At the top of the fourth chapter of Tom Piazza’s new book Living in the Present With John Prine , Piazza quotes Mississippi writer Barry Hannah: “Good old boys know there’s something unsmiling at the heart of things. That’s why we like to laugh.”

Prine was known for his wry perspective and profound grasp of the realities of life, but he always seemed to be having a good time trying to make sense of it all.

Living in the Present With John Prine

Tom Piazza

Norton, 208 pages

$27.99

Piazza will appear at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum alongside Fiona Prine as part of the John Prine gathering You Got Gold on Oct. 11.

“The thing that made John so special wasn’t that he was a clown,” Piazza tells the Scene . “John was always a lot of fun, and he was funny, and we laughed a lo

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