“PRINE ON PRINE: INTERVIEWS AND ENCOUNTERS WITH JOHN PRINE,” edited by Holly Gleason (Chicago Review Press, 370 pages, $20).
There were many John Prines. We were lucky that way.
There was Prine the young folkie and “New Dylan,” but with songs even Bob couldn’t write: “Angel From Montgomery,” “Hello in There,” “Sam Stone.”
There was Prine the rocker, looking louche on the cover of “Sweet Revenge,” and sounding it on the opening lines: “I got kicked off of Noah’s ark / I turn my cheek to unkind remarks / There was two of everything, but one of me.”
There was rockabilly Prine, produced in Memphis by Sam Phillips’ sons, with a little help from the old man.