Therapy from a Stranger

Rumor has it that Kris Kristofferson stumbled into a bar one night, saw a mailman with a guitar on stage – and before you knew it – John Prine stopped delivering mail and became a voice of the people.

Now, I won’t go off on a rant here and tell you that John Prine was a political activist or any pigeon-holing type of shit like that; but I will tell you that John Prine was a common man with a lot of ideas and he was happy to share them.

And people were happy to listen.

I’ve heard Prine’s music my whole life…
On the radio.
On my floor as a kid playing with toys.
On the road to somewhere I’ve long forgotten…
But the first time I really listened to him was during the grip of the pandemic.

Being that a lot of us were separated from one another, I took a lot of time to myself to explore the backroads and trails around my home and in depths of the River Valley. That’s when I really started to dig into his words; follow the trail of breadcrumbs he was leaving while living.

His music strengthened friendships and helped me speak my mind and understand what it was all about – whatever IT is, was, and will be. It was as much of a conduit as it was an influence on me.

(Therapy from a stranger.)

But the one song that grabbed me and held me down until I could see the scene with my eyes open, was “Crooked Piece of Time” off of September 78. It literally notated the place and time we were all living in while politicians and scientists went to war over what they were going to do with this virus and the people it was impacting.

(Petty things from petty people while we all irked out a living.)

The virus – COVID by name – would eventually become a tool to divide us all – people fighting over masks and vaccines. Some crying about freedom, others going with the flow. And as we’re still reaping in that stryfe, and facing another – questionable by some – variant, John has come into focus again – this time in the form of a whole album:

So here’s my bold and accurate statement about a man who I wept for as he died from complications from this ratty virus, last year:

John Prine is a staple in Americana – and not the flag waving, bible dragging, extreme right Americana – but the true grit, blue collar – “smoke some dope, who cares who you sleep with as long as you’re having a good time, and if you don’t mind – love me or leave me alone” – kind of Americana I was raised on.

– Me, right now, sipping coffee, listening to the dog bark at a deer outside,
the girls laughing in their bedroom, and “Hello in There”.

Now I don’t know John. I never knew John. But I know a lot of people like him. People in faded blue jeans, drinking foamy beers and flying their own flag – who bring hope and happiness to whomever they touch.

(Bonus points if they have a guitar.)

People a lot like me and my people – but swapping out the faded jeans for Carhartt unwashed duck double-knees, faded in the ass and knees. People who are proud to be Americans, but not those Americans who drag the Bible around behind them and use it to cover up their shame – Americans who live freely and pour love and laughter into their family and friends. People who stand for themselves and think for themselves so they can be themselves.

Anyway, there are some key tracks on “John Prine” that, if you were to dedicate the next hour of your life to listening to music, would set you on the path of a fantastic day. These are songs, when listened to in order – will present you with balance while tapping into some of those places in your inner-you that you don’t always tap into; especially all at once:

Illegal Smile
Because we all get stoned and want to be left alone, sometimes.

Spanish Pipedream
Because it’s easier to think for yourself than you think.

Hello In There
Because it’s easy to forget people, but it’s easier to remember them.

Sam Stone
Because the bad drugs are really bad.

Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore
Because those Bible Draggers are a real drag.

Angel from Montgomery
Because we’re all looking for an angel to save us.

I’ve listened to this album twice since I started this written reflection. I even bought a copy of the album off of eBay – because maybe I’ll get stoned on the couch one night and think too much about all the things I don’t want to think about all too much?

And maybe I’ll find that those are the things I want to think about after all….

Love you, John.
Thanks for your time…