Last Friday I went to a John Prine concert at the Louisville Palace with my friend Les Rust (see "A Character in the Making").  My history with Prine goes back to a PBS documentary on him I saw in December, 1982. Les goes back further. He saw John in a Louisianna dive not much bigger than the Skyline Diner where we had our pre-concert meal. Prine is now 72. He has survived two bouts of oral cancer. His voice sounds more like the grinding gears of semi than a virtuoso. But his lyrics speak God-given redemption to the human condition. John took his young son to one of his concerts and asked him what he thought. It's okay Dad, but it's not real. Not like baseball. That's real. I  beg to differ with a Prine heir, but let me tell you. His music is real. A whole genre of musicians look [...]