The first time I got to see John Prine live. it was my 19th Birthday, and i had a roommate from Australia that I didn't get along with. We fought constantly. but on the morning of my birthday, i woke up to a ticket beside my bed for the concert in Toronto for the Missing Years tour. I was blown away. it was a generous and amazing gesture. I was so excited. he had been my favorite songwriter. I got to the show, and sat in my seat. next to me was an older couple and they were very nice and also big fans. in the middle of the show, he had a "smoke break" and I went outside to smoke a doobie, and found myself next to a tree in the area. within minutes, about 5 other young, solo, bearded guys just like me were gathered around the tree to smoke a doobie. we all connected in our love of John and the fact that we were there alone. i came back in, and John came to the stage alone and did a few songs, just him and his guitar. he played Sam Stone last, and during the last chorus his Bass player, pulled his bow across his strings and it hit me so hard I was bawling. that Bass just cut right thru me, right across my heart and i couldn't even breathe. it was my first time seeing John live, and i held him in such high regard it was hard for me to even believe he was a real person. It was hard to wrap my head around that a real person could be so perfect in every way. such a giant in my life, a real songwriter with super magic powers..Seeing him live was breathtaking. I realized that he was a real person and that this real person could write songs with such authority and whimsy. He gave me something heavy to aspire towards. I try my best to write honest songs. He was real. I was crying so much the lovely couple next to me started asking if i was ok, and the wife started to rub my back and she was crying too. she was lovely and kind. I was so amazed that it was all real. I have seen John about 20 times since that first show, i am grateful i was able to see him so many times, and it never got easier. I was always moved to my core.. I even got to meet him and hang out with him one night. that is a whole other story. Every show I have been to, I would burst into tears at the first song. He really changed my life. I grew up listening to punk rock, and John has always been my favorite songwriter. All my memories of John come flooding back when Otis does these clips of his friends speaking of him. I could watch them all day. thank you Otis.. you are a wonderful man. great songwriter and i love your channel.
The first time i saw John was emotional for me too. He began singing Paradise and I got overwhelmed. Memories of singing that song in Unitarian church as a little kid... Even thinking about seeing him do it live gives me goosebumps. I had seen him about as many times as you and I am still holding tickets for 3 shows that were scheduled for April last year. Hard to believe I am living in a world with no John Prine show to look forward to.
Great, honest story you share and you are blessed to have seen John Prine 20 times. Conversely, and sadly for me I only discovered John Prine in around 2018( sounds impossible I know but true) and from the start in 2018 I knew he was something unique and Very Special. Wicked sadly for me is that I never got the chance to see him Live :( And thank you Otis Gibbs for these heartwarming stories , Peace, Health and Prosperity in the new year to you all !
I have never in my life connected more with any other artist. Still devastated after close to 2 years now. Stopped listening to his music because I just couldn't take it, but slowly getting back in. There will never be another.
Johns passing was the low point for me also . I was very distraught thinking he was alone , without his wife or loved ones. Its now my understanding that Fiona was with him and gives me a little comfort . Much love to all who hold that great man in their hearts ❤️☮️🎶
I got a few Prine shirts, and when ya wear a Prine shirt, anyone who recognizes it, always gives a nod, And that look, where'd he get that!?? Great stories 👋😎👍
I was absolutely devastated at the news of John's passing. I could not listen to any of his music for 6 months or better without completely bumbing out and tearing up.
I love to hear Gretchen Peters sing and her songs are so great. I think "5 Minutes" and "The Matador" are so great. John Prine hit me right in the heart from the first time I heard him in the early 70s.
just recollections about John Prine make me smile - one of my favourite all time compositions 'Angel From Montgomery' , oh and 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness' and of course can't forget 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness' and there is also etc, etc..... mm, guess i know how my Friday night will be spent. Probably said this before , but Otis Gibbs is proving to be the Alan Lomax of the spoken word recollections and I thank him for it.
Thank you Otis thank you Gretchen for sharing this story, stories. Sometimes I think how lucky people are to have known John. April 7th 2020 was a bad day for his family, friends as well as his fans. So very sad
Otis thanks again. And a big thanks to Gretchen Peters for sharing her story. Confirms my thoughts of what a wonderful man John must have been. The other night I watched "The Best of John Print on Austin City Limits" from my PBS Passport app. I had just installed the app a few nights before and was binging on ACL shows as well as some great docs. I came across John Prine's special and thought "I don't know if I want to watch this" and put it off for bit. I really didn't want to be saddened. So, a few nights later I turned it on and, yes, some tears and lumps-in-the-throat but when it was over I exhaled and thought what a wonderful, wonderful man he must've been and so glad I had his music in my life. Love. A really cool part of the show was a clip of him with Billy Joe Shaver, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark and a few others sharing songs and he sang "There She Goes" while strumming on a huge archtop. Gretchen's comments about him enjoying himself was clearly evident there. I'm glad I tuned in today and heard her say that. He was having fun. My best to his family and close friends who must be missing him greatly. Best to you & Gretchen as well.
I was listening to John's first album the other day when it hit me that this album could also be his first greatest hit album. If anyone reading this has not listened to this album. Do so, John's music will make you a better human being.
Enjoyed this interview. Gretchen was more than just a casual acquaintance. She had some behind the scenes stories and also some real good points to ponder here.
Hey Otis ya know I cried and called my sis and my nephew was in the back ground playing some sad JP song and we both cried. I didn’t discover him until late and never got to see him. Thank for the share
Great perspective from GP as always. There was a lot of John Prine in the air back in the Boulder days! I was so pleased when I started seeing youtube clips of Gretchen and Barry performing with John - I just wish he had called them up for Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian! I was on a zoom call for my non-profit when I was told he had passed away, and I remember saying "no no - he's supposed to be stable" like Gretchen is saying here. I kind of decompensated at that point. That was a true milestone moment in the pandemic for me.
Happy to say I saw my first Prine show in Chicago and one of his last shows in one of his other hometowns, the Florida one. Is remarkable testimony to the content of his character that I've never heard anyone speak ill of the man.
It is important to hear these stories and for them to be preserved and saved. Without these interviews, videos, and recordings there is so much history that would be lost. All these stories of life and living are what gives passion and meaning. Thanks Otis for all you do. The stories you save here and tell in the lyrics of your songs. Thank you so much.
Was fortunate enough to see John Prine several times thru out the years. He played a HUGE 3 day outdoor festival in Galax, Virginia: "Stompin 76". He walked thru the crowd BSing & laughing w/ people just as a regular down to earth Joe...
Who doesn’t want to sing Merle Haggard songs, i know I always do, especially if I could have done it with John Prine. Kinvarra is a great spot. That sounds amazing what a dream. I want to be as comfortable as Prine. That sounds like a good song title, As Comfortable as Prine. I’m still sad about the loss. He passed away a day after I lost a dear friend due to covid. It’s hard. They’ll be forever intertwined.
Thanks Otis, This was a great intimate segment and yes it was rather sad. John and many others are gone now and It just leaves me with a rather high level of unease in regards to our world and it’s current state. Without folks like John we are all the worse off. I just recently lost a co worker and his daughter from Covid-19. This whole mess just personally saddens me so very much. Thanks for the episode Otis, miss John a lot.🎶
Thanks for sharing your stories Gretchen. Never had an opportunity to meet or hear John live. But I’ve always had a connection through his music. Thankfully John’s music will be with us forever.
My father turned me on to John Prine when i was real little back in the late 70s. His songs are either funny or heart touching or both. His music will always make me think of my father too.
My son introduced me to John's music and took me to a show in Montreal . I think Iris was there also as I seem remember a couple of songs with her . "In spite of ourselves " included . A great performer .
jP said it so well “I guess I just process death differently than some folks. Realizing you're not going to see that person again is always the most difficult part about it. But that feeling settles, and then you are glad you had that person in your life, and then the happiness and the sadness get all swirled up inside you” Hope he’s enjoying a Handsome Johnie and that 9 mile long smoke
Christ, I'm so mixed up and lonely I can't even make friends with my brain Yeah, I'm too young to be where I'm goin' But I'm too old to go back again I miss John Prine
Most great musicians find themselves sitting around singing Merle Haggard songs, because he was the best singer songwriter that ever lived. It doesn't surprise me at all that JP dug it.
The first time I got to see John Prine live.
it was my 19th Birthday, and i had a roommate from Australia that I didn't get along with. We fought constantly.
but on the morning of my birthday, i woke up to a ticket beside my bed for the concert in Toronto for the Missing Years tour. I was blown away. it was a generous and amazing gesture. I was so excited. he had been my favorite songwriter.
I got to the show, and sat in my seat. next to me was an older couple and they were very nice and also big fans.
in the middle of the show, he had a "smoke break" and I went outside to smoke a doobie, and found myself next to a tree in the area. within minutes, about 5 other young, solo, bearded guys just like me were gathered around the tree to smoke a doobie. we all connected in our love of John and the fact that we were there alone.
i came back in, and John came to the stage alone and did a few songs, just him and his guitar.
he played Sam Stone last, and during the last chorus his Bass player, pulled his bow across his strings and it hit me so hard I was bawling. that Bass just cut right thru me, right across my heart and i couldn't even breathe. it was my first time seeing John live, and i held him in such high regard it was hard for me to even believe he was a real person. It was hard to wrap my head around that a real person could be so perfect in every way. such a giant in my life, a real songwriter with super magic powers..Seeing him live was breathtaking. I realized that he was a real person and that this real person could write songs with such authority and whimsy. He gave me something heavy to aspire towards. I try my best to write honest songs. He was real. I was crying so much the lovely couple next to me started asking if i was ok, and the wife started to rub my back and she was crying too. she was lovely and kind. I was so amazed that it was all real. I have seen John about 20 times since that first show, i am grateful i was able to see him so many times, and it never got easier. I was always moved to my core.. I even got to meet him and hang out with him one night. that is a whole other story. Every show I have been to, I would burst into tears at the first song. He really changed my life. I grew up listening to punk rock, and John has always been my favorite songwriter. All my memories of John come flooding back when Otis does these clips of his friends speaking of him. I could watch them all day. thank you Otis.. you are a wonderful man. great songwriter and i love your channel.
Much love to ya, Brad!
The first time i saw John was emotional for me too. He began singing Paradise and I got overwhelmed. Memories of singing that song in Unitarian church as a little kid... Even thinking about seeing him do it live gives me goosebumps.
I had seen him about as many times as you and I am still holding tickets for 3 shows that were scheduled for April last year. Hard to believe I am living in a world with no John Prine show to look forward to.
@@notbraindead7298 thank you... i hope you have a wonderful holiday..
Great, honest story you share and you are blessed to have seen John Prine 20 times. Conversely, and sadly for me I only discovered John Prine in around 2018( sounds impossible I know but true) and from the start in 2018 I knew he was something unique and Very Special. Wicked sadly for me is that I never got the chance to see him Live :( And thank you Otis Gibbs for these heartwarming stories , Peace, Health and Prosperity in the new year to you all !
I some times for get then I here "half a inch of water". It all comes back.
Missing him allways.
Thanks, Gretchen. I miss him every day.
I have never in my life connected more with any other artist. Still devastated after close to 2 years now. Stopped listening to his music because I just couldn't take it, but slowly getting back in. There will never be another.
Everyone should get to know Gretchen and her music and subscribe to her channel while you're at it! ruclips.net/user/gretchenpeters
When I get to heaven I'm gonna shake God's hand and thank him for more blessings than any man can stand. Thanks again for another great job Otis.
Johns passing was the low point for me also . I was very distraught thinking he was alone , without his wife or loved ones. Its now my understanding that Fiona was with him and gives me a little comfort .
Much love to all who hold that great man in their hearts ❤️☮️🎶
This is a good one. Hung on every word. Loved John Prine ...one of the best. Bruce
I got a few Prine shirts, and when ya wear a Prine shirt, anyone who recognizes it, always gives a nod,
And that look, where'd he get that!??
Great stories
👋😎👍
I was absolutely devastated at the news of John's passing. I could not listen to any of his music for 6 months or better without completely bumbing out and tearing up.
I love to hear Gretchen Peters sing and her songs are so great. I think "5 Minutes" and "The Matador" are so great. John Prine hit me right in the heart from the first time I heard him in the early 70s.
To this day I’m so glad my uncle turned me on to John Prine when I was a kid ✌️😎
John Prine was just a salt of the earth gentleman rest in heavenly peace
Snowed in here in Washington state. Thanks Otis!!! From 76 to 80 I saw John 3 times once with Steve Goodman.. great memories
Love it so much, thank you. The thought of Prine singing Haggard, my two favourites.. wow!!
just recollections about John Prine make me smile - one of my favourite all time compositions 'Angel From Montgomery' , oh and 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness' and of course can't forget 'Speed of the Sound of Loneliness' and there is also etc, etc..... mm, guess i know how my Friday night will be spent.
Probably said this before , but Otis Gibbs is proving to be the Alan Lomax of the spoken word recollections and I thank him for it.
Thank you Otis thank you Gretchen for sharing this story, stories. Sometimes I think how lucky people are to have known John. April 7th 2020 was a bad day for his family, friends as well as his fans. So very sad
Otis thanks again. And a big thanks to Gretchen Peters for sharing her story. Confirms my thoughts of what a wonderful man John must have been. The other night I watched "The Best of John Print on Austin City Limits" from my PBS Passport app. I had just installed the app a few nights before and was binging on ACL shows as well as some great docs. I came across John Prine's special and thought "I don't know if I want to watch this" and put it off for bit. I really didn't want to be saddened. So, a few nights later I turned it on and, yes, some tears and lumps-in-the-throat but when it was over I exhaled and thought what a wonderful, wonderful man he must've been and so glad I had his music in my life. Love. A really cool part of the show was a clip of him with Billy Joe Shaver, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark and a few others sharing songs and he sang "There She Goes" while strumming on a huge archtop. Gretchen's comments about him enjoying himself was clearly evident there. I'm glad I tuned in today and heard her say that. He was having fun. My best to his family and close friends who must be missing him greatly. Best to you & Gretchen as well.
I was listening to John's first album the other day when it hit me that this album could also be his first greatest hit album. If anyone reading this has not listened to this album. Do so, John's music will make you a better human being.
That album was the greatest first album ever.
Listening to The Great Compromise. He was a true genius and by all accounts a great person.
Enjoyed this interview. Gretchen was more than just a casual acquaintance. She had some behind the scenes stories and also some real good points to ponder here.
Hey Otis ya know I cried and called my sis and my nephew was in the back ground playing some sad JP song and we both cried. I didn’t discover him until late and never got to see him. Thank for the share
Thank you for these great folk stories of people we have listened to and enjoyed.
Great perspective from GP as always. There was a lot of John Prine in the air back in the Boulder days! I was so pleased when I started seeing youtube clips of Gretchen and Barry performing with John - I just wish he had called them up for Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian! I was on a zoom call for my non-profit when I was told he had passed away, and I remember saying "no no - he's supposed to be stable" like Gretchen is saying here. I kind of decompensated at that point. That was a true milestone moment in the pandemic for me.
Thank you, Otis 🙏
Thank you for the stories, Gretchen 🙏
Happy to say I saw my first Prine show in Chicago and one of his last shows in one of his other hometowns, the Florida one. Is remarkable testimony to the content of his character that I've never heard anyone speak ill of the man.
I'm with ya, John!
It is important to hear these stories and for them to be preserved and saved. Without these interviews, videos, and recordings there is so much history that would be lost. All these stories of life and living are what gives passion and meaning. Thanks Otis for all you do. The stories you save here and tell in the lyrics of your songs. Thank you so much.
Thank you!
Solid interview, thanks Otis & Gretchen
Thanks, Joe!
Great interview Otis, good insight into John Prime.
Keep rocking brothers and sisters ✌️🤘🕶️
Brother Gary
Was fortunate enough to see John Prine several times thru out the years. He played a HUGE 3 day outdoor festival in Galax, Virginia: "Stompin 76". He walked thru the crowd BSing & laughing w/ people just as a regular down to earth Joe...
Who doesn’t want to sing Merle Haggard songs, i know I always do, especially if I could have done it with John Prine. Kinvarra is a great spot. That sounds amazing what a dream. I want to be as comfortable as Prine. That sounds like a good song title, As Comfortable as Prine. I’m still sad about the loss. He passed away a day after I lost a dear friend due to covid. It’s hard. They’ll be forever intertwined.
Losing John Prine and Toots Hibbard defines the cruelty of covid for me. I loved their music so and listened to them weekly for over 40 years.
Thanks Otis,
This was a great intimate segment and yes it was rather sad. John and many others are gone now and It just leaves me with a rather high level of unease in regards to our world and it’s current state. Without folks like John we are all the worse off. I just recently lost a co worker and his daughter from Covid-19. This whole mess just personally saddens me so very much. Thanks for the episode Otis, miss John a lot.🎶
Thanks for sharing your stories Gretchen. Never had an opportunity to meet or hear John live. But I’ve always had a connection through his music. Thankfully John’s music will be with us forever.
Thanks Otis! Great show.
Thanks, Randy!
My father turned me on to John Prine when i was real little back in the late 70s. His songs are either funny or heart touching or both. His music will always make me think of my father too.
Thanks
Thanks to both of you for this! Keep em coming🙏👍❤️
My son introduced me to John's music and took me to a show in Montreal . I think Iris was there also as I seem remember a couple of songs with her . "In spite of ourselves " included . A great performer .
Thanks for the post. Very much appreciated.
Thank you!
jP said it so well “I guess I just process death differently than some folks. Realizing you're not going to see that person again is always the most difficult part about it. But that feeling settles, and then you are glad you had that person in your life, and then the happiness and the sadness get all swirled up inside you”
Hope he’s enjoying a Handsome Johnie and that 9 mile long smoke
Christ, I'm so mixed up and lonely
I can't even make friends with my brain
Yeah, I'm too young to be where I'm goin'
But I'm too old to go back again
I miss John Prine
wish i could have heard john singing merles "big city" or "working mans blues"
great stories, losing John was all our lowpoint....(btw, classy move at the end, fade to black)
Most great musicians find themselves sitting around singing Merle Haggard songs, because he was the best singer songwriter that ever lived. It doesn't surprise me at all that JP dug it.
John was so much cooler than he ever realized.
Love the shout out to Declan O'Rourke 👍
man if you know a guy that re-tiled Johns bathroom I wanna hear that guys story too.
I'll bet John brought him a beer! : )
"Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios." seem he was still trying
When I heard Meatloaf, I thought: uh, the singer? Then I remembered: this is John Prine we're talking here!
John was Authentic