Stephen King has revealed that he was once such a fan of Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of…)” that his wife threatened divorce.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the King of Horror was asked about his obsession with the 1999 Latin pop hit, giving King the opportunity to share exactly how obsessed he was with a particular remix of the song. After admitting he was a “big time” fan of the track, King recalled how his wife was on her final straw.
“My wife threatened to divorce me,” he said. “I had the dance mix. I loved those extended play things, and I played both sides of it. And one of them was just total instrumental. And I played that thing until my wife just said, ‘One more time, and I’m going to fucking leave you.’”
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Although King didn’t specifically name which “dance mix” of “Mambo No. 5” was his favorite, a “Havanna Club Mix” was included in the EP that was released in 1999. Hear that (and the original version) below.
As far as King can recall, he was working on his 2011 novel, 11/22/63, at the time. The prolific author went on to explain that he’s able to listen to techno or disco music while he’s working on books because he doesn’t have to focus on lyrics, naming LCD Soundsystem and Fat Boy Slim in particular.
“I can just listen to that stuff. If you tried to write and listen to Leonard Cohen, how the fuck would you do that?” King said. “Because you’d have to listen to the words and you’d have to listen to what he’s saying. But with some of the techno stuff, or KC and the Sunshine Band, Gloria Gaynor, it’s all good.”
King also admitted in the interview that he doesn’t put on music during the writing process as much because “I’ve slowed down a little bit, or the thought process is not as limber as it was when I was say 30, 35, that sort of thing.” However, he listens to “a lot of loud rock & roll” while polishing and rewriting his work.
In addition to Foghat and Bob Seger, King named country singers Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson as recent favorites. He’s also excited by viral country star Oliver Anthony and his No. 1 hit “Rich Men North of Richmond,” though he actually hasn’t heard it yet.
When asked for his thoughts about the song, King responded, “I don’t know! I haven’t heard the song yet, but I’ve seen pictures of him. He’s got a beard and he’s got a cool guitar.”
King’s latest book, Holly, was just released today, September 5th. Pick up a copy here.
