R.I.P. John Prine 1946-2020 dies of Covid-19*

Sad Enchilada is the perfect name for a John Prine cover group.

Hope you're enjoying your cocktail and cigarette J.P.

(BTW, I guess they oughta name drink after you-vodka & ginger ale-A.K.A. the "John Prine")

 

It's called a "Handsome Johnny". They were selling them at the Prine concert at The Ryman in 2018 after "The Tree of Forgiveness" came out.

 

His last album is wonderful, I have it in the same league as his first with many treasures in between. My absolute favorite song is Summers End, which I also like to play on my acoustic guitar......John Prine was, and is an American treasure.

 

How do you know the Spanish Pipedream guy was a deserter?

Oh just I was typing that I realized that's why he's going to Canada...damn, I never realized that either and I've been listening to that for years.

"Great Compromise" always perplexes me a little too as I'm never sure exactly what the "Compromise" is...Viet Nam seems as likely as anything but I'm not 100% sure. The woman is of course America, but beyond that I've never been entirely sure. The guy she ditches him for at the Drive-in? I dunno...

 

My favorite John Prine song if I had to name one, often it brings tears to my eyes:



Almost every time I listen to Prine something makes me smile, and something makes me tear up...it's a powerful songwriter who can do both of those things to me so often

 

The car she jumps into at the Drive-In is Vietnam. And now she wants him to fight to protect her honor, like he's done in the past. (Prine was an Army vet, he had literally slept "at the foot of Old Glory".) But, it was HER who had hopped into HIS car ...

"Well you know I could have beat up that fellow
But it was her that had hopped into his car
Many times I'd fought to protect her
But this time she was goin' too far
Now some folks they call me a coward
'Cause I left her at the drive-in that night
But I'd druther have names thrown at me
Than to fight for a thing that ain't right."

Having lost one guy, though, she's got a way to draft some more help.

"Now she writes all the fellows love letters
Saying 'Greetings, come and see me real soon'."

"Greetings" being the traditional manner that draft notices started in.

 

Crap, that makes sense...thank you. I never got it!

 

THIS!
I say that even though I've been a fan for a long time and already own most of his catalog on vinyl and CD. But looking at current prices on eBay, there is definitely demand. Maybe its just your typical cynical cashing in, but I think it may be more than that.

I thought it was kind of weird how fast the Rhino reissues of his 1st and 2nd lps went OOP and got really expensive, especially the S/T 1st album. And even his most recent "Tree of Forgiveness" seems to already be OOP.

 

is there attribution for this? o wait i'm chopping onions right now.

 

Fiona's Facebook Page.

 

Nice piece from the President of Ireland on the passing of John Prine.

Media Library | News Releases | President of Ireland

 

This is being released for Record Store Day: RSD '20 Special Release: John Prine - The Atlantic Albums

I already have those 4 albums on vinyl, but it is pretty cool. I want Bruised Orange.

 

Flippers, start your engines.

 

Opinion | Jason Isbell: John Prine Taught Me to Stay Vulnerable

Nice piece by Jason Isabell...

Just listening to No ordinary blue from last album. Love it.

 

Apart from being one of the most insightful songwriters of his generation, John could also interpret other writers' work impressively.

Here he is singing a Shel Silverstein song. He liked it so much that he filched part of the melody for his own "Some Humans Ain't Human".



I'll also mention "Clay Pigeons", "Killing the Blues", "All Night Blue" and "We're Not the Jet Set" as some of my favorite Prine covers of others' work.

 

That’s what I was thinking. That cigarette, it’s not nine miles long.

 

I have those lps but will be getting this if I can. I bet the 2000 copies go fast

 

What’s really weird for me, I feel after almost fifty years I’m having to share him with others. I honestly had no idea the he was so respected and had so many fans. This is truly wonderful, I hope he knew how much he touched others.

 

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but Blaze Foley wrote a song that sounded more like a John Prine song than many of Prine's own songs. I saw John Prine perform it in 2017 and it brought the house down. I swear it got just as much applause as Sam Stone and the other true classics.

 

I’m of an age that I first wondered about John Prine from this song.



There was an NPR interview, I heard in the last few years, where he talked about writing Paradise and Roger Ebert helping to launch his career and the friendship he ended up sharing with him. The next time is listen to the Tree Of Forgiveness, I’m gonna bawl.

 

Like so many other people I initially thought “Clay Pigeons” was a Prine original when I first heard it. Ben Dickey, who also covered the song, opened for Prine when I was him in Durham in November. I kept my fingers crossed for a duet ... late in the set we got it!

 

Ya, but he's got a pile of em' in the ashtray!

His final performance on Austin City Limits:

Home - Austin City Limits

And a tribute to Mr. Prine from ACL with rare video:

John Prine 1946-2020 - Austin City Limits

 

A really nice statement by President Higgins. He or someone close to him must be a big fan.