SAMCRO’s enemies but also some allies.

Although Jax was the show’s main character, Sons of Anarchy made sure to share the spotlight with other club and family . Through them, Sons of Anarchy introduced some memorable characters, even though some of them didn’t stick around for long, and the show wasn’t short on notable guest stars. One of them was Stephen King, who made a surprise appearance in Sons of Anarchy season 3. While King’s role was brief, it was unforgettable due to what he did in the story, and he also had a sneaky but hilarious reference to his writing career.

Stephen King Played A “Cleaner” In 1 Episode Of Sons of Anarchy

Stephen King Played Bachman In Sons of Anarchy Season 3

A key character in Sons of Anarchy was Gemma (Katey Sagal), Jax’s mother and Clay’s wife, and she often got herself and the club in trouble, so much so that her actions and lies led to her and Jax’s deaths. In Sons of Anarchy season 3, Gemma ran away after killing Polly Zobelle at the end of season 2, and she went to her father Nate's house. Nate lived with his caretaker, Amelia, as he had dementia.

When Amelia learned that the police were going after Gemma, the latter stopped her at gunpoint and took her to the basement, where she blindfolded her and bound her to a wheelchair. In season 3’s episode “Caregiver”, Amelia tricked Tara (Maggie Siff) into loosening her bonds and escaped, but she was later attacked by both Tara and Gemma, resulting in Amelia accidentally stabbing herself. With no idea what to do, Tig (Kim Coates) mentioned knowing a “cleaner” who lived nearby and could help them get rid of the body.

Said “cleaner” was Bachman (Stephen King), who, on brand with the show, arrived on a motorcycle, but he was a very odd man. Bachman was very quiet and expressionless, only saying a couple of words. Bachman gave Tig and Gemma a list of things he needed to dispose of Amelia’s body and asked for music from the 1980s while he worked. Once he was done, and as they didn’t have enough cash, Bachman took a statue and quietly left, never to appear again in Sons of Anarchy.

The Real Meaning Behind The Name Of Stephen King’s Sons of Anarchy Character

“Bachman” Wasn’t A Random Name

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Stephen King’s brief appearance in Sons of Anarchy was the name of his character. “Bachman” wasn’t a random name given to the King of Horror, and it was a reference to his pen name, Richard Bachman. On his official website, Stephen King explained that, at the beginning of his career as an author, the general idea among publishers was that an author could only publish one book a year, as that was all the public would accept.

King decided to use a pen name so he could publish more than one book a year, and after his original name (Gus Pillsbury) was leaked, he came up with Richard Bachman. In the introduction to The Bachman Books, King shared that writing under a pen name was also an attempt to make sense of his career and know if his success was due to talent or luck, and he deliberately released his Bachman books with as little marketing as possible.

Under the name of Richard Bachman, King published some controversial books, as was the case for 1977’s Rage, and some popular ones that ended up being adapted to other media, such as The Long Walk, The Running Man, and Thinner. The final Bachman book was Blaze, published in 2007 and announced as having been “found” in King’s attic.

How Stephen King Became Part Of Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy Had A Lot Of Fans

Stephen King got a place in Sons of Anarchy thanks to his love for the show. At the time, King was a columnist at Entertainment Weekly, where he wrote about how much he liked Sons of Anarchy, calling it one of those shows that got better as it went along (via LA Times). Kurt Sutter got in touch with King and offered him a role, which, according to King himself, was a “suitably nasty part”, and he was very excited about riding a Harley. Stephen King’s time in Sons of Anarchy was very brief, but he surely made it memorable.

Source: Stephen King, The Bachman Books, LA Times.