A little over a decade ago, Stephen King found himself at a major crossroads in his career. While he had spent his career being best known for his work in the horror genre, he was ready to experiment with something new – namely publishing a crime novel called Mr. Mercedes – and he wasn't wholly sure that his audience would either follow him to the destination or appreciate the move. It was a true artist dilemma, and it's a moment in his life that he recently experienced being reflected back to him when he had the chance to see the new 2025 movie Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere.
King is a big Springsteen fan (he has frequently talked about the singer/songwriter's influence on the character Larry Underwood from The Stand), and he can also be counted as a fan of the Scott Cooper-directed film that has been made about the New Jersey legend. The author spoke about seeing the movie this week while a participating in a virtual UMass Lowell Alumni Book Club event, and he specifically referenced the movie while discussing the special relationship that exists between an artist and their audience. Said King,
