According to Theatlantic.com, the May 2011 issue of The Atlantic features the short story Herman Wouk Is Still Alive, by Stephen King. James Parker, The Atlantic's entertainment columnist, talked to King about how the story came into being, about King's creative process, about the state of short fiction today, and about the relative merits of BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST as background music to write to. They spoke on April 1.

Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Theatlantic.com: Are you still listening to music when you write?

King: "I listen to music when I rewrite now. I don't listen to music when I compose anymore. I can't. I've lost the ability to multi-task that way!"

Theatlantic.com: You used to listen to METALLICA, right?

King: "Metallica, ANTHRAX, I still listen to those guys... There's a band called the LIVING THINGS that I like a lot. Very loud group. I never cared for Ozzy very much."

Theatlantic.com: I'm obsessed with BLACK SABBATH.

King: "No, no. They don't really work for me. 'I AM IRON MAN!'"

Theatlantic.com: That doesn't do it?

King: "No. JUDAS PRIEST, now…"

Theatlantic.com: I love Judas Priest.

King: "Did you ever hear their cover of 'Diamonds And Rust'?"

Theatlantic.com: Yes. I love it. Now: In your grand maturity...

King: "(laughs) I don't feel very mature."

Theatlantic.com: ...what is your favorite part of the creative process?

King: "It's still when you sit down and you get a really good day, and something happens that you don't expect and you just take off, you just go off on the material - I love that, when that happens."

Read more at Theatlantic.com.