Travel

What John Prine Can’t Travel Without

Singer-songwriter John Prine has been playing his distinctive country-folk music on the road for nearly 50 years.

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RESTRICTED -- What John Prine Can’t Travel Without
By
Nell McShane Wulfhart
, New York Times

Singer-songwriter John Prine has been playing his distinctive country-folk music on the road for nearly 50 years.

He is currently touring in support of his newest album, “The Tree of Forgiveness.”

Prine and his wife, Fiona, are based in Nashville, Tennessee, but they spend much of the year in St. Petersburg, Florida, where they do very little.

“Fiona is a beach person,” he said. “I just bought a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, and I’ve got that down at the house in Florida, so I usually take that to the carwash and go get a hot dog and wait for Fiona to come back from the beach, and then we go out to a nice restaurant at night.”

They also spend a lot of time in Galway, Ireland, where Fiona Prine has family.

There, he said, he likes to “sleep all day and go to the pub at night. We’re very relaxed people.”

On tour he travels with three bags stuffed with old hotel keys, newspapers, shoehorns, corkscrews and much, much more.

“I have one huge suitcase that’s usually overweight, so I pay extra money for it, and two garment bags that look like body bags,” he said.

“They’re stuffed — overstuffed — with clothes and suits that are too small,” he added. “I hate to admit it to my wife, but I only wear two outfits on the road, and then a third one during the day, but I carry about 20.”

Following is what John Prine packs on every trip.

Condiments

“I take my own syrup, ketchup and mustard, just in case of emergencies, in my suitcase. Whatever I can steal from the hotels. It’s usually Heinz ketchup and they give you a weird mustard. You don’t get French’s or anything; you get some sort of Dijon or some mustard. That’s just for hot dogs. I don’t use mustard for anything else.”

— ‘Archie’ Comics

“I’ve been subscribing to ‘Archie’ for 40-some years, and I just like to receive it in my mailbox. I subscribe to it under the name ‘Johnny Prine, Age 71,’ and I give my correct age and you know, you go to the mailbox once a month, and there’s an ‘Archie’ comic there with your name on it — it’s kind of a nice feeling.”

Kazoo

“My wife just gave me a kazoo, so there’s a kazoo at the bottom of the bag. I just used mine on the latest record. Everybody in my band has a kazoo now.”

Toy Motorcycle

“With a little man on it. It’s kind of for good luck. I’ve had one of these ever since I could walk. I’ve had to replace it over the years because other kids steal it from you. It’s the guy on the back that I really like. He came with the motorcycle, so you wouldn’t want to throw the motorcycle away.”

Magazines

“I have an issue of Mojomusic magazine in my bag; it’s a May issue, with a young Roger Daltrey on the cover. I’m not in it. I don’t know why — I’m very important. Guns of the Old West — it’s a magazine about antique pistols. I don’t collect them, but I have two I bought on the road about 20 years ago.”

Guitar Picks

“I’ve got probably 11 in my pocket right now, and they’re orange, green, red and white, and they all have my name on them. I might give them to fans. It depends on what they’re like. I might give them one. I don’t like to be caught without a pick.”

Five Pairs of Reading Glasses

“I lose them a lot, but then I find them later.”

Magnifying Glass

“It’s about 5 inches in diameter. That’s what I used before I admitted to myself I needed glasses. I don’t throw anything away, if you couldn’t tell.”

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