From The New Yorker Radio Hour: a Conversation with Dolly Parton

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

Society & Culture

4.4 • 679 Ratings

🗓️ 28 December 2023

⏱️ 26 minutes

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Summary

After six decades as an icon in country music, it’s hard to imagine Dolly Parton had anything to prove. But when she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in 2022, she admitted to feeling uneasy. A result of that feeling is “Rockstar,” the 77-year-old’s first foray into rock music. “I wanted the rock people to be proud of me, let’s put it that way,” Parton tells the contributor Emily Lordi. “I wanted them to say, ‘Did you hear Dolly’s rock album? Man, she killed it.’ ” For this album, which is largely comprised of covers of classic rock songs like “Freebird” along with originals like the title track, Parton channeled the likes of Joan Jett and Melissa Etheridge (who also both appear on the album). She didn’t want to make a countryfied rock album, but even at a full roar, her voice is unmistakable Dolly. “It’s a voice you know when you hear it, whether you like it or not,” Parton says. The artist is known for avoiding comment on political subjects, but she describes the volatile state of the culture in her song “World on Fire.” “The only way I know how to fight back is to write songs to say how I feel,” Parton says. “It’s just me trying to throw some light on some dark subjects these days.”

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0:00.0	Hello, everyone.
0:05.0	Hi.
0:05.5	Hello.
0:06.5	So as we get to the end of the year, I just wanted to take a minute to say a big thank you on behalf of me and my co-hosts for listening to critics at large for the last few months.
0:16.0	Yay!
0:16.7	Yeah.
0:17.4	We have had a true blast.
0:19.2	Maybe you can hear it now.
0:20.4	Getting this show off the ground and especially sharing it with you. And we're just getting started. So we're going to take a break for the holidays this week. And we'll be back next Thursday with a new episode about how artists are being portrayed on film in some of the biggest movies of the year. We'll be talking about Maestro, a film about the great composer
0:38.5	Leonard Bernstein, American fiction starring Jeffrey Wright as a struggling novelist, and the new
0:44.5	film by director Todd Haynes, May December. Honestly, if you're looking for something to watch
0:49.3	with your family, or to escape your family, any of these would be great. And then after you watch, we hope you'll join us when we talk about them in the new year.
0:58.1	In the meantime, our friends and colleagues over at the New Yorker Radio Hour
1:01.5	have just put out a very fun, super good conversation with the one and only Dolly Parton.
1:07.3	And that's what we're sharing with you today.
1:08.6	It's a great listen.
1:09.7	Dolly talks about being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, her latest album, and her
1:15.5	illustrious career in music.
1:17.8	So make sure to listen and follow the New Yorker Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.
1:22.4	Happy New Year and enjoy the conversation.
1:29.0	Over the last six decades,
1:31.0	Dolly Parton has become an icon in country music
	...

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