Dolly parton

Exhausted, exhilarated and anxious about the massive year to come

When I was asked to write a diary for The Spectator, I was honored, yet afraid. I question whether I would have anything interesting to discuss or will I just have to share the perils of raising a ten-year-old boy? Then I realized that the holidays in Palm Beach make for a very busy time, plus I would be spending time with my liberal in-laws, which always makes for an elevated level of drama, to say the least.  The drama came early on Thanksgiving when I was required to board a plane to Boston at 6 a.m. The double masker next to me, who was also anxiously clutching the largest bag of masks I have ever seen, asked to be moved, as she was “afraid to sit next to an unsanitary dog.

Rock ’n’ roll Dolly Parton’s political wake-up call

You know something dire is happening in the world if Dolly Parton’s feathers are ruffled. Dolly, an American sweetheart known for her blonde, bouffant hair, downhome, sweet and simple honesty (and a couple other big things), has released some songs from her upcoming rock album, Rockstar. And golly Dolly, are they ever feisty. The fact that Dolly is releasing a rock ’n’ roll album at all points to a serious cultural reckoning. Dolly, now seventy-seven years old, is more known for such innocent hits as “Love Is like a Butterfly” and “Coat of Many Colors” than for having a black-leather edge associated with sex and drugs. Yet such are the times we live in.    At the ACM Awards a couple weeks ago, Dolly debuted “World on Fire” from Rockstar.

dolly parton

A holly Dolly Christmas

Dolly Parton’s 47th studio album, A Holly Dolly Christmas, is a combination of Christmas classics and original songs. The 12-track album perfectly encapsulates what Christmas is about. Yes, it’s about Jesus and family and having compassion for those that have less than you, but it’s also about wine and presents and glitter. As ever, Dolly has read the room and delivered exactly what the world needs right now. A Holly Dolly Christmas is a welcome respite after a turbulent, unpredictable year. One thing that has remained the same in 2020 is that Dolly Parton has continued to be the gift that keeps giving.

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Morals and mortality

There is a moment in the first episode of Dolly Parton’s America when you think the sainted songstress may have made the worst mistake of her career. ‘Do you think of yourself as a feminist?’ asks host Jad Abumrad. ‘No, I do not,’ Dolly says. There is a pause as wide as the gap between those who have four-year degrees and those who don’t. After Dolly says she thinks feminism means hating men, Abumrad cuts to an interview with feminist, Heartland author and Dolly superfan Sarah Smarsh. They grasp for a reason why Dolly would think so non- progressively. The interview starts to feel like a wake.

dolly parton