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Gray Matter
John Glover reads a selection of unabridged short stories, including "Gray Matter" from Stephen King's best-selling collection Night Shift.
17 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1973
2 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,400 books888k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
June 24, 2024
Story 3 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator John Glover
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator John Glover
February 17, 2017
This is a pretty damn gross story. A man drinks a can of bad beer, and slowly turns into a gray blob that craves more warm beer — and to be in the dark, of course.
As early King short stories go, this is pretty standard fare. The setting is delightfully small town America and the characters are blue collar through and through. They sit around the local general store and shoot the shit and play cards. Like most of the stories in Night Shift, this has such an exquisite early '70s 'feel', and I like it for that — even if I don't dig on much of what goes on in the story. Maybe it's a lack of imagination on my part; I dunno; I've just never been able to suspend my disbelief enough to fully enjoy this story. It's deeply silly and feels far too brief. But for what it is, it's relatively harmless. It isn't particularly good, but it isn't horrible either.
King Connections
At one point the narrator says he and his friends were on the corner of Harlow and Curve Street. Obviously, in this story Harlow is a street name but it was already established in Rage that Harlow is a fictional town of King's creation, too. It begs the question: Was Harlow mentioned in the first edition paperback copy of Rage (I've only ever read it in The Bachman Books omnibus, which came out years after Pet Sematary, the book in which Harlow is most prominent), or was the mention of it included in this story's first appearance in Cavalier? Were these stories edited or changed at all after their initial releases? What I'm getting at is this: I wonder when Harlow was first mentioned in King's works. Regardless, there is a mention here.
A story is told of a man who worked for the Bangor Public Works Department. He went down into the sewers and came out fifteen minutes later, his hair white. He saw a spider "as big as a good-sized dog sitting in a web full of kitties an' such all wrapped up in silk thread." He immediately quit with the Public Works Department. Our narrator says this about what his old friend saw: "I'm not saying there's any truth in it, but I am saying there's things in the corners of the world that would drive a man insane to look 'em right in the face." Bygum, is this story the springboard for It, a novel that wouldn't be written or released for a decade or so after this story's original publication? I think so. Super cool.
Favorite Quote
"The wind hit us like a sawblade, and right away I pulled my scarf up over my ears. We paused in the doorway just for a second while Bertie pulled on his gloves. He had a pained sort of a wince on his face, and I knew how he felt. It's all well for younger fellows to go out skiing all day and running those goddamn wasp-wing snowmobiles half the night, but when you get up over seventy without an oil change, you feel that northeast wind around your heart."
Up Next
"Battleground"
As early King short stories go, this is pretty standard fare. The setting is delightfully small town America and the characters are blue collar through and through. They sit around the local general store and shoot the shit and play cards. Like most of the stories in Night Shift, this has such an exquisite early '70s 'feel', and I like it for that — even if I don't dig on much of what goes on in the story. Maybe it's a lack of imagination on my part; I dunno; I've just never been able to suspend my disbelief enough to fully enjoy this story. It's deeply silly and feels far too brief. But for what it is, it's relatively harmless. It isn't particularly good, but it isn't horrible either.
King Connections
At one point the narrator says he and his friends were on the corner of Harlow and Curve Street. Obviously, in this story Harlow is a street name but it was already established in Rage that Harlow is a fictional town of King's creation, too. It begs the question: Was Harlow mentioned in the first edition paperback copy of Rage (I've only ever read it in The Bachman Books omnibus, which came out years after Pet Sematary, the book in which Harlow is most prominent), or was the mention of it included in this story's first appearance in Cavalier? Were these stories edited or changed at all after their initial releases? What I'm getting at is this: I wonder when Harlow was first mentioned in King's works. Regardless, there is a mention here.
A story is told of a man who worked for the Bangor Public Works Department. He went down into the sewers and came out fifteen minutes later, his hair white. He saw a spider "as big as a good-sized dog sitting in a web full of kitties an' such all wrapped up in silk thread." He immediately quit with the Public Works Department. Our narrator says this about what his old friend saw: "I'm not saying there's any truth in it, but I am saying there's things in the corners of the world that would drive a man insane to look 'em right in the face." Bygum, is this story the springboard for It, a novel that wouldn't be written or released for a decade or so after this story's original publication? I think so. Super cool.
Favorite Quote
"The wind hit us like a sawblade, and right away I pulled my scarf up over my ears. We paused in the doorway just for a second while Bertie pulled on his gloves. He had a pained sort of a wince on his face, and I knew how he felt. It's all well for younger fellows to go out skiing all day and running those goddamn wasp-wing snowmobiles half the night, but when you get up over seventy without an oil change, you feel that northeast wind around your heart."
Up Next
"Battleground"
February 15, 2024
Grey Matter is probably one of the best stories included in the anthology collection Night Shift. The story documents the transformation of a man who drank from a can of beer that contained bacteria of an unknown source. Intriguing, the buildup will have you on edge from start to finish.
January 26, 2024
'Grey Matter' by Stephen King.
Rating: 3.0/5.
Review:
'Grey Matter' is a short story included in Stephen King's 1978 short story collection 'Night Shift'. It is a tale that I didn't find particularly scary but rather gross and disgusting.
The horror of this tale, for me, was what young Timmy had to endure. The love for his only parent kept him living in such a disgusting condition long past when he should have run. There was a palpable sense of apprehension and growing tension as the old friends went to visit Timmy's father. There's a subtle little Easter egg to 'It' (which, at that time, hadn't been written) when the story of George Kelso and the massive spider in the sewers is mentioned.
There's not much to say about the story – it has an open ending with either Henry surviving or the world being doomed as the only possibilities. I think this story would have been greatly benefitted had it been expanded upon, but as such, it simply feels like a filler. It is still a decent Stephen King story, but it is less scary and more gross for a change.
I was up to 32,768 times two is the end of the human race and so we sat there cozied up to all that beer and waited to see which one was going to finally come back; and here we still sit.
Rating: 3.0/5.
Review:
'Grey Matter' is a short story included in Stephen King's 1978 short story collection 'Night Shift'. It is a tale that I didn't find particularly scary but rather gross and disgusting.
The horror of this tale, for me, was what young Timmy had to endure. The love for his only parent kept him living in such a disgusting condition long past when he should have run. There was a palpable sense of apprehension and growing tension as the old friends went to visit Timmy's father. There's a subtle little Easter egg to 'It' (which, at that time, hadn't been written) when the story of George Kelso and the massive spider in the sewers is mentioned.
There's not much to say about the story – it has an open ending with either Henry surviving or the world being doomed as the only possibilities. I think this story would have been greatly benefitted had it been expanded upon, but as such, it simply feels like a filler. It is still a decent Stephen King story, but it is less scary and more gross for a change.
March 23, 2024
This was a decent gross-out story. ::spoilers:: I imagined Richie looking like a gray Jabba the Hutt at the end of this. The horrific transformation and how Richie gradually transformed was fascinating and kept me engaged. I guess Richie will just keep multiplying and rule the world eventually is the insinuation..? I can feel the dread as the narrator is always waiting for Richie to show up at the door (although he isn't really Richie anymore, eh?). Probably about a 3.5 rounded up to a 4. Maybe I'll give drinking a beer with a funny taste a 2nd thought now..
July 22, 2025
be like bertie, don't be like henry
July 23, 2018
Although loosely a 'horror story', what we have hear is an analogy of an addict. In this case an alcoholic. Although not specifically focusing all aspects of the addict and the feelings and emotions they go through in the height of their addiction, it is a very good story in the way of the immediate family and friends enabling the addict, going to buy the alcohol while they stay in there flat wallowing in self pity.
Here we have the side of an addiction very rarely told in stories, the isolation, lack of going out, affected by sunlight, lack of self worth. How the individual over the course of time doesn't care about there appearance, forgets to shower and soon stops completely in there self appearance and stays in there same clothes. The repeated comments of the odor and smell wreaking through the walls into the hallway and beyond. How the addict only cares about the alcohol and nothing else. These are all things rarely told in such stories, so, exceptionally interesting to read about a different side of a commonly told story and situation.
Here we have the side of an addiction very rarely told in stories, the isolation, lack of going out, affected by sunlight, lack of self worth. How the individual over the course of time doesn't care about there appearance, forgets to shower and soon stops completely in there self appearance and stays in there same clothes. The repeated comments of the odor and smell wreaking through the walls into the hallway and beyond. How the addict only cares about the alcohol and nothing else. These are all things rarely told in such stories, so, exceptionally interesting to read about a different side of a commonly told story and situation.
March 23, 2021
2.5/5 - Not really scary or creepy, just very gross. This is another story with a theme of alcoholism. The character in question drank a smelly beer one day and then slowly turned into...something...that also smelled awful, looked gray, and felt slimy. Just as gross as the description of the character was the description of the awful smells and sounds that came from his apartment. I can't say that I really felt anything from this character, but the rest of the characters in the story had a lot of dread and disgust. Stephen King did a great job descriptively so I was able to see it play out in my head as I was reading. Not one of the best, but it worked as part of the Night Shift collection.
February 17, 2014
I felt the main characters dread.
This passage perfectly describes the fear our narrator feels from the beginning, before reaching it's crescendo:
"It was just a second, just a second before Bertie and me was down those stairs like schoolkids, four an' five at a time, and out the door into the snow, slipping an' sliding."
The nighttime setting along with the winter storm serves to make this even more spooky.
An entertaining piece of writing for sure.
Strong recommendation.
This passage perfectly describes the fear our narrator feels from the beginning, before reaching it's crescendo:
"It was just a second, just a second before Bertie and me was down those stairs like schoolkids, four an' five at a time, and out the door into the snow, slipping an' sliding."
The nighttime setting along with the winter storm serves to make this even more spooky.
An entertaining piece of writing for sure.
Strong recommendation.
October 13, 2018
I feel like this story told from the eyes of Henry would be an easy 5/5, as it were it leaves too much to guess in the end. I enjoyed it and it’s definitely got scary potential, but overall it’s just meh.
August 11, 2020
This was a weird one! Not my favorite, but not bad either. Quick read and easy to follow. Definitely had some gross imagery. Made me think of a couple friends I have who will literally drink anything!!
January 13, 2021
A dude drinks a tainted beer and turns into a blob. I don’t know. This one is just awful. I guess maybe it's a metaphor for addiction? In any case, the story is about as much of a bulbous mess as the monster.
February 7, 2014
Utterly Terrifying
March 4, 2014
EW GROSS LOL
July 8, 2024
Totally absurd, totally 70s. Totally readable 😅
King always has time for compassion and friendship themes no matter how short the read is.
Grotesque, suspenseful story, not to everyone’s liking of course.
3/5
King always has time for compassion and friendship themes no matter how short the read is.
Grotesque, suspenseful story, not to everyone’s liking of course.
3/5
August 31, 2024
I dont know how Stephen King managed to give me the creeps in this 20pages story
Its weird and disturbing but enjoyed it alot❤️
Its weird and disturbing but enjoyed it alot❤️
March 29, 2023
Love bloopy grey matter guys
December 8, 2021
I write these reviews, not for others, but so that I can remember what I read years after reading it (a problem that I have). This is my reading journal of sorts.
So, Gray Matter… I read this one out of order, having seen a few reviews saying this was the best story in Night Shift. It isn’t. Not for me.
In this story, a disabled father drinks a can of beer that has gone bad and begins to crave more cheap, warm, disgusting beer. Guessing the parasite that infiltrated the beer also infiltrated his brain and desired to keep feasting on whatever it liked about the beer. Regardless, the sludge grows and grows, slowly taking over the man, slowly numbing his sensations to life - as he says, he doesn’t know what’s happening to him but it isn’t unpleasant. Well, it’s unpleasant for his son to observe his father slowly turning into a sludgy gray mass who hides in the darkness and demands more beer every night.
So the kid, one day, runs to the general store begging for help getting his father’s beer and a few men listen to the story and deliver the beer to his father who is, in fact, a worthless pile of sludge. They realize he’s also behind some of the disappearances around town just as he makes a move for one of them and the other two run away. When they reach the general store again - they sit and wait to see which man makes it in after them… their friend, or the gross blob.
There is a mention of a giant spider living in the sewers that likely developed into It.
It isn’t a great story but the dialogue is actually really good, which is odd because I absolutely detest most King dialogue and think it normally feels artificial and cheesy. This did not read like a King short in comparison to some of the newer works I’ve read. The writing style also quite differed from that in Jerusalem’s Lot and Boogeyman.
Mostly, what stood out for me was that I was hit by a big wave of deja vu when I started it and I tried to recall where I’d seen or heard that story before. I never did remember, but it definitely wasn’t my first reading of it despite never remembering having read it.
So, Gray Matter… I read this one out of order, having seen a few reviews saying this was the best story in Night Shift. It isn’t. Not for me.
In this story, a disabled father drinks a can of beer that has gone bad and begins to crave more cheap, warm, disgusting beer. Guessing the parasite that infiltrated the beer also infiltrated his brain and desired to keep feasting on whatever it liked about the beer. Regardless, the sludge grows and grows, slowly taking over the man, slowly numbing his sensations to life - as he says, he doesn’t know what’s happening to him but it isn’t unpleasant. Well, it’s unpleasant for his son to observe his father slowly turning into a sludgy gray mass who hides in the darkness and demands more beer every night.
So the kid, one day, runs to the general store begging for help getting his father’s beer and a few men listen to the story and deliver the beer to his father who is, in fact, a worthless pile of sludge. They realize he’s also behind some of the disappearances around town just as he makes a move for one of them and the other two run away. When they reach the general store again - they sit and wait to see which man makes it in after them… their friend, or the gross blob.
There is a mention of a giant spider living in the sewers that likely developed into It.
It isn’t a great story but the dialogue is actually really good, which is odd because I absolutely detest most King dialogue and think it normally feels artificial and cheesy. This did not read like a King short in comparison to some of the newer works I’ve read. The writing style also quite differed from that in Jerusalem’s Lot and Boogeyman.
Mostly, what stood out for me was that I was hit by a big wave of deja vu when I started it and I tried to recall where I’d seen or heard that story before. I never did remember, but it definitely wasn’t my first reading of it despite never remembering having read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2024
It’s all about the build up here, with an interesting choice made here to get the story not from its primary witness - young Timmy Grenadine - but from the man he tells it to on the way to deal with the threat. The story told along their own journey to face its end result allows King to focus on that build up. The apprehension of what we’re about to face as we’re slowly clued in is a perfect combination. There’s an idea in storytelling that horror is all about proximity, which this story exemplifies in how the threat becomes more lucid as we get brought closer to it culminating in a brief glimpse and final confrontation, left afterwards with only the implication of what will happen should we fail to overcome it.
November 29, 2025
There is no tension in this story, but the amount of looming dread is there in spades right from the first page to the last. The ending is ambiguous but I believe that only fire would be able to cleanse whatever is lurking in that flat – not a gun. So, don’t think that the ending is successful. This is one of the most disgusting stories in Night Shift and with the other offerings in here that is saying something. It made me squirm. Yuck.
There is a mini story of a guy who works for the Bangor Public Works Department, went down in the sewers and saw something that turned his hair white and made him quit on the spot. That instantly made me think of IT of course that was years away when this was published.
YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/PdsAGWO2oyE
There is a mini story of a guy who works for the Bangor Public Works Department, went down in the sewers and saw something that turned his hair white and made him quit on the spot. That instantly made me think of IT of course that was years away when this was published.
YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/PdsAGWO2oyE
June 15, 2020
This was a short creepy, disgusting ride it did a great look at alcoholism and how it can change you into something disgusting the characters were well written but Stephen king knows how to wright characters he did something really interesting for the main character it was in first person but he never gave a name or at least I don’t think he did. For a 12 page story it was such a fleshed out story if you are a big Stephen king fan and haven’t checked it out yet or if your wanting to get into Stephen king i think you should check it out.
February 2, 2021
This one squicked me out. It was just totally gross 🙂
I think this being told in first person makes the story more effective. It's just a normal bloke who's had a horrible experience and seen some weird stuff going on and that really comes across with the 'feel' of the story.
Like I've said it totally had the gross factor, so I can imagine it worked quite well in Creepshow but I've not seen it, so I couldn't say for sure.
I gave this on a 3 of 5 because while it grossed me out, I didn't connect with the characters much and I didn't get a scary vibe, just a gross vibe 🙃
I think this being told in first person makes the story more effective. It's just a normal bloke who's had a horrible experience and seen some weird stuff going on and that really comes across with the 'feel' of the story.
Like I've said it totally had the gross factor, so I can imagine it worked quite well in Creepshow but I've not seen it, so I couldn't say for sure.
I gave this on a 3 of 5 because while it grossed me out, I didn't connect with the characters much and I didn't get a scary vibe, just a gross vibe 🙃
October 29, 2021
3.5! This is really a classic blob monster story at the end of the day. One could also argue this is King describing the extreme effects of alcoholism on the body and relationships. King's use of descriptive writing when describing the rotting smell of drunk, really stands out here. I like his comparison to fermented fruit. His descriptions really help the reader to picture the setting, and what the characters are experiencing. I'm really enjoying the "Night Shift," collection so far as a whole. Therefore, i'm looking forward to the next story, "Battleground."
November 21, 2019
*3.5 stars
Although "Gray Matter" is just a little to absurd to be believable on any level, I enjoyed it a lot! I thought it was interesting metaphor for addiction and the impact that addiction has on a person The story was engaging, and the setting was perfectly pictured.
Although "Gray Matter" is just a little to absurd to be believable on any level, I enjoyed it a lot! I thought it was interesting metaphor for addiction and the impact that addiction has on a person The story was engaging, and the setting was perfectly pictured.
November 4, 2019
Pretty grimy story, well told and again with that individualism that the characters have, it makes it seem as if this story really happened and is being retold to the audience in such way as to really believe it happened. The final suspense and gross realizations of what has been going on lead to the climactic confrontation and uncomfortable foreboding in the unrealized suspenseful ending.
July 8, 2021
I wanted not to love this story, I mean it's gross and had undertones of abuse and addiction. The writing is just so good in itself that I didn't even care. King has better character development in a short story than many writers have within full novels. His ability to transport the reader into whatever world he chooses is honestly terrifying, thrilling and inspiring.
July 27, 2021
Short story seven in King's Night Shift.
I think I was about a quarter of the way through when I realized I'd seen the adaptation of this in the first episode of the recent Creepshow revival. Why the showrunners chose this story to open with remains a mystery to me.
From rotten beer to the possible apocalypse, it's just really a bit much.
I think I was about a quarter of the way through when I realized I'd seen the adaptation of this in the first episode of the recent Creepshow revival. Why the showrunners chose this story to open with remains a mystery to me.
From rotten beer to the possible apocalypse, it's just really a bit much.
March 21, 2016
в общем-то все мои мысли о рассказе уже заключены в названии этого самого рассказа.
вот умеет же ск нагнетать, делать неповторимую атмосферу. но в этом раннем сборнике большинство рассказов сплошная серая дрянь.
вот умеет же ск нагнетать, делать неповторимую атмосферу. но в этом раннем сборнике большинство рассказов сплошная серая дрянь.
March 15, 2022
A teens dad starts turning to grey mush, while acting bizarrely and consuming more beer. Getting the party store attendees to help investigate we are left to ponder who made it out alive, the human or the multiplying grey matter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2019
Weird and disturbing. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews