John Prine was an American country/folk singer-songwriter who has been around since the early 1970s. I've been a fan of John Prine for over 40 years. I've seen him many times in concert and was happy I attended his last concert here in Toronto (The Tree of Forgiveness tour). I think his death during COVID probably hit me the hardest of all the celebs who had passed away during that time.

Tom Piazza spent time with Prine at home and on the road with the intent of writing an article about him before Prine asked him to work on a memoir about him. They ended up enjoying a two year friendship before he passed away. Piazza shared moments that showed Prine's sense of humor, his love for the simple things and the way he saw the world a little differently than most. Even after surviving cancer, Prine didn’t dwell on the past or future ... he was all about appreciating what was right in front of him (especially food and dessert!). Prine's songs were simple but packed with emotion, real life, heart and a touch of wry humor.

I enjoyed this book. I like that there were actual interviews with Prine transcribed so we got to know Prine in his own words and his sense of humour. In addition to spending time with Prine, Piazza also spent time with his family including Prine's wife, Fiona, his sons and his late older brother, Dave. It was nice to see the intimate pictures of Prine as a regular guy. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Appreciating John

Remember when Covid started its roar? Things started shutting down around mid-March 2020. I remember cancelling Saint Patrick’s Day with the kids, amidst alarming reports from across the globe. Then Covid was given a face when Tom Hanks caught it. Then, after a few days, we heard that John Prine was hospitalized.

Singer Josh Ritter once told of preparing to board a rickety old plane during an apocalyptic storm. He was only reassured when realizing that John Prine was also boarding, commenting something to the effect of, “Nothing can happen to John Prine!”

John died of Covid on April 7. Man, it struck hard. If it can happen to John…

“Living in the Present with John Prine” is not a memoir, although it was originally intended to be one. It started off as an agreement between John and author Tom Piazza to collaborate on Prine's autobiography. They shared a friendship for only two years before things ended abruptly with the shock of John’s unexpected death. Instead, what we get here is John’s humor, intelligence, and wit on full display. His remarkable personality shines through as he relays stories of his childhood, his time in the service, his poolhall-hustling days, and his musical journey.

This is a concise book, a brief glimpse into the essence of the artist behind some of America's most touching and lasting songs. Reading it is like rediscovering lost moments with a loved one you miss or finding film footage of precious times you had somehow forgotten.

Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. The publication date for this book is September 9, 2025.

I guess I just process death differently than some folks. Realizing you're not going to see that person again is always the most difficult part about it. But that feeling settles, and then you are glad you had that person in your life, and then the happiness and the sadness get all swirled up inside you. John Prine

"When I Get to Heaven"
And I always will remember these words my daddy said
He said, " Buddy, when you're dead, you're a dead pecker-head"
I hope to prove him wrong
That is, when I get to heaven
And then I'm gonna get a cocktail
Vodka and ginger ale
Yeah, I'm gonna smoke a cigarette that's nine miles long
I'm gonna kiss that pretty girl on the tilt-a-whirl
'Cause this old man is goin' to town… John Prine

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.