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Prine on Prine: Interviews and Encounters with John Prine
" As close to an autobiography as we’re going to get from John Prine, Prine on Prine captures the inimitable, whimsical voice of one of our greatest songwriters . . . Nashville legend Holly Gleason knew the man and assembled this brilliant collection with a knowing eye and loving heart." — Joel Selvin , author of Fare Thee The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead's Long, Strange Trip and other books
Curated by a critic who knew him across five decades, Prine on Prine distills the essence of an iconic American unguarded, unfiltered and real. In his own words, in his own time—on the road, in the kitchen, the Library of Congress, radio shows, movie scripts, and beyond.
John Prine hated giving interviews, but he said much when he talked. Embarrassed by fame, delighted by the smallest things, the first songwriter to read at the Library of Congress, and winner of the Pen Award for Literary Excellence, Prine saw the world unlike anyone else.
The songs from 1971’s John Prine remain spot-on takes of the human condition today, and his writing only got richer, funnier, and more incisive. The interviews in Prine on Prine trace his career evolution, his singular mind, his enduring awareness of social issues, and his acute love of life, from Studs Terkel’s radio interviews from the early ’70s to Mike Leonard’s Today Show packages from the ’80s, Cameron Crowe's early encounter to Ronni Lundy's Shuck Beans, Stack Cake cookbook, and Hot Rod magazine to No Depression ’s cover story, through today.
Editor Holly Gleason enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Prine and his longtime co-manager, and she often traveled with him on tours in the late 1980s and represented him in the 2000s.
Curated by a critic who knew him across five decades, Prine on Prine distills the essence of an iconic American unguarded, unfiltered and real. In his own words, in his own time—on the road, in the kitchen, the Library of Congress, radio shows, movie scripts, and beyond.
John Prine hated giving interviews, but he said much when he talked. Embarrassed by fame, delighted by the smallest things, the first songwriter to read at the Library of Congress, and winner of the Pen Award for Literary Excellence, Prine saw the world unlike anyone else.
The songs from 1971’s John Prine remain spot-on takes of the human condition today, and his writing only got richer, funnier, and more incisive. The interviews in Prine on Prine trace his career evolution, his singular mind, his enduring awareness of social issues, and his acute love of life, from Studs Terkel’s radio interviews from the early ’70s to Mike Leonard’s Today Show packages from the ’80s, Cameron Crowe's early encounter to Ronni Lundy's Shuck Beans, Stack Cake cookbook, and Hot Rod magazine to No Depression ’s cover story, through today.
Editor Holly Gleason enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Prine and his longtime co-manager, and she often traveled with him on tours in the late 1980s and represented him in the 2000s.
370 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2023
106 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 2, 2024
Last year, I went looking for a book about John Prine, and I found this brilliant collection of fifty years of interviews presented uncut in one volume.
It has taken me a while to work through this book. There's a lot of repetition of information as most interviewers touch upon the same moments in Prine's life. Taken in small doses over several months, though, it has been utterly engaging, and I've loved having so much straight-from-the-horses-mouth insight into the life and mind of one of my favourite singer/songwriters.
If you're a John Prine fan, you'll love this book. If you're not, go listen to the music he left us with. Once you're a fan, you'll be back for this book.
Very highly recommended!
It has taken me a while to work through this book. There's a lot of repetition of information as most interviewers touch upon the same moments in Prine's life. Taken in small doses over several months, though, it has been utterly engaging, and I've loved having so much straight-from-the-horses-mouth insight into the life and mind of one of my favourite singer/songwriters.
If you're a John Prine fan, you'll love this book. If you're not, go listen to the music he left us with. Once you're a fan, you'll be back for this book.
Very highly recommended!
December 19, 2023
Enjoyable but like watching re-runs
This is not an autobiography or a biography. It’s a collection of interviews. So the same topics come up over and over again. I was annoyed at first, but was drawn in, and had to get to the end. Stories are repeated, but each time a little differently. In its own quirky way, it succeeds in giving us a portrait of the man, and by the end, you feel like you’ve been hanging out with John Prine. And wish you could do it again.
This is not an autobiography or a biography. It’s a collection of interviews. So the same topics come up over and over again. I was annoyed at first, but was drawn in, and had to get to the end. Stories are repeated, but each time a little differently. In its own quirky way, it succeeds in giving us a portrait of the man, and by the end, you feel like you’ve been hanging out with John Prine. And wish you could do it again.
January 4, 2024
John Prine was such a wonderful human. You can feel his warmth and joy in this book.
Some of the interviews are enlightening. I especially loved the Lloyd Sachs No Depression article, the conversation with Ted Kooser, and the Paul Zollo BLUERAILROAD Interview. There is a lot of repetition in the stories, which gets a little boring after a dozen interviews.
Overall, a lot of fun for a John Prine fan. The small anecdotes about the making of each album makes it worth the read.
Some of the interviews are enlightening. I especially loved the Lloyd Sachs No Depression article, the conversation with Ted Kooser, and the Paul Zollo BLUERAILROAD Interview. There is a lot of repetition in the stories, which gets a little boring after a dozen interviews.
Overall, a lot of fun for a John Prine fan. The small anecdotes about the making of each album makes it worth the read.
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May 20, 2025John Prine is well-known for his way with words. The genre-defying melodies, playful attitude, and fondness for nostalgia wrap around his lyrics and then find their ways into our ears and on into our psyches.
Prine on Prine is a worthwhile tribute. Editor Holly Gleason’s collection brings together fifty years of interviews with Prine, and his words in this form are just as compelling and entertaining as those in his songs. Gleason introduces each piece with thoughtful context and tender insights. The earliest articles present a young songwriter a little flustered about everything that is happening so quickly. The older Prine is not flustered at all but comes across as amused by the fuss. At no point is he particularly detailed about his songwriting process, but he talks about the songs, his friends and family, life on the road, and the ups and downs of having his own record company. While this format necessarily results in some repetition, the anecdotes that appear decade after decade reveal their formative importance in Prine’s life and work. Those who know Prine’s music will hear his voice while reading his excellent words.
It’s still hard to believe John Prine survived cancer three times but couldn’t beat Covid. Just listen to one of his songs and see if you don’t miss him.
Prine on Prine is a worthwhile tribute. Editor Holly Gleason’s collection brings together fifty years of interviews with Prine, and his words in this form are just as compelling and entertaining as those in his songs. Gleason introduces each piece with thoughtful context and tender insights. The earliest articles present a young songwriter a little flustered about everything that is happening so quickly. The older Prine is not flustered at all but comes across as amused by the fuss. At no point is he particularly detailed about his songwriting process, but he talks about the songs, his friends and family, life on the road, and the ups and downs of having his own record company. While this format necessarily results in some repetition, the anecdotes that appear decade after decade reveal their formative importance in Prine’s life and work. Those who know Prine’s music will hear his voice while reading his excellent words.
It’s still hard to believe John Prine survived cancer three times but couldn’t beat Covid. Just listen to one of his songs and see if you don’t miss him.
September 21, 2023
An illuminating glimpse into the career and mind of one of America's best songwriters!
November 20, 2023
I still miss John Prine. 💜
August 7, 2025
Retelling Prines discovery time and time again could be viewed as filler but I enjoyed each journalist sharing their stories. I have homework this winter to explore his discography. I'm all fuzzy that I got to see him live in a small venue in ND. and now where's that illegal smile........... oh here it is.
December 29, 2024
Fascinating, funny and unique look at Prine’s history and creative process, as told by Prine in numerous interviews by top music writers, published here in chronological order. The narrative is held together by excellent introductions penned by Holly Gleason, a writer with close relations to Prine. There is inevitably some overlap between the interviews — how he was discovered, how he wrote certain songs,etc.— but each one contains revelations, and reminds you how good some of these writers are (and of course, Prine).
January 17, 2024
Though I love a wide range of music, I regret to say I had never heard of John Prine until 2019. I’ve adored him ever since. In Prine on Prine, I loved learning all about his life. He was a kind & funny family man & an exquisitely talented songwriter. This book contained a collection of interviews over several decades with quite a bit of redundancy. Besides that, I found myself smiling throughout at John’s stories & lyrics. Our world was better with him in it!
October 1, 2023
Although John Prine had been sick with cancer for quite a while, it nevertheless came as a shock when he died in 2020 from COVID. The accolades started pouring in from within and outside the music world. It’s a shame that you have to die to find out how much people care about you and the influence you had on them.
Music critic Holly Gleason is eminently qualified to put together this tribute, comprised of interviews that Prine did going back more than 50 years. The publications and TV shows on which he appeared are varied, as are the locations, which is another testament to his popularity.
Gleason points out in her introduction to PRINE ON PRINE that Prine did not like to do interviews. He did a good job hiding it, at least on paper. The words on a page can’t always do justice to a person’s demeanor or inflection, so out of curiosity, I looked for several of his televised interviews online. To me, he came across pretty well: relaxed and natural. That comes with experience. You learn to anticipate what might be asked, and you figure out what works for both you and your audience. There are a lot of false starts, but they never seemed to deter Prine for very long. But then, that’s the persona that comes across. Whether or not he was being forthcoming, only he knew for sure.
One of the more interesting aspects of Prine’s career that stands out in these nearly 40 profiles was his impatience working with a major record company. It reminded me of a line from the movie That Thing You Do when the soulful songwriting member of the band laments over his inability to push new songs to his bosses. “Never trust the label,” he says. To be fair, making records is a business. The higher-ups want to make sales and are loathe to experiment. They want to go with what works. When Prine wanted to expand his repertoire, he met with resistance --- so much so that he decided to form his own label, with great success. That pride of ownership shows in many of these conversations.
“He evolved over the years, but he never changed his core truths,” Gleason writes in the afterword. “He was willing to scrape away the hubris and rhetorical build-up he saw around him to write what felt like basic songs that sucker punched transgressors with a wink or a child’s innocence.”
One of the drawbacks of a compilation such as this is that over time the questions (and answers) tend to look alike. Even with new projects coming out --- the impetus for many of these exchanges --- Prine repeated responses such as how he got his start, who his inspirations were, and where his ideas came from. (As a former newspaper writer and editor, I tried to mix it up as much as possible. The biggest compliment was having the interviewee momentarily stumped before saying, “That’s a great question.”)
Nevertheless, PRINE ON PRINE is a sweet look at a musician whose work brought smiles, as well as contemplation, to millions of fans around the world.
Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
Music critic Holly Gleason is eminently qualified to put together this tribute, comprised of interviews that Prine did going back more than 50 years. The publications and TV shows on which he appeared are varied, as are the locations, which is another testament to his popularity.
Gleason points out in her introduction to PRINE ON PRINE that Prine did not like to do interviews. He did a good job hiding it, at least on paper. The words on a page can’t always do justice to a person’s demeanor or inflection, so out of curiosity, I looked for several of his televised interviews online. To me, he came across pretty well: relaxed and natural. That comes with experience. You learn to anticipate what might be asked, and you figure out what works for both you and your audience. There are a lot of false starts, but they never seemed to deter Prine for very long. But then, that’s the persona that comes across. Whether or not he was being forthcoming, only he knew for sure.
One of the more interesting aspects of Prine’s career that stands out in these nearly 40 profiles was his impatience working with a major record company. It reminded me of a line from the movie That Thing You Do when the soulful songwriting member of the band laments over his inability to push new songs to his bosses. “Never trust the label,” he says. To be fair, making records is a business. The higher-ups want to make sales and are loathe to experiment. They want to go with what works. When Prine wanted to expand his repertoire, he met with resistance --- so much so that he decided to form his own label, with great success. That pride of ownership shows in many of these conversations.
“He evolved over the years, but he never changed his core truths,” Gleason writes in the afterword. “He was willing to scrape away the hubris and rhetorical build-up he saw around him to write what felt like basic songs that sucker punched transgressors with a wink or a child’s innocence.”
One of the drawbacks of a compilation such as this is that over time the questions (and answers) tend to look alike. Even with new projects coming out --- the impetus for many of these exchanges --- Prine repeated responses such as how he got his start, who his inspirations were, and where his ideas came from. (As a former newspaper writer and editor, I tried to mix it up as much as possible. The biggest compliment was having the interviewee momentarily stumped before saying, “That’s a great question.”)
Nevertheless, PRINE ON PRINE is a sweet look at a musician whose work brought smiles, as well as contemplation, to millions of fans around the world.
Reviewed by Ron Kaplan
July 17, 2024
Tough to give a rating for this book... As for the musician, an easy five stars. The info in the book is also excellent. It has pretty much everything you might want to know about this songwriter and performer. The issue is that as it is literally most interview or story published about him during his long career. it tends to be somewhat repetitive. I still recommend reading it though if you are a fan of his. While there is a lot repeated in here, almost ever story or interview does have a nugget or two in it. still, in the end I guess I would have preferred a straight biography. Better yet, I'll just listen to his music which is five stars for sure.
November 1, 2024
3.75 A compilation of articles and interviews with John Prine by some of the big names (and not so big) writing on music in newspapers, magazines, etc. over his career. It was an interesting way to look at him as a person as well as to see why other musicians thought so highly of him personally as well as a musician. Some of it was a bit repetitive which is why I didn’t go for a straight four star rating, but was well worth reading. Free ebook from the library.
December 7, 2024
The only reason I did not give it to five stars was because of the repetitiveness of some of the interviews. Every one, for example, seems to mention the story of Kris Kristofferson discovering John Prine. But there are really interesting insights into his creative process and into the way he Incorporated emotions and life events into his lyrics. Definitely worth the read if you are a fan, as I am.
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November 30, 2023PRINE ON PRINE: INTERVIEWS AND ENCOUNTERS WITH JOHN PRINE by Nashville writer, producer, manager, critic and music industry consultant Holly Gleason is both a fine tribute and excellent resource for readers, music lovers, and fans of John Prine.
Read the full review on BookTrib.com
Read the full review on BookTrib.com
April 1, 2024
John Prine's greatness is without question. Smart, witty, purposeful and genuine, his lyrics are like him, or he is like his lyrics. My only beef with this book is its repetitiveness. I think the Kris Kristofferson story is told 15 times. A little more judicious editing would have made this a more enjoyable read. Still, there's little on Prine, making this indispensable.
August 23, 2024
Any fan of John Prine will really enjoy and appreciate this book. It feels as if you yourself are sitting down and having conversations with the man through the series of interviews and articles written over his 50 year musical career. You get a real sense of his brilliance, humor and caring. Made me miss him even more.
October 15, 2023
Love Prine's music- the interviews yield some insight into the man behind the music-not much though. The interviews tend to cover the same material- over and over . At some point I jut wanted to be finished and just listen to his music.
December 10, 2023
Fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable. The format of anthologized press pieces necessarily means many of the same stories get retold many different times, but it's a thoughtful portrait of a great artists and solidly good man.
May 5, 2024
I have loved John Prine since I was 16 but mostly his older stuff. While reading this book I discovered a lot of songs I hadn't heard before. It was so sad when he died, why are there so few books about him?
March 26, 2025
I miss John Prine!
I feel like a kindred spirit with John and this book helps you sort of get inside his head to a degree. Definitely an inspiration for me! I do a lot of his songs. I hope to enjoy some vodka and ginger ale with him. That is... When I Get to Heaven.
I feel like a kindred spirit with John and this book helps you sort of get inside his head to a degree. Definitely an inspiration for me! I do a lot of his songs. I hope to enjoy some vodka and ginger ale with him. That is... When I Get to Heaven.
January 19, 2024
A very interesting read for people who are very well versed with the history of Prine, and for those who know next to nothing.
March 2, 2025
What an incredible guy! Loved every page of this book. Thank you for sharing these treasures.
July 14, 2025
4.1 stars
August 21, 2024
So many wonderful insights into the man and his craft. I made many side trips to YouTube to revisit the old and new songs while I was reading.
I was mesmerized the first time I saw him with Steve Goodman at Mariposa on Toronto Island. They would have writer’s workshops where they would compose songs on the spot based on topics suggested by the audience.
The collection of interviews and articles was repetitive but each piece revealed the author’s introduction of this great guy to their audience.
Well done
Hot dog bun
Your sister’s a nun
I was mesmerized the first time I saw him with Steve Goodman at Mariposa on Toronto Island. They would have writer’s workshops where they would compose songs on the spot based on topics suggested by the audience.
The collection of interviews and articles was repetitive but each piece revealed the author’s introduction of this great guy to their audience.
Well done
Hot dog bun
Your sister’s a nun
December 19, 2023
So far this is the closest anyone has come to a real picture of who he was as a writer and as a musician. Because many of the interviewers ask the same questions, we get a lot of repetition but it's still a great book.
I look forward to a really good documentary about him one of these days.
I look forward to a really good documentary about him one of these days.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews