something you’re likely to get back
into?
Well, only if I get good scripts. I’m not
opposed to it. I’ve got a lot of things I’d like
to do, but I do hope to do some more
movies. I would like to do, as I mentioned,
some TV things as well. Maybe some TV
movies. If I get a great script for a movie,
I'm certainly not opposed to do it. Always
looking for a good script though!
We’d like to know how it felt to
perform to a staggering 100,000
people at Glastonbury at this point in
your career?
Well, there were a lot of people there. It was
a sea of people, but to me I enjoyed it. It
didn’t scare me. I’ve worked in front of a lot
of people before - and that was a lot of
people, but to me I look at those fans, and I
just love them all. There can be 100,000 or
10,000 and I’ll just play to them all the
same... But looking out, I have to say, at
Glastonbury, it was more people than I’ve
ever seen at one time. We had a really good
time. They seemed to enjoy it. Got a lot of
great, positive press, I was really shocked
and surprised we did as well as we did! I
wasn’t expecting anything other than just to
go out and do my show, but it’s turned into
something really special and it makes me
feel real good that they accepted me that
well.
You’re about to go Platinum with
your Cracker Barrel exclusive: An
Evening With Dolly Parton, how
does it feel to still be putting out a
Platinum album?
Well, you know, anything good that
happens to me I’m just grateful for it. I
don’t care how old I get. Any little award I
get or any kind of acknowledgement, the
fact that people still love my music, and the
fact that I still want to do it. I always said
that I’d still be doing my music, even if I
had to sell it out the top of my car... So it
makes me feel good, and my relationship
with Cracker Barrel has been great. We
make a great team.
You said that the town tramp was a
fashion inspiration for you, and
you’ve been such a fashion icon for
many people, what is it about the
town tramp you like so much and are
there any fashion icons today that
you’re excited about?
Well, I actually love anything that glitters
and shines. I love a lot of colour and close
fitting clothes. I always say I buy my clothes
two sizes too small and then I have them
taken in... I just love my clothes to fit me
good and that was the thing about the town
tramp - she had a lot of colour, a lot of flare.
She showed her legs, she showed her boobs,
she showed her waist line, she had her
nails, she had her hair all piled up, she was
just really beautiful - and that’s the way I
felt inside. I’m not a natural beauty, so I
have to kinda paint n’ powder and put it all
on, so that the way I dress kinda fits the
way I feel. I’ve always been very
comfortable with that, it honestly is the
truth that I patented my look after that,
because I was impressed. To me that was
what beauty was. And that just fits my style.
and I still love the flare and the gaud.
Did you ever keep in touch with the
town tramp? Does she know how
much she inspired you?
Oh absolutely not. I knew her name, but I
would never ever ever use it. I didn’t know
if her folks knew that she was the town
tramp! I don’t even know if she knew she
was the town tramp! That’s just the way
everybody saw her, she probably wasn’t a
tramp! She may have been very much like
me, just somebody who wanted to be
more...
They always say less is more, I always
thought that was the biggest crock I ever
heard. More is more, Less is less...
(Laughs...) I want more!
What did you think about all that
nonsense about whether you were
miming or not at Glastonbury?
Oh you know what, every-time I go on tour
I hear that. I just like people to come and
watch what I do and then you tell me what
you think... But they say that about every
artist. I’m not getting into that. I’m there,
I’m Dolly and I’m singing. Someone’s
always gotta have something negative to
say, so I just roll with the punches.
You’ve been crossing over into pop
for decades. How do you straddle the
country music image where the
media portrays them as this kind of
conservative, right wing, anti-Obama,
anti-abortion... Verses liberal leftwing Hollywood - how do you
straddle that line and how do you
suggest other artists to do the same?
Well, I don’t usually get into any of the
political stuff, I’ve been Dolly all the way
through, people know who I am. They know
that I’m very open and loving of all people.
Accepting of all things. I’m an American
girl, I’ve got the freedom to do whatever,
and I’ve always been blessed with that. So I
just write my songs, I just do my
thing and say what I say and either
people accept it or don’t. I’ve been
around so long people just kinda
think of me as a family member
and I think they know I’m not
out to do any harm, nor to get
too political on anything. I’m
just a living human being,
trying to do the best I can.
1946: Born 19th Jan in Sevier
County, Tennessee.
1959: Puppy Love - Dolly’s first
recording released.
1966: Married 30th May to Carl
Thomas Dean.
1967 - Hello, I’m Dolly - First album
released on Monument Records.
1973: Jolene - released reaching No.
1 US Country chart and No. 7 UK
chart.
1974: I Will Always Love You released reaching No.1 US Country
chart, later covered famously by
Whitney Houston in the film The
Bodyguard.
1976: Dolly - TV show premieres.
1977: Here you come again became Dolly’s first $1 million seller.
1980: 9 to 5 - Dolly’s first film
released. Parton earns a Golden
Globe nomination for Best
Supporting Actress, Best New Film
Star, and Best Original Song. Plus an
Oscar nomination for her title song 9
to 5.
1981: 9 to 5 - the single released
reaching No.1 US chart and No. 47
UK chart.
1982: The Best Little Whorehouse In
Texas - Film staring Burt Reynolds
and Dolly released.
1986: Dollywood - Theme park
opens up in Tennessee.
1992: Whitney Houston records I
Will Always Love You which sat at
No.1 for fourteen weeks.
1993: Honky Tonk Angels - first
album released through her own
label Blue Eye Records.
1994: Dolly: My Life and Other
Unfinished Business - Autobiography
released becoming a New York
Times Bestseller.
1999: Voiced herself in an episode of
The Simpsons.
2004: Dolly awarded the Living
Legend Medal from the Library of
Congress.
2011: Celebrates 45 years of
marriage “We’re really proud of our
marriage. It’s the first for both of us.
And the last.”
2014: Performs at Glastonbury to
over 100,000 at the event plus 2.6
million BBC viewers and achieves
100 million sales award.
Dolly’s new album Blue Smoke is out now.
AUG / SEPT 2014 | THEGAYUK 39