King on MAINEIt was a beautiful summer's day, flawless, the kind that the tourists came to the Mine seacoast for. You don't come to swim because the water is never really warm enough for that; you come to be knocked out by the day." (From The Stand)1. That wasn't a tribute, that was a quote from a book.
2. That quote got cover billing on the front of Readers Digest. Never mind the "13 things your TV weatherman won't tell you" was two full pages -- it didn't make the cover. Stephen King did!
Question: Have you ever bought something a celebrity's name was on it -- only get realize the product really had nothing to do with that person?
Not as such, but I bought a magazine -- this was one that came out sometime in 2011, I think, although it might have been 2010 -- because it contained a new interview with King. It was one of the most pointless, inept interviews I have ever read; the interviewer asked questions that King has answered probably about 7569 times.
ReplyDeleteAt least the magazine didn't lie about the contents, though; it was a lousy interview, but it WAS an interview. This Reader's Digest thing is simply a flat-out lie. Shame on them!
Man I hate Reader's Digest. The jokes aren't jokes or funny stories.
ReplyDeleteA man and a wife are outside, a duck walks by. The man looks at the woman and says 'It's sure hot outside!'
Stuff like that.
Sorry you got duped.
-mike