My thanks to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an advance copy of this book about a growing friendship with a legendary singer songwriter, memories shared between the two of the past and of the future, and how it was all cut short.

John Prine was a man who preferred to let his songs to the talking, about life, about love, and about himself. Autobiographical biographical was how Prine described his songs, drawing on his on experiences, good and bad, and the lives of others that he saw or dealt with. A man comfortable with those he knew, and not much for new people in his life. Until Prine met Tom Piazza. These two bonded over music, art, lives lived and something more. They played music together, rode in cars, shared meals, and even more importantly Prine finally found someone who could help him bring his life to book form, something he had long avoided. Until the scourge of the 21st took Prine away. Living in the Present with John Prine by Tom Piazza is a bit of memoir, a travel book, a musical history and more importantly a book about friendship, cut off way to short.

Tom Piazza was at a concert when he decided to do another musical profile, after twenty years. Piazza was a biographer and a writer for magazines, television and fiction. The man he wished to profile was the singer/songwriter John Prine, a man loved by fans and respected by his musical peers, creator of songs like Angel of Montgomery and When I Get to Heaven. Prine was not much for the press, and not much for sharing about his art, Prine preferred to let the music do his talking. However a quick meeting turned into something more than a profile, but a friendship. Soon Piazza was riding with Prine in his recently acquired on Ebay '77 Coup DeViille, complete with a broken passenger seatbelt, and illegal license plates. Staying up late and playing guitar, singing songs and bonding over shared miseries and experiences. Sharing meals and talks about the future. There was even talk of a memoir, something Prine had been uninterested in, until he meet a collaborator he could trust. Through good times and health problems these two remained friends, until COVID in 2020 took Prine away.

A book about music, life, love, cars, hot dogs and friendship. While I liked the discussions on everything else, it was the friendship that spoke most to me. While music fans lost a musical legend, Piazza lost something more. Which comes quite clear in this book. Piazza is a beautiful writer, knowing just how to set a scene, be it buying shoes with a man he really just met, or playing music at 2 in the morning, swapping guitars and riffs. There is also parts of the memoir the two men were working on, which shows what a great work we have lost. Piazza really captures the man, not in a hagiographic sense, but as a human, with problems and issues, who lived a an interesting life.

The book is sad as one knows how it ends, and all the triumphs for Prine are clouded by the fact that we know the hour and the day that Prine will be leaving the World. However as a celebration of both friendship, life the power of music and just going on it is a real achievement. I did not expect to be so affected by a book like this. As slim as the book is it carries a punch far above its weight class, and has a great narrative. I wish we could have read the story about the Prine's life, the way he would want us to know it. However this glimpse is a gift, and we should all cherish it. I will have to seek out more by Tom Piazza.

Living In The Present with John Prine by Tom Piazza is a wonderful look into the singer songwriters life! The Oxford American Magazine, my favorite periodical, published the introduction to this beautiful story. Tom has put together an inspiring collection of time spent with John Prine! What a lucky guy!! Anyone who reads this and doesn’t know Prine’s music will rush out and buy an album. I highly recommend everyone to read this wonderful book.

John Prine was very talented and I love that he had such an impact on others (such as Tom). What a great opportunity! Thank you.

I just loved this book. John Prine is one of those artists who, when someone says his name, you find yourself smiling. I saw him in an airport about 10 years ago and that’s exactly what I did. I left him alone to his privacy, but now I regret that.

He was a unique talent who managed to say things in a way no one else did and did so with a grounded, down-to-earth voice.

This brief book covers, by and large, the last few years of Prine’s life, as presented by author Piazza, who started as a fan, met Prine for a profile gig, and ended up becoming a close friend. You will visit a shoe store, learn about the subject’s taste for hot dogs, bear witness to a jukebox fire, and simply get a sense of who Prine was as a man and why he connected with audiences.

What I love about the book is that Piazza figures out how to convey his affection for Prine without turning him into a saint, and without exaggerating the nature of his friendship.

If you have any affection at all for Prine, do yourself a favor and read this book. It’ll bring him back to life and remind you, if a record is not nearby, why you love him so much.

Many thanks to W.W. Norton and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Living in the Present with John Prine by Tom Piazza reads like a conversation with a close friend. The art of storytelling is alive in these pages. Piazza and Prine, though friends for a relatively short time, developed a quick friendship in the years prior to John's death. Here you will find a patchwork story of their adventures together, reflections and musings from John in his final years, and a non-linear telling of John Prine's history. I highly recommend this book to any fan of Prine's. You'll find a story written with a whole lot of love, not a sterile biography. This book will give you insight into the way John lived his life. the things he loved, and the way he thought about the world.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. I enjoyed it so much! The thoughts expressed here are my own.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.
This is not a traditional biography, or really a biography at all. It’s a memoir of friendship that manages to give us more insight into John Prine than any traditional biography possibly could. The author brings you along as he and John pal around joking, singing and searching for spontaneous fun. Along the way we learn who John Prine was behind his witty songs and then we share the pain of the author’s loss. I would rate this book as absolutely essential for Prine fans, as well as anyone who just loves a good story.