During the opening lines of the foreword to Tom Piazza’s latest book, Living In The Present With John Prine, the widow of one of the finest songwriters of his generation, Fiona Prine, describes how her late husband was also an astute judge of character. “Someone who could decide within the first few minutes of meeting a new person whether they were worth spending time on. He could especially spot an ulterior motive or lack of sincerity in a person and hated braggers or people who put on airs. He did, however, like people who loved their parents and older family members, and loved to talk and share stories”. These salient insights into the inner-workings of this much-loved and missed iconic songsmith offer up the very fulcrum to which Piazza’s charming portrayal of Prine in the twilight of his life revolves, for as the author himself openly confesses, this is not a biography, or a chronicle of musical development, not a critical assessment, oral history or study of influence on American culture. No, this is a book about friendship, regardless of its relevant brevity, and the loss, no less felt.
Tom Piazza is a celebrated novelist, writer and occasional journalist on American music. Among his acclaimed books are the novels The Auburn Conference and A Free State, the post-Katrina manifesto Why New Orleans Matters, and the essay collection Devil Sent The Rain. In addition, he was also the principal writer for the innovative HBO drama series Treme, as well as the winner of a Grammy Award for his album notes to Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Oxford American, to name but a few, and it was on behalf of the latter in 2018 that he accepted an assignment to write a profile on John Prine, who was just about to release what would become the most successful album of his career, The Tree of Forgiveness. The completed article was published in July of that year, constructed almost entirely around a road trip the two had taken from Prine’s holiday home in Gulfport, Florida, to Sarasota, in a 1977 red Coupe de Ville, which he had just taken ownership of. During that time, as the relaxed and jovial conversation flowed around topics such as the local area, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Goodman, copious recollection on Bob Dylan, as well as two of Prine’s favourite pastimes, food and shopping, the seeds to what would become a cherished friendship between two kindred spirits were sown. In fact, such was the trust that had grown between them in what was a relatively short space of time that Prine agreed to let Piazza write his life story, an idea he had flatly refused to entertain despite numerous offers throughout the previous two decades. And so it was that the two began work on the book in February of that fateful year, 2020.
Just in case anyone reading this article is unaware, John Prine died suddenly of COVID in April 2020, barely six weeks after he and Piazza had met for what was meant to be the first in a series of sessions. During this meeting on the last weekend in February, Prine shared memories of his youth, his early days in Nashville, his friendship with the legendary producer and songwriter Cowboy Jack Clement, and much more besides. Plans and dates for a second session were agreed upon, but alas, were never to be, leaving Piazza to deal with not just the loss of a dear friend, but also what to do with what, in truth, was very much the bare bones of a manuscript to a biography of a life extremely well lived.
Rather than flesh out the book with quotes, anecdotes and stories from those who had known Prine through the different stages of his life, Piazza instead decided to focus on the friendship and respect that had grown between the two men over the preceding years, turning the spotlight on the time spent in each others company, and, in doing so, delivering a compelling insight into John Prine the man rather than simply the singer-songwriting artist we had all come to love.
A large part of Piazza’s armoury is that he is not just a great writer, but also a long-time Prine fan. In addition, he is a more than capable guitar player, as well as an oracle of folk, country, and old-time songs, who loves telling stories. For Prine, this offered him a brand-new audience, not just for his songs but for the incredible stories he liked to tell and retell about his more than fifty years as a touring musician, and from this unintentional scenario, the foundation of the book is built, and where its very heart can be found. For it was during the late-night sessions at Prine’s house in Nashville, that would run well into the early hours of the following day, that the two men would swap stories, swap songs, and even swap guitars. On one occasion, Prine lent Piazza the guitar that was originally owned by his closest friend, Steve Goodman, with Piazza recalling how eerie it felt taking hold of the instrument, fully aware of its history and the songs that were most probably written on it. The very intimacy of the moment, typical of so much of this work, highlights one of Piazza’s greatest talents, in which he makes the reader feel like they were right there in the room while those stories were being told, while those songs and guitars were being swapped. Not in a ‘fly on the wall’, secretly intruding manner, but as an invited guest, sharing those moments along with a glass of the preferred beverage, Handsome Johnny Cocktails.
Though intimacy and camaraderie lie at the very core of this book, Piazza was acutely aware that there were parts of Prine’s life that he hadn’t been privy to that were essential in giving his story greater depth and structure, as well as a cohesive timeline. Prine’s wife, Fiona, proves a constant source throughout, but there are periods of his life that even she was unable to contribute to. His early years growing up, and his time on the road. For the former, Piazza turned to Prine’s older brother, Dave. It was Dave who first introduced John to music whilst he was still at high school, teaching him the rudiments of the guitar while playing him records by Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotton. By the time Piazza met Dave, he was already well into his eighties, but still living in Maywood, the suburb just west of downtown Chicago, where John had grown up, and though unsurprisingly slow in his movement, he proved to be still wonderfully lucid, providing many insightful stories of a youthful John Prine through to his time in Germany on National Service.
For Prine’s time on the road, Piazza hooked up with lead guitarist Jason Wilber, who had worked with Prine for over twenty-four years, having been initially hired to tour with the band for the 1995 album Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings. Needless to say, Wilber could regale with many stories from their time touring together, as well as being one of those present at Prine’s house in Nashville the day the jukebox caught fire, just one of the many humorous tales scattered through the book’s pages. However, once again, the overriding emotion is one of mutual respect and camaraderie between two gentle spirits, which harkens back to what Prine’s wife Fiona said in the foreword to the book, recalling her husband’s innate ability to recognise the sincere from the fraud.
So, Living In The Present With John Prine is not a comprehensive biography nor a chronicle of possibly the greatest singer-songwriter of our time, though it’s safe to assume that somewhere that book is probably being written as you read this article. No, instead, the equally talented novelist and writer, Tom Piazza, has given us something of far greater worth in sharing an insight into his unique friendship with Prine, for in doing so, he has allowed the reader to feel like they themselves knew the great man a little better. His likes and dislikes, such as his passion for no-nonsense food, including meat loaf, hot dogs and pork chops, and shopping, particularly shoe shopping, along with his love for his family and close network of friends. Most of all, though, it was his lifelong obsession with songs, writing them, singing them, playing them, communicating and connecting with all those who shared that obsession, which best reveals who John Prine really was, and it is doubtful anyone could have captured that better in print than Piazza has with Living In The Present With John Prine. A wonderful book that will constantly bring a smile to your face and, yes, a tear to your eye, as you long for a different outcome even though knowing how the story ends. A must-read, not just for all John Prine fans, but for all of us who love the craft of quality writing, whether that be in song or storytelling.
Living In The Present With John Prine by Tom Piazza is now available through Omnibus Press.
