Living in the Present with John Prine

by Tom Piazza, Fiona Whelan Prine (foreword)

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

One of Billboard's "Ten Essential Music Books That Make Great Gifts"

A vivid, joyful, moving window onto the life and heart of an American icon.

In the spring of 2018, Tom Piazza climbed into a 1977 Coupe de Ville with the great singer-songwriter John Prine to write an article for the Oxford American. Their Florida road trip ignited a deep friendship, full of tall tales over epic meals, long nights playing guitar and trading songs, and visits back and forth between their homes in Nashville and New Orleans. Along the way, Prine invited Piazza to work with him on a memoir, with John telling sprawling, often hilarious stories of his youth and family in Chicago and Kentucky, his breakthrough into the national spotlight, his riotous early years in the Nashville country scene, and much more. When Prine died suddenly of COVID in April 2020, that unfinished memoir evolved into an intimate and very personal narrative of the artist’s final years. In it, Piazza offers fans an unforgettable portrait of the beloved musician in his late glory―as a boyish cut-up, an epic raconteur, a great American poet, and, most important, a beloved friend.

12 photographs

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, American

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Michael Burke]

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, NetGalley, and Edelweiss Plus 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

[Melki]

When John and I talked about his life, for the memoir or anything else, what he remembered came alive because of his words, his presence in language. Not talking about, not making a dead likeness, a recitation of something past and gone, but by being present in time and space. The point was always to be open to the moment.

In the wonderful way that reading one book leads to another and another, and sometimes a whole series of books, listening to albums by Better Midler and Bonnie Raitt led me to one of my favorite singer/songwriters. As a lonely teen playing records in my bedroom, I noticed that Midler's "Hello in There", and Raitt's "Angel from Montgomery" were written by the same person --- John Prine. I certainly needed to add one (or several) of his discs to my collection. That was many, many decades ago, and my enjoyment of the man's music has never waned. I was lucky enough to see him perform live in 1995, and it was an unforgettable evening.

I'm glad this book came along to help me get to know him even better.

Piazza had been tapped by Prine to write his memoir, but Prine died in early April 2020 from complications caused by COVID-19, and that project never got very far. The writer and songwriter met many times however. Finding that they had much in common, Prine and Piazza became friends - visiting favorite haunts, and listening to, and playing music together. Much of the book is about the times and laughs they shared.

There were some surprises to be found here. I did not know that in his youth, Prine was a master of the pommel horse. (I still have trouble picturing that . . . ) And, not really a surprise at all, he LOVED old diners and craved meatloaf.

Reading this is a bittersweet experience. I'm glad for what he left us, but wish he could have stuck around a lot longer.

John seemed happiest when he didn't know exactly what would happen--driving, walking around, browsing in a record store or antiques shop, especially playing music or sitting with friends or family over a meal--when he was being there, then. Tasting the food, hearing the joke, the music, seeing the sunset. Sharing the moment, seeing and hearing the same thing.


Many thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for both an electronic and a physical ARC of this book.

[Colin]

The strength of Living in the Present with John Prine lies with its complete lack of detachment, its genuine intimacy. Piazza doesn’t distance himself from the subject, he doesn’t give a comprehensive biography of Prine, or a critical study of his musicianship, opting instead for a loving portrait of a person and a friend. As Prine’s longtime bandmate Jason Wilber told Piazza, Prine’s greatness as an artist doesn’t come from any easily quantifiable technical skill or inventiveness but with a humanity and emotional depth that’s hard to put into words (except for Prine’s own). With this as Prine’s strength, no overly technical, formulaic, and detached biography could truly capture Prine as a person and as an artist, but Piazza’s approach does just this. By relying heavily on Prine’s voice as well as occasional stories from those closest to him, and of course on Piazza’s own stories, the kindness, humor, and generosity of John Prine shine through.

[Mark Hartzer]

I miss John Prine. While I didn’t listen to his music every day, I would randomly look for one of his tunes on a regular basis. “It’s a Big, Old Goofy World”; “Sam Stone”; “Lake Marie”; “Mexican Home”; and on & on. Just one of the best songwriters who ever lived. But Covid-19 killed him, and that really makes me sad. I wasn’t ready for him to go.

Tom Piazza does a fantastic job of staying out of the way and letting Prine be Prine. The riffing and observations are so characteristic of Mr. Prine. Here he is talking about meeting with Bob Dylan and becoming friends:

“And then throughout the years, little by little, I ran into all of his relatives, totally by accident. I went to see Bob at a show in Chicago, and I ended up sitting next to his Mom. I got introduced to her and she said, ‘Oh, we’ve heard a lot about you, John Prine.’ I met his brother David-his brother ran the theater in Minneapolis. Bob’s wife Sara, before they got divorced, told me she used to play my records at home all the time. And I’m thinking, ‘That musta drove Bob nuts!’ His son Jakob said when they were kids they would sing ‘Fish and Whistle.’” p. 29

Piazza became friends with John and his wife Fiona the last 2 years of John’s life, and you can feel the love between the men and their families. I’m really happy that Mr. Piazza was able to share these stories (and a few photos). It felt like I got a chance to smile a little illegal smile to myself knowing John Prine’s music while I was turning the pages. A lovely man. He will be missed. 5 stars.

[Jack McCoy]

John prine is firmly on my mount rushmore of guys i wish were my uncle

[Jeanette Hosmer]

wasn't gonna drink tonight but I miss John Prine like a mf

[Mike S.]

I wish I could have had hot dogs with John Prine. Maybe bought some new shoes with the guy. Tom Piazza makes it sound magical, and the writing is very good, and Prine was funny and so quick, and boy did we lose a great one in 2020. Though the comment within the book that most destroyed me was Piazza talking about himself as an only child, how he felt he was "subconsciously seeking out siblings his whole life" and I have spent a good amount of time the last few days rolling that over and over in my head and yeah. What a blessing for Tom that he met and worked with John for a couple years, got to share a really lovely friendship beyond just writing about him.

[Jt O'Neill]

I would give this book five stars just because John Prine deserved five stars for a life well lived and music well written and played. Tom Piazza offers the reader insights culled from a relationship with John built over the last two years of John's life. The intention was a more complete memoir but John left the planet way too soon (courtesy of COVID in 2020). In truth, I had hoped for a more in-depth portrayal of John Prine but I'm glad for what Tom was able to put together in this book. Tom shares conversations and insights he gleaned from his time with John and that just makes me so glad that a) John Prine was on the planet while I was on the planet and b) that I hadnthe opportunity to enjoy his music for a good forty five years (so far).

Tom mentions many songs in particular and it has been a pleasure to visit or re-visit many of them. It was also a delight to listen in on conversations and be inspired by a singer songwriter who apparently knew well how to live in the present moment. This book came at a good time for me as that is exactly what I am intent on doing.

Two favorite sentences from the book:

"Mortality was suddenly the wallpaper in the room."

and later in the book:

"Mortality might have been th wallpaper in the room, but aging was the funrniture you had to maneuver around."

[Stuart Rosen]

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 ARC.

[Kristine]

Enjoying listening to Tom Piazza speak about his times with John Prine. I originally found out about this talented Singer/Songwriter through my Brother, Kevin. I had heard his songs over the years, but just did not realize who sang them. John Prine lived an authentic and grounded life, one in the moment and that valued family. It was unusual for him to befriend someone new, so that he became friends with Tom Piazza was unexpected.

John and Tom became deep friends and that entailed Tom listening to many of John’s stories. He lived a fascinating, but simple life. He was an easy going guy. He just lived this way and liked the dynamics between these two. I wish some of John Prince’s music was included, but that probably wasn’t possible. John dealt with serious health issues such as cancer, yet seemed to just go on living. It was so sad when he got Covid, and all his invincibility finally came to an end. He left so much to listen to and learn about life.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for a copy of this. I always leave reviews of books I read.

[Diane Rusert]

I adored this book. I am glad it wasn’t a straight on biography which could probably still have been concluded after John died suddenly of Covid but instead a beautiful impression of a true artist and his new writer true friend. Loved, loved, loved it.

[Corey Knight]

A quote about grief surrounding the death of John Prine:

“I have sometimes asked myself how, and whether, I could have a right to feel such a sense of loss and grief. Our friendship had lasted less than two years. I’ve come to know many folks who knew John for much longer than I did. How did I have the right? But deep friendship and love aren’t measured in linear time. If you are lucky enough to have had it, then you know. People can spend their entire lives together and never experience it. It’s sad but true…. Grief. Part of you dies, taking all provisional glimpses of possibility with it. For a while maybe it takes all of you with it, except for a few strands of duty and habit. Parts of you come back slowly, if they come back. There is a false spring, when you realize that you are still alive. When that wears off, there is a deep emotional trough. Sooner or later you are left with the question of where to put the ashes, what to write on the headstone, literal or figurative, how to properly memorialize a life. And how to walk away without turning your back.”

I think what Tom Piazza was able to do with this book was exceptional. I felt my self laughing and crying throughout. I find John Prine’s Charisma to be enchanting and Piazza really captures that. Everything flows well and you could really tell how much John Prine cared about those around him. How intentional he was and how positive he always was.

I still find that his death left a whole in a part of my soul even though I never met him. I grew up listening to him on weekends in West Virginia with the stereo system and my family even went on a John Prine tour of Kentucky when I was a toddler. My mom and dad both very much love John Prine. I didn’t always like his music (I used to judge his voice pretty harshly). It took me til college to truly appreciate his music, humor, emotional depth, and his writing. I’ve never had another artist make me laugh and cry as much as this musician. I’m thankful I got to see him in 2006 and again in 2018 when I could really appreciate it.

I think Piazza describes what a lot of the fans felt about him and why that was. John Prine was a great human being that touched the lives of the people around him and the people that connected through his music

[Forrest McCurren]

Thankful to have this (small) peak into personal-side of an American Treasure. Cheers to Handsome Johnny who's in the Big Night Club in the Sky, smoking a nine-mile long cigarette, drinking a vodka ginger ale and kissing that pretty girl on the Tilt-a-Whirl.

[Ann]

An exceptional experience, lovely in the personal glimpses and bittersweet as the loss of John Prine all too soon prevented the author from writing a more expansive memoir.
The vivid recollections of Covid-19 were a visceral gut-punch and reminder of the deep losses and lasting impact of those days. The music, all the music is everything. The presentation here of a life well lived and much loved is an experience to savor.

[Chuck Wiedrich]

The author does a beautiful job of presenting John Prine the man. I loved the way he used short glimpses of the times he spent. They provided deep insights. References to well known stories were augmented nicely by either context and/or additional information. A quick read, an enjoyable read. A definite must read for the John Prine fan. I gave four out of five not because the author didn't deserve five, but because of John Prine's untimely passing....the author did his best given the limited material with which he had to work.

[Katie White]

A nice balance of insights into the man and his music. Unwraps the caring heart of John Prine. I leave this book thinking, “so that is why you are drawn to this man and his music.”

[Sam Olvey]

you just love him

[Len Boselovic]

No disrespect to Piazza, an accomplished writer with the skill to capture the essence of his subject without getting in the way of the story, but this is probably 4 stars if it's about anyone other than John Prine. Anytime I saw him perform, I couldn't stop smiling for days and it was the same after breezing through this book. As a huge fan (every John Prine song is my favorite John Prine song), I feared I would come away disappointed. But letting Prine tell his story in his own words and the frequent quoting of his lyrics left me asking: how lucky can one man get?

[Jack Mcloone]

A beautiful portrait of what seems to be a lovely man who has written just incredible music, and a book with such an unfortunately sad backstory that gets used to craft something special.

I unfortunately came to John Prine late, only really hearing about him after his death. I started listening to him a ton in 2025 and have slowly become more and more obsessed, most notably occasionally straight up crying if I listen to How Lucky or When I Get To Heaven too early in the morning. So the timing of this book couldn’t be better.

This was borne of two projects: a profile by the author, Tom Piazza, that quickly turned into a friendship with Prine and his wife Fiona, and a planned memoir that was only two interviews deep when COVID started in earnest, eventually taking Prine’s life.

The book is broken into three sections, the first being a conventional “here’s how we met and some stories” section. But wow are the stories good, full of tender moments, laugh out loud jokes and incidents (including a particularly flawed jukebox), and all the music stories you can handle.

But the second section is what’s gorgeous: Piazza transcribes large portions of the interviews they did complete for the planned memoir, letting Prine’s voice shine. It’s peppered with some narrative to keep things moving, but what a delight.

The third, sadly, encapsulates Prine’s death, but also then features interviews with his longtime touring guitarist and his older brother, with the latter being some of the best stuff in the book.

Piazza pays a terrific homage to his friend and a titan of folk music, a real “your favorite musician’s favorite musician” type. I honestly think I’ll come back to this again and again.

[J.T. Crawford]

I was left, overall, with a sense of disappointment. The book is not meant to be a complete biography. John didn’t want that anyway. It is a snapshot into a period of time when John was developing a new friendship.

The thing the book needed was a deeper descriptiveness into those interactions—some additional insights. On the surface, it seems very descriptive. But at its core, it’s mostly “this happened, then this happened, then this.” It was more shallow than I expected.

[Rick]

Tom Piazza understands how lucky he is to have spent time with John Prine. He captures the magic of a John Prine show and the joy of a car ride with him. It’s not a complete memoir since Covid took him just as they were getting down to the task of assembling one. But it’s got all the joy of being him.

[James]

Tom Piazza wrote a profile of John Prine for the magazine Oxford American and the two struck up a friendship. John asked Tom to help write his memoir and Tom agreed. They held one meeting (largely transcribed here) before John succumbed to COVID-19. This book captures John Prine's spirit, joie de vivre, and humor and serves a great memorial to this legendary songwriter. Highly recommended.

[little_pangolin]

This is just a really nice book ;_;

[Markus Riemer]

The good stuff

[Blaine Duncan]

This thin volume is a nice portrait of John Prine a couple of years before his death, yet at times, the author should cut pieces short. It’s nothing that detracts from visiting with John Prine.

[Patricia Murphy]

I’m glad I read it. Events had control of the structure instead of the structure having control of the events.

[Lenore Piccoli]

I listened to it. Interesting stories and musical moments that were inspiring. My husband introduced me to John Prine and listening to his songs mean more to me now

[Chris Raborn]

It’s a wonder what this could have been if not for John’s untimely passing, but the author did a wonderful job given the cards dealt. A great glimpse into John Prine the person and their friendship.

[Sally]

I took my time reading this book as I knew it would be a sad ending. Tom Piazza does a wonderful job of telling us about what it was like to know and spend time with John Prine.

[Jed Bloom]

I miss John Prine! The book did it's job. Funny and wise enough to honor an absolute hero.