On April 8th Japan time, i wrote:
“Digging loads of John Prine recently… he’s a funny as fck and exceptional songwriter / here’s him singing for his hero Gordon Lightfoot. The banter and songs are both top-level” and shared:
and a few minutes later, learned he’d passed from the “this g0dless plague”
so i wrote:
Now ole postman John gonna drink a vodka and ginger-ale, smoke a cigarette 9 miles long, find mom and dad & good ole brother Doug and cousin Jackie…, and momma’s sister cause that’s where the love starts… take this wristwatch off my arm whatcha gonna do with time when ya… bought. the. farm.
and later added a lyric along with our peach tree growing in the backyard while we wait for our lil human to arrive, ergo:
Throw away the paper
Move to the country
Build yourself at home
Eat a lot of peaches
Etc.
For dear old John Prine with admiration, respect and fondness
Then, for comfort and edification of me and other, dutifully rounded-up a variety of other treats and artifacts i’d recently watched and reports/tributes of his passing (as fleeting as they came by in the tumult), ergo:
starting with this 1986 songwriter’s conversation workshop thing… It’s all very candid with the audience throwing questions at him, He’s with the answers and stellar songs including some surprises – also a lot of short shorts and feathered hair because it’s 1986:
Next is John Prine and Bill Murray sharing some tender moments in an interview setting. Bill is very subdued and John shines in his understated fashion and throws out some solid gems about creativity:
Next with Iris DeMent who channels June Carter with her sassy tough kountry style (with an intro story about a movie with Billy Bob Thornton and Andy Griffith… I have no idea about this movie but anyway):
Kacey Musgraves sings this song called “Burn One with John Prine” to John Prine with fantastic witty banter leading in (as usual) / maybe it’s on some kind of music cruise ship something or other:
Here he is joined with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, a couple of great storytellers – From 1985 and a bit of a rough video transfer but hey, roll with it:
Another gem NPR tiny desk / Includes anecdote about meatloaf in Nashville:
Austin City Limits in the full form, 2005:
https://youtu.be/6QqcKpBD5bI
1980 on Soundstage with some footage of his hometown:
of course there are many more but these were in rotation when the news went down
+++
Rolling Stone magazine’s “John Prine, One of America’s Greatest Songwriters, Dead at 73“
Roger Eberts’ *original* review “John Prine: American Legend” / republished