From One Writer to Another: Why Stephen King Admired John Prine

Stephen King is not only one of the most successful writers of the 20th and 21st century, but also one of the greatest writers of all time. The man has released masterclass book after masterclass book, and has consistently remained one of the most prominent writers in contemporary culture. You know who else has accomplished that feat? John Prine. Stephen King acknowledged that fact and was very outspoken about his admiration of the musician leading up to his death and after the fact.

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On the surface, John Prine and Stephen King don’t have a lot of artistic similarities. However, that didn’t stop King from admiring the work of Prine. Matter of fact, there were two notable instances in which King celebrated Prine’s work. One was before his death, and the other one was shortly after his passing. In all, the affinity King has for Prine shows how much respect he had for his fellow creative titan.

Stephen King was a master of one of the most important rules of writing. That rule is to show and not tell. Like King, Prine was also a master of this rule and seemingly followed it to a tee. He never told you who his characters were but showed you through poetic vehicles and descriptions. That being said, King pointed to a Prine lyric as one of his favorites. And that line is from Prine’s song “Grandpa Was A Carpenter”.

Stephen King’s Favorite John Prine Lyric

In his book, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, King divulged that his favorite Prine lyric was the following:

“Grandpa was a carpenter / He built houses stores and banks/ Chain smoked camel cigarettes/ And hammered nails in planks / He was level on the level / And shaved even every door / And voted for Eisenhower / ’cause lincoln won the war.”

Other than the lyrical nuance in the verse, King stated he loved the line because of the personal relevance embedded in it. He wrote in his book that the line from “Grandpa Was A Carpenter” is “one of my favorite John Prine lyrics, probably because my grandpa was also a carpenter.”

In addition to King’s admiration for that one John Prine song, after Prine died in 2020, the relatively reclusive Stephen King actually took to X to pay tribute to Prine. If you are familiar with Stephen King, you know he doesn’t interact with the public unless he feels a deep need to. In the post, King simply wrote that “Coronavirus has taken one of the great ones: John Prine, dead at 73. So many memorable songs.”

Not much else is known about the relationship between King and Prine. Regardless, it’s always a treat to see two masters respect each other’s work and lives.

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