John Prine: I find the human condition funny Prine was understandably pleased. He recalls: "Bob Dylan was at my very first show at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village. I had met Dylan at Carly Simon's flat when I went along with Kristofferson. Dylan turned up riding his motorcycle, at a time he didn't want to be seen much. I thought he was just a quiet, unassuming guy. People at Carly's place were playing on their guitars and he started singing along to one of my songs. My debut album had literally just come out but it turned out that producer Jerry Wexler had sent Dylan an early copy. Dylan then came to the Bitter End, carrying a bunch of harmonicas, and said he just wanted to be a sideman. I was knocked out at simply being in New York, so to have Dylan play with me seemed surreal. We've met a few times since, every 10 years or so, and always had fun, but he's not like someone I go bowling with. Prine is renowned for witty lyrics and it seems appropriate, on the day we chat, that a fake space monkey is in the news. Prine co-wrote with Peter Case in the nineties, a song about a Russian space monkey. "It's always good to be topical, even about space primates," he says. What makes him laugh? I was kind of shy as a lad, and a lot of things that made me laugh I found did not make other people laugh. I guess what I always found funny was the human condition. There is a certain comedy and pathos to trouble and accidents. Like when a driver has parked his car crookedly and then wonders why he has the bad luck of being hit. When I was a boy, my family used to watch a lot of Laurel and Hardy. If there was a WC Fields film on the television set, something like The Bank Dick, my father would call us straight into the room. I bought a collection of WC Fields films for Christmas and they still make me laugh. Prine, who was born in Maywood, Illinois, grew up on country music and craftsmen lyricists such as Lefty Frizzell. He remains "a huge fan of Jerry Lee Lewis" and says one of the main reasons he moved to Nashville was for the delight of being able to wander round the Country Music Hall Of Fame And Museum. Prine says he "loves the music of Van Morrison," adding: "Van is also someone I consider one of the greats of songwriting. I can remember having lunch with him in Florida and we had such a good, long interesting talk about music. He's a huge fan of the music I love, too - country and blues. Prine's songs have been covered by legions of performers and he says: "You are always initially pleased when someone covers a song you have written, and it's nice when someone acknowledges a debt, but the thing about my songs is that if they are not done right then they can sound a bit wordy. When I perform, I am almost in a situation where I am abbreviating my own lyrics. Some of Prine's songs - such as the movie soundtrack song In Spite Of Ourselves, a duet with Iris Dement, wouldn't work for other performers, in any case. Prine starred as Alvin in the 2001 movie written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton called Daddy And Them. Did he enjoy his spell as an actor? "Heck, I would love to do more acting," he says with a cackle. I am still waiting for the phone to ring. I carry my acting Union card and it's ready and fully paid up. I enjoyed the experience but time does go slowly when you are waiting around in a trailer to do your scenes. John's Prine: 10 great songs picture gallery special Prine didn't spend that downtime time reading. He says: "I am not a huge reader. I find it difficult to get stuck into a book. If I pick up a novel, I usually start somewhere in the middle and if it hooks me then I will go back to the beginning of the book and see how it started. I did read a lot in high school, when I couldn't get enough of John Steinbeck, but later I found I could not have novels on the go while I was in a period of songwriting. I just couldn't marry the two things and work creatively. The film came at a time when Prine was recovering from serious illness. In 1998, he was diagnosed with squamous cell cancer on the right side of his neck. He had surgery to remove a substantial amount of diseased tissue. Did that battle with cancer change him as a person? "It definitely made me more aware of what's around the corner," he says. It was a jumping-off point for the rest of my life, I think. I had spent a lot of time racing hungrily towards things I wanted. But it makes you look properly at things around you, think about what you have accomplished, in your family life as well as your work. Think about what has borne fruit. He talks fondly about memories of his father sitting on the porch, drinking beer and talking about everything from politics to baseball, remarking that "the older I get, the more I can see what's in me that comes from my parents." Prine is 66 and has a stepson called Jody with his third wife and two teenage sons, Tommy and Jack. He was a mature father (we have both endured the part-comic experience of being mistaken for our child's grandfather) and Prine talks with great pride about sons who are taller, stronger and deeper-voiced than he is. He loves seeing old friends, and says: "It's one of the plus-sides of travelling so much that when people see your name on a marquee sign they will look you up out of curiosity. I have had some nice times with old army buddies but we've all got worse not better.. As well as playing London and Manchester, he is relishing the upcoming Irish tour. "I love spending time in Ireland," he says. Their laid back attitude suits me and I get taken fishing. I'm not a very good fisherman but I think it's mainly an excuse to go drinking with your buddies anyway. Prine still performs around 50 concerts a year, almost always using young talented opening acts. Amos Lee ("what a beautiful voice") was with him for a period and, for the forthcoming tour, Declan O'Rourke, Bap Kennedy and Philip Donnelly will be supporting him. Last week, Prine was with Kristofferson again, and both performed at a tribute concert to Cowboy Jack Clement. Jack is a proper songwriter. It was a magic evening," says Prine (below, at the concert in Nashville). When Kristofferson was around we were talking about how we had both started to feel older. We laughed because we also knew that when you grab the guitar, you can still feel young again. In his youth, Prine wrote a moving, poetic song about old age, called Hello In There. Is it strange singing it now being older? Ah, while I am singing this on stage, I think I am still a young man. But I know what you mean, as I'm getting older I realise the words do feel differently and soon I will have to be singing Hello In Here. Prine, who has his own label called Oh Boy Records, is still writing songs but the process is harder than in the days he would come up with several beauties in quick succession while doing his postal round. Yes, Kris and I were talking about songwriting again, how you always kind of know it immediately if you've got something good. Prine says he has three new songs he is working on "that show some progress" but admits the creative flow is harder. He is open about the problems, as he adds: "Well, it's true that I am a bit lazy. That's why I am not in the recording studio at the moment, even though I am sure my wife wishes I would get out of the house. I guess I am just waiting for a new song to fall off a tree and hit me on the head. For now, I would be happy if I could just write another song. The past couple of years have been a struggle. You have to try to be patient, and not see it as an assignment. Not worry and have faith that one will come along. I'm not someone who really shows anyone a work in progress. By the time I really like a song, I sing it. The experience of singing words and playing the melody tells the writer a whole lot about whether it will work. Sometimes it's like colours, you realise you have to paint it a little differently. But I would never sing something that I did not believe in. Maybe London will offer some inspiration, I venture. "Yes," he laughs, "or maybe I will find a song left under the pillow at my hotel."