Tom Piazza, the author of “Living in the Present with John Prine,” joins the Museum for an in-depth discussion of his book alongside Fiona Prine, the late songwriter and artist’s wife and manager. This program was moderated by the Museum’s Erin Osmon and recorded live on October 11, 2025.

The conversation opens with the origins of John Prine and Piazza’s relationship following John’s performance at the historic Saenger Theatre in Piazza’s hometown of New Orleans. Piazza and Fiona Prine then recount the transformation of Piazza’s book, which began as a memoir, narrated to Piazza by John, and evolved into a portrait of their friendship following John’s unexpected death from COVID-19 in April 2020.

Piazza and Fiona also share about endearing memories of John in his final years, including an interview that took place at Cowboy Jack Clement’s studio and a night spent around John’s beloved jukebox, which was a gift from fellow songwriter and performer Steve Goodman and is now on display in the Museum’s permanent exhibition, “Sing Me Back Home.” The program concludes with a discussion about carrying on John’s legacy, during which Fiona explains her decision to continue operating the family’s record label, Oh Boy Records, and release the 2022 concert film “You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine.”

Piazza is a novelist and a writer on American music and is the author of thirteen books. He was a principal writer for the HBO drama series “Treme” and won a Grammy for his album notes on “Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey.” His writing has appeared in the “New York Times,” “The Atlantic,” “Bookforum,” “The Oxford American,” and other publications.

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