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The Wedding Gig
12 pages, Unknown Binding
First published December 1, 1980
1 person is currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,614 books886k 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 49 reviews
July 26, 2020
Story 3.5 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
September 14, 2022
Before I start, I must say I despise computers. I had a nice review all typed out and was on a roll. Firing on all cylinders. Even I thought it looked good (which doesn't happen often), everything was flowing the way it ought to, and I was almost done with it...
Then the computer crashed for no reason at all, and poof, all gone, and my muse with it, not to mention my composure. Maybe an hour down the drain. At least the pictures and links are still saved elsewhere.
"Mmmbop" by Hanson just came on (90's music station on TV). It's a guilty pleasure, and a song I love, but not even that is lifting my spirits, and the little shits can go burn in hell at this moment as far as I'm concerned.
(ctrl a, ctrl c, over to an e-mail that saves automatically every few seconds, ctrl v, back to goodreads, mother fuckers)
Anyway, here was the gist, I think:
This story has fat jokes and ugly jokes. I like them be it right or wrong. The wedding party:
But stout can be sexy:
Some quip about "put it away honey before someone mistakes it for the on-ramp to the freeway."
Quote I'm not going to look up again about how the bride ate and ate and hated herself for it then ate some more. I could relate. Then a personal memory from before I could relate, watching someone at a potluck supper pile so much on her plate that the plate bent and dumped the whole shebang into the Watergate salad, and me being disgusted with it. God, that was a gorgeous paragraph. Fucking Dickensian, but it's gone forever now.
(another ctrl party)
Bride liked Roses of Picardy. So do I.
Story was fine, but nothing great, yet amusing, but I really dug the ending with the bride's revenge. Fun twist. Would've been three stars, but the ending bumps it up to a solid four.
There's the truncated review, and if you don't like it, you can blow it out your ass.
This is Pierce, signing off.
...fucking bitch-ass piece of shit computer...
Then the computer crashed for no reason at all, and poof, all gone, and my muse with it, not to mention my composure. Maybe an hour down the drain. At least the pictures and links are still saved elsewhere.
"Mmmbop" by Hanson just came on (90's music station on TV). It's a guilty pleasure, and a song I love, but not even that is lifting my spirits, and the little shits can go burn in hell at this moment as far as I'm concerned.
(ctrl a, ctrl c, over to an e-mail that saves automatically every few seconds, ctrl v, back to goodreads, mother fuckers)
Anyway, here was the gist, I think:
This story has fat jokes and ugly jokes. I like them be it right or wrong. The wedding party:
But stout can be sexy:
Some quip about "put it away honey before someone mistakes it for the on-ramp to the freeway."
Quote I'm not going to look up again about how the bride ate and ate and hated herself for it then ate some more. I could relate. Then a personal memory from before I could relate, watching someone at a potluck supper pile so much on her plate that the plate bent and dumped the whole shebang into the Watergate salad, and me being disgusted with it. God, that was a gorgeous paragraph. Fucking Dickensian, but it's gone forever now.
(another ctrl party)
Bride liked Roses of Picardy. So do I.
Story was fine, but nothing great, yet amusing, but I really dug the ending with the bride's revenge. Fun twist. Would've been three stars, but the ending bumps it up to a solid four.
There's the truncated review, and if you don't like it, you can blow it out your ass.
This is Pierce, signing off.
...fucking bitch-ass piece of shit computer...
July 21, 2020
"...and her white gown (there must have been enough white satin wrapped around that mama to cover three beds)" 😂
April 11, 2021
I really enjoy the flow of the stories in this collection
May 7, 2022
This is maybe the worst thing stephen kings ever written. Just... absolute fatphobic hateful garbage toe to tip. This is prime "on writing" rant about how fat someone needs to be before they're no longer human bullshit. I've read skeleton crew maybe a dozen times in my life and I still forget this story exists every time I restart because it is just a completely worthless garbage piece of writing.
December 26, 2022
My least fav Stephen King book, the level of fatphobia in this is astronomical.
January 6, 2025
stephen king does not like women, exhibit 95
March 6, 2025
This story didn’t need to be told 🤣
July 19, 2023
From my Skeleton Crew review...
Reading this collection of short stories by Stephen King has changed my opinion of the man...and not in a positive way. It's become glaringly clear that he has a real hatred of overweight people. Many of the antagonists in his stories are described as being gruesomely fat, and in the Wedding Gig, the point could be made that there may be nothing worse in the world THAN being fat. (Gasp!!!)
Reading this collection of short stories by Stephen King has changed my opinion of the man...and not in a positive way. It's become glaringly clear that he has a real hatred of overweight people. Many of the antagonists in his stories are described as being gruesomely fat, and in the Wedding Gig, the point could be made that there may be nothing worse in the world THAN being fat. (Gasp!!!)
October 19, 2025
The prohibition/mob vibe and the characters are nice but there's nothing here that really sticks with me.
It's basically a story about a “your sista fat” joke and something like those shitty mobile ads where a level 1 goon levels up to a level 50 boss lol.
It's basically a story about a “your sista fat” joke and something like those shitty mobile ads where a level 1 goon levels up to a level 50 boss lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
Cool story, but not exciting in the least, leaving me wondering why I just listened except for the fact that it was narrated by Paul Giamatti, that redeemed it a bit. No real point to the story, though, or maybe it was over my head
January 21, 2024
I realise it's an older book set in an older time but it was a bit harsh to read. I liked the story and I liked the ending of a certain character but I didn't like the language or descriptions whatsoever.
June 23, 2020
I found the story entertaining but the ending seemed abrupt.
September 30, 2025
Male gaze/20
lu dans le recueil de nouvelles « Brûme ».
Meh.
King me dégoute un peu parfois.
lu dans le recueil de nouvelles « Brûme ».
Meh.
King me dégoute un peu parfois.
July 17, 2021
2.5 stars
February 25, 2021
A story more in the vein of hardboiled crime fiction than any of King’s books published by Hard Case Crime, The Wedding Gig is the story of sweet revenge. Mike Scollay is a small-time mobster but his beef with The Greek over territory has amped up to the point in disrupts Mike’s sister’s wedding.
The Greek blackmails a man to burst in on the wedding and insult Maureen, Mike’s sister, and when Mike pursues the man, The Greek’s gunmen rain bullets over the wedding, killing Mike. In revenge, Maureen takes over the criminal operation, makes it even more successful, and hunts the Greek down.
It’s a well-told story, but there’s not a lot of depth to it.
The Greek blackmails a man to burst in on the wedding and insult Maureen, Mike’s sister, and when Mike pursues the man, The Greek’s gunmen rain bullets over the wedding, killing Mike. In revenge, Maureen takes over the criminal operation, makes it even more successful, and hunts the Greek down.
It’s a well-told story, but there’s not a lot of depth to it.
October 15, 2023
Not a scary story at all. Since it takes place in the early 1900’s, I suppose it’s more historical fiction? Involves a local band that is “hired” (more like forced) into playing a gig at a mobster’s sister’s wedding.l reception. The band is warned not to laugh at the bride or make any jokes, because she is of a large size and very sensitive about it. There are fat jokes, there is a shootout, there is a surprising revenge story. I love the way it ended.
It’s a fun little story by the King. Included as part of the Skeleton Crew collection.
It’s a fun little story by the King. Included as part of the Skeleton Crew collection.
April 29, 2021
"The Wedding Gig" to bardzo krótka historia o wynajętnym zespole jazzowym, który gra na weselu, które okazuje się dosyć krwawe.
To opowiadanie o zemście, ale też o takim braku akceptacji ze względu na swoją tuszę. Dialogi między postaciami są tak skonstruowane, że ciężko jest nie uśmiechnąć się, bo mają w sobie dużą dozę czarnego humoru.
To opowiadanie o zemście, ale też o takim braku akceptacji ze względu na swoją tuszę. Dialogi między postaciami są tak skonstruowane, że ciężko jest nie uśmiechnąć się, bo mają w sobie dużą dozę czarnego humoru.
August 10, 2023
King trying his hand at hard boiled gangland writing. I loved the characterization of Maureen but the writing and slang was tortured and while the comparison between the struggles of being fat versus black in 1920s Chicago were interesting, King, as he often does, fumbles his black representation in a pretty cringy manner. Rough.
July 17, 2025
one of the most challenging and complex King novellas, mean-spirited at it's heart but for the purpose of asking you to try to see what could have made it that way. Not one I would recommend for the faint of heart but one I can see myself coming back to for a reason unlike any of the actual horror ones because of the strange, surreal cold-hearted nature of it.
August 8, 2022
First-person vignette of a jazz musician playing at a Prohibition Era wedding of an Irish mob boss's morbidly obese sister. Disaster and aftermath ensue. Wonder if this was going to be a longer story idea initially, but a memorable slice-of-life nonetheless.
June 25, 2024
2024 - The 52 Book Club Challenge
Week 44: Includes a wedding
2.5⭐️probably one of my least favourite King stories. Really just seemed to serve fat shaming which seems to be the one thing everyone still does. Everyone else is accepted now except heavy people.
Week 44: Includes a wedding
2.5⭐️probably one of my least favourite King stories. Really just seemed to serve fat shaming which seems to be the one thing everyone still does. Everyone else is accepted now except heavy people.
February 19, 2025
I really love the characterization of Maureen, even if the story on the whole is more of a capturing of time and place than it is a fully compelling story. Nonetheless, King-light is still King and the writing is just gorgeous.
March 28, 2025
This was a nice short story and unlike others from the collection I feel like I got a conclusive beginning middle and end to it. I definitely liked the way King writes from a specific point of view and it will always be my favorite way he writes
March 8, 2019
A story surprisingly about a Wedding in 1927 near Chicago. Revolving around the prohibition era. A so so story, nothing to write home about.
August 20, 2019
I actually really liked this story. There's a LOT of humor in it despite the plot. The main character's tone is light and humorous and keeps the story moving swiftly along.
August 19, 2020
A small time crook hires a jazz band to play at his sister's wedding reception.
January 17, 2021
This book had a lot of good lines! I loved the one where Rico was orbiting her like a moon 🤣
Fun short story
Fun short story
September 5, 2021
This one just seemed very random to me. A band plays a wedding and some it turns into a gangster story. Strange.
October 19, 2021
2.5, me gustó
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews