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Remembering Dolly Parton

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About This Episode

We’re remembering Dolly Parton—one of those stars who seemed to be everywhere when we were growing up. From “9 to 5” and “Islands in the Stream” to movies, television, and a career that just kept growing, Dolly became part of the soundtrack of Generation X. This time, we’re looking back at her life, her generosity, and the legacy she leaves behind.

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(May contain some explicit language.)

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Show Notes

Transcript

Speaker Transcript
Jon Welcome back, Gen X Grown Up podcast listener to this backtrack edition of the Gen X Grown Up podcast. I’m John. Joining me as always, of course, is George. Hey, George.
George Hey, how’s it going everybody?
Jon And, of course, would be a show without Moe. Hey, Moe.
Mo Hey, how’s it going?
Jon Good. We’re a little subdued. We’re a little bit maudlin right now. um uh we uh We had a different show planned for this episode, but as we record this. ah We have only spent three days on this earth without Dolly Parton on it.
Jon And Dolly Parton wasn’t ever present. uh figure throughout our Generation X. childhood and life. So we’re remembering Dolly Parton in this episode, one of those stars who seemed to be everywhere when we were growing up.
Jon nine to five, to Islands in the Stream, to movies and television, and a career that just kept going. She didn’t just sit and do one thing. She became part of the soundtrack of Generation X. In this episode, we’re going to look back at her life.
Jon Her generosity. and the legacy she leaves behind. like We don’t often shift gears and do a remembering, but… There’s something about Dolly Parton that make me feel like we ought to do it. so Hmm.
Jon That’s what we’re going to do. And it’s not going to be sad sack. We’re going to be celebrating. We’re going to be remembering. But it’s a little bit sad, of course. So before we get into that, I do have a very nice fourth listener email to share with you. Not an email, actually. It was a comment.
Jon on the website. So people don’t know you can see an article and leave a message there.
George oh
Mo Okay. m
Jon And Chad B. dropped us a line on the website. And he says, thanks, guys, for covering. Auf!
Mo Oh, okay.
George yeah
Jon Yeah.
Mo You’re welcome.
Jon Looking. Yeah. Looking back now from our current age of disclosure, we can see how important it really was. I remember a print ad before the show came out where you could talk with Alf by dialing a number.
Mo ah
George Oh.
Jon It was.
George Hotlines!
Jon Yeah, it was the first 900 number I’d ever experienced.
Mo Yep.
Jon The only, i think he says, I remember my dad being sore about the bill.
George ah
Jon Who the heck spent $3 calling this weird number, he said.
George ah
Jon Only $3? Wow. Back then, you didn’t just haul off and call long distance or some weird number that charged money.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yesterday, I received the ALF Viewmaster set I ordered after listening to you guys. talk about our furry cat eating friend.
George ah
Mo instance system Cool.
Jon we We have been known to cause people to spend money. It’s true. So sorry, Chad, but not sorry.
George I just spent it the last episode.
Jon cause I know, right?
Mo Yeah.
Jon It always happens. um It is actually a terrific set of Viewmaster Reels, actually on set, 3D photography, and a decent story.
George oh Nice.
Mo cool
Jon Put that on my… to keep an eye out for a list. He wraps it up saying, anyway, thanks for the good times, Chad.
Mo Very cool.
Jon Yeah, we appreciate you, Chad. Yeah, we keep getting feedback on the ALF episode, even though we all talked about how it wasn’t the greatest show ever. We damn sure all remember it. And we had some relationship with it. So. If you hear something in an episode and you want us to know what it made you think of or what it made you buy, we’d love to hear from you. Just hit us up at podcast at genxgrownup .com. Read every single one. And most of them, like Chad’s, will eventually. Make the show.
Jon Alright. With that good business in the rearview mirror, we’re going to jump into this. Remembering Dolly Parton track backtrack right after this very quick break.
Jon Now, as we set up at the beginning of this episode, we’re spending this backtrack remembering ah the life and legacy and career of Dolly Parton. and but We don’t often, rarely do we change backtrack topics in the last second, but. Man, there’s been a lot.
Jon a lot of impactful loss over the last just week or so.
George o
Jon ah We lost the young actress Hayden Pentieri, who was on Heroes and a lot of other cool stuff. More timely for Gen X, probably Tim Curry.
George ah
Jon Peter Cullen.
Mo yes
Jon Dolly Parton, obviously amongst those. And I think maybe it just. It welled up in me. I’m like. sometimes you just get those weeks or months where it’s like, Jesus. this Nobody prepared me for this much loss, you know?
Mo This is a bad time.
George I feel like it’s partly my fault because I recently just watched documentaries about all of these people except for Hayden Panettiere.
Jon Really?
George I watched them. on early Tim Curry, the whole… thing with Rocky Horror and Peter Cullen. did Did the icons on Earth… Transformers stuff recently and Dolly Parton I was watching stuff about her left right and center before she passed away
Jon Right. Yep. Yep. Yep.
Mo Mm hmm.
Jon Yeah.
George Man.
Jon Yep.
George Mmm.
Jon So. We’ll talk about her legacy, the end of her life. That’s a topic for later. Right now, I want to talk about. What a beautiful woman. What a beautiful, I mean, in in her spirit, in her soul, in her face, in her presence, everything about her.
Jon She was born 1946 in Tennessee. Dolly Rebecca Parton. In rural East Tennessee, as I said. the fourth of 12 children.
George Mm-hmm.
Jon In a very poor. but very musical family she spent a lot of time music in church In songwriting, she grew up surrounded by Appalachian folk music. Gospel.
George Yep.
Jon and her family. they were a very musical family she began writing songs as a young child and performing them in church.
Mo God bless you. And one of the things I really love about her, she talks about that time and she says they were poor, but she says they were not unhappy. Like, she says they were a very…
Jon Hmm?
Mo like she had a it was a very happy family you know
Jon Yeah.
Mo And she always appreciated that fact. you know.
Jon it Can’t you just tell?
George Yeah. it
Jon Like.
George Mm.
Jon She’s one of those women who Her public persona is one thing. We didn’t know her privately, obviously, but she always seemed. to make everyone around her. happier.
Mo Mm hmm.
George I… you know,
Jon just in her presence.
George You say we didn’t know her privately. You’re right. We didn’t like have a relationship where I called her on the phone every week. But she made you feel like you knew her.
Jon Yep.
Mo Yeah.
Jon yep Yep.
George in the way that she interacted with. her fans. Bwam. About to tear up. This is some bullshit right now, I’m telling you.
Jon I know. I know.
George Uh… She… she did so much for so many people. We’re going to get onto that part later on, but.
Jon Oh yeah. Yeah.
George i just think you know you talk about her being. the one of 12 children and everything. And it just brought the song back to my head. I completely forgot about it until you mentioned it, that coat of many colors song that she did the year I was born.
Jon Go to many colors.
Mo she says
Jon Hell yeah.
George I mean… Man. just
Jon Mm hmm.
George everything about her.
Jon Yeah. Well… You’re you’re right. we They did not know her. You see how she treats everybody.
George mm-hmm
Mo Yes.
Jon And it makes you go, well, if I met her. she’d treat me like that is how you felt you know and it probably would have right
Mo Yeah.
Jon Well, after performing in church, age 10. She became a regular on Kaz Walker’s radio and TV program in Knoxville, giving her early professional experience. She was right away recognized.
Jon The next year, age 11. She recorded her first song called Puppy Love beginning her recording career before she hit her teens.
George Mm-hmm.
Mo ah
George Wow. Mm.
Jon Yeah. Then this is the part that like, Oh my, like. This is like a rocket taking off. and youre and we’re like We’re watching it in slow motion now. Age 13. She appeared. at the Grand Ole Opry.
Jon Not just that. She was introduced by Johnny Cash. At 13 years old, I want you all to welcome this young lady. Dolly Parton, just sing a song for it. like Just Johnny Cash.
George Yeah, I mean… and so Some of our listeners may be aware that I’m from Kentucky. And so that Appalachian region is very close to home. for me and i was just talking with my mother about this whenever we both found out that dolly had passed away And she was telling me how.
George Apparently they went to the Grand Ole Opry when I was two years old.
Mo hu
George And they were going to see Dolly Parton.
Jon Really?
George as well as many other performers, because that’s how the Grand Ole Opry was.
Mo oh
George It was just, you know.
Jon Mm-hmm.
George like it was like a
Jon It’s a variety show every night.
George a kaleidoscope of music yeah it was awesome
Jon That’s right.
George Um, and I think this may, I don’t know if they were even on television at this point. It may have just been the radio broadcast back then in the early seventies.
Jon Mm hmm.
George But I was two years old. And apparently it’s my fault. That they didn’t get to see Dolly Parton because at some point during the trip from Kentucky to… Nashville.
George I started crying and wouldn’t stop. Until… They turn the car around. And I stopped crying as soon as we crossed the border back into Kentucky, apparently.
Jon but
Jon Goodness.
Mo I can’t believe you did that to your parents.
George At two years old. I can’t believe I did it to myself.
Jon How could you?
George I want to kill my old two-year-old self somehow and still be alive now to make him…
Jon Just kick him.
George Oh, God.
Jon Yeah.
George Mmm. So sad.
Jon Just missed. yeah Well, speaking of which. Like I’ve seen a lot of celebrities and performers, but I never had the opportunity to see. I mean, you had the opportunity when you were two, but missed out on it.
Jon I never had an opportunity to see her. Mo was always bragging about people he saw in New York. Did you ever get a chance to see her in person live?
Mo Oh, never.
Jon No? Yeah.
George I did
Jon You did. Oh, you did finally.
George Yeah.
Jon Okay.
George her and the Kenny Rogers tour.
Mo Oh nice.
Jon Oh, wonderful. Oh wow.
George Yeah. Yeah, that was
Jon That’s a… There.
George dad got mom and i tickets and we all three went because you know It…
Mo Because you ruined the two-year-old one.
George King Roger Dolly Parton, right? You’re not going to go see that. I i don’t even remember if it was even a tour or if it was just an individual concert. but I was still pretty young at that point.
George That was Islands in the Stream era, I think.
Mo Yeah, yeah.
Jon Mm hmm. Of course. Yeah.
George So… Yeah, I just remember. like sitting there and I don’t think I appreciated it as much as I would now.
Jon Mm hmm.
George because I didn’t know who she was as much then.
Mo Oh yeah. Sure.
George Like I knew her as a singer and, you know, of course the movies and whatnot we’re going to talk about, but.
Jon Right.
George Man, just… A wish. i had done what I kept telling myself I should do. And um um for the last several years, I’ve been telling my wife and kids, we should go to Dollywood.
Jon Mhm.
George Because she performed there all the time, just off the cuff.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yeah.
George She would just show up and perform.
Jon Yeah.
George at her theme park. We should have done it. God. Damn it, this pisses me off.
Jon Mm.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Well, let’s see. So moving along. she Grand Ole Opry at 13, as I said. um her uncle bill owens not to be confused with buck owens and other owens but her uncle
George Right. yeah
Jon ah was a songwriter, and he repeatedly… encouraged her to travel to Nashville. pitch songs, audition, just keep working. Like she had. she had a little bit of cred right she’d been performing she’d been ah So in 1964, she did that.
Mo Yeah.
George Mm hmm.
Jon what her uncle recommended in 64 she moved to Nashville the day after graduating high school. Something, how many kids say the minute that I graduate, I’m out of here. but it wasn’t to get away from her family.
Jon is because she wanted to be in the middle of music.
George No. mm-hmm
Jon She wanted to be in Nashville.
Mo Yeah.
Jon ah She pursued that music career. That’s also when she met her future husband, Carl Dean.
Mo yes
George o
Jon short Shortly after she arrived. Like she graduated high school, moved to Nashville. met the young man who would ultimately be her husband her entire life.
Mo Mm hmm.
Jon they’re like it’s like Like it’s almost like her. her her Her life was mapped out. She was following this this course. By 66, songwriting. She had several attempts.
Jon at red uh recording songs, but she began to get attention as a songwriter. She was co-writing songs that were being recorded by. Established country artist.
Jon Her first. Real success in 67. dumb blonde, which I remember seeing her perform live.
Mo so
Jon on Oh, not live, pre-recorded on TV. And Something Fishy became her first notable country hits.
George oh
Jon Followed by… Her debut album, Hello. I’m Dolly. And let me tell you, that record was in my parents stack of vinyl.
Mo excuse
Mo I’m sure.
George Yeah. I don’t know that there were too many self-respecting country fans that didn’t have that album my parents had a copy of it too i mean it’s
Mo Oh absolutely.
George It was iconic.
Jon Mm hmm.
George just Everything’s cheap. did like We’re just talking about the musical stuff right now. just Phew.
Jon That’s a… That’s a fantastic point. We wouldn’t have… derailed our schedule and changed the plan for this backtrack. if Dolly Parton was just a great musical artist. We lose those all the time.
Mo Yeah.
Jon They’re fantastic people, but she’s had an impact beyond that.
George m
Jon It’s just kind of what we’re talking about, how she rose to prominence here.
Mo Mm hmm.
Jon But yeah, there’s. More and more.
Mo And you mentioned… Yo. her meeting her husband there. And it’s just also one of those things that just makes you feel like what kind of person she was because
Jon Mm hmm.
Mo Her husband. I think he said he went to one award show. one And he’s like…
Jon Yeah.
Mo I’m never going again. He’s like, I don’t want to be in the limelight. He he said, I did one.
Jon Yep.
Mo It’s not for me. He said, that’s your side of the life. i’m i’ll support you but that’s And they were fine with that. like They said they were married for God.
Jon Yeah.
Mo but was it 50 years something like that some ridiculous amount of time 60 no longer than that and even 60 years at this point
Jon Yeah. Yeah.
George Honestly, I don’t even know Right.
Mo um and
George If she’d have ever divorced him, I’d have. put my hat in the ring. That’s for damn sure.
Mo I know, really.
Jon I think he passed he passed away ahead of her. And I think I read that she’s she’s being interred.
Mo Yeah, last year, last year.
Jon in the the same cemetery where…
Mo Yeah. Yeah, he died last year.
Jon where Dean already was. so
Mo So.
Jon Last year, yeah. Very cool. ah Okay, there’s so much more, but… The turning point, and this is the thing. we we used to We used to talk about this more in earlier backtracks where we tried to…
Jon frame it and go, okay, it wasn’t a Gen X thing, but it was. big when we were Gen X. Clearly, Dolly Parton. was a boomer. She was older than us.
Mo Yeah.
Jon She was well-established by the time we were born.
George Sure.
Mo Yeah.
Jon 1967, though. The Porter Wagner Show was… A big deal. It was this variety show. And. She got. hired to join on as a regular on this. thing It was the Porter Wagner show that I remember seeing her perform dumb blonde on. And it’s.
Jon Uh, it was obviously a repeat. I wasn’t born yet, but I mean, that, that performance. Where. You know, it’s a… I don’t know if you know the song, but it’s like this anthem of like. that’s what you think i am but you’re wrong kind of thing you know it’s kind of what it is And she was making waves.
Jon in a good way across music since getting on the Porter Wagner show. And Porter Wagner show was like my parents show. Like I didn’t tune in to watch that show. Right. It was my parents did. I saw it in reruns.
Jon But it was from there. that she started to to gain prominence. ah When we get her back from the break, we’re going to kind of talk a little bit about how that prominence built and how we got to nowhere beyond just as a musical artist as she branched out a little bit. but So in the break.
Jon As we’re leaving that last break, I ask you to think a little bit about the first time you recognized. who Who Dolly Parton was as a celebrity, as a personality or whatever. And since I. Through this extra surprise, I’ll start with myself, and I’m sure it was.
Jon It was those records. Like I said, my parents. Um, my parents’ stack of vinyl. And of course, my dad, he was the one that was always joking about her bust. Right. Oh, I love Dolly Parton.
George ah
Jon Both of them. You know, one of those kind of jokes.
George Right.
Jon you know And i what I think is so miraculous is that. she rose above any of those jokes and let let people make jokes it’s fine whatever that’s that isn’t you know That doesn’t define me, and it clearly didn’t throughout her life.
Mo Oh yeah.
Jon Do you remember, Mo, your first like when you realized who she was as a celebrity and that she was a big deal?
Mo Yeah, I mean I said I grew up in New York City country was not a big thing at all.
Jon Right. Mm hmm.
Mo You know, New York City had
George Right. now
Jon Not on the menu.
Mo 50 radio stations, and maybe two were country.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Maybe, you know. Um, But it was like. Even as a kid, it’s like, there’s like… We knew who Dolly Parton was. Like the same way we knew who Willie Nelson was, right? um you know
Jon Yeah.
George oh
Jon Right.
Mo you know and the man in black you know they said there were just certain names that just sort of transcended all of that
Jon Right.
Mo genre and just everyone knew.
Jon It’s not country. He’s an artist. Happens to start country.
Mo Yeah, you know who they are.
Jon yeah Yeah.
Mo ah But really, it’s like. um like i said i knew her from her before but really wasn’t until She did 9 to 5. It suddenly was like, oh.
George Oh yeah.
Jon There you go.
Mo you know, that was like the big, like, Oh, like I said, I knew her, I knew her music.
Jon Yeah.
Mo It wasn’t something I listened to constantly, but I knew a few of her… her biggest songs but then nine to five was like then it was like oh she was just Everywhere after that.
Jon Blue light open. How about you, George? You remember?
George Yeah, I mean… Just like you.
Jon It wasn’t when you were two, we know that.
George um
Mo ah
George it were No, no. I mean… Probably, you know, I i know my parents listened to her music all the time on records and in the car on the radio and whatnot at that point, but…
George I think probably the first time I recognized Dolly Parton as an individual, not just a voice coming out of a speaker. was probably one of her duets with Conway Twitty.
George I think she she used to do these duets with a lot of different…
Jon Yes. Ooh.
George of the male country artists at the time. It was kind of like… Before we had Marvel crossover universe stuff, this was the crossovers. of the day and it was always in music and i just remember Um,
George She had… Even till… just this week she just had the voice it’s the only way i can describe it it was the perfect female
Jon Oh yeah.
George country voice. for what she was doing. the soulfulness that she would put into every single lyric that she wrote or sang. And. even as a young person she would sing And yeah.
George you you know Especially as a young man growing up through your early… pu prepubescent and, pubet you know, teenage years.
Jon Hm?
George You see the bust, you see the outfits and everything. And John, you said that. She rose above that. Sheep! rose above it in in a unique way like she made fun of it herself in a way like she was always like
Mo Oh yeah, big time.
Jon Hmm?
George didn’t matter to her she was like i wanted to be a hooker you know she she didn’t care she Nothing about her was embarrassed.
Jon No.
George And maybe that’s because she started this journey at such a young age, but she was never self-conscious. She knew who she was, what she wanted to do, how she wanted to act and treat people.
Mo mm-hmm
Jon She knew her worth. Yeah. Yeah.
George and She just, she didn’t worry about anybody else’s opinions. I don’t know if I got it from there or my father or whatnot, but I have that same kind of feeling a lot of times. Who cares about anybody else’s opinions as long as you’re happy doing what you’re doing and you’re not hurting anybody else?
George That’s all that matters. That’s what she projected. But those.
Jon Hmm.
George Early duets are where I remember her the most.
Jon Yeah.
Mo You have this kind of self-deprecation kind of stuff. It’s like, I remember hearing a line.
George Mm-hmm
Mo She says, it costs a lot of money to look this cheap. I mean, it’s just like, you know, just like you said, she, I mean, she just leaned into it.
George Yep. mm-hmm
Mo some She just leaned into it and and she took it. well i mean like i said today you know people can’t be criticized at all unless people lose their freaking minds um but she just sort of she accepted with grace and she kind of made fun of it you know
Jon Yeah.
Jon Mm.
George Yeah.
Jon Yeah. And you talk about those duets. we We were we were talking. We were chatting in the break. We didn’t stop talking about Dolly because it was a break. We were still chatting. But I came to the realization that. Porter Wagner.
Jon Uh, Kenny Rogers. Anybody she did duets with. she was She was the secret sauce. That’s why those duets work so well.
George Yeah.
Jon Her voice was the one that blended and and and and filled in the gaps and harmonized so well. and Yeah. Anyway. She was… Look, we talked before the break that she got her big break. Her biggest probably breakout break was the Porter Wagner show.
Jon And in the early 70s, she became… She left the Porter Wagner show as that was ending. Become a solo star. Now… Here’s where we get into. Again, it’s not just that she’s a musician. But her music is like.
Jon Top tier.
George o
Jon transcending the genre of country. Jolene.
George oh
Mo Mm-hmm. Great song.
Jon I will always love you.
Mo Mm hmm.
George o
Jon That it That’s like Whitney Houston caliber, like soulful. burning down the house kind of hyper emotional stuff. You know what I mean?
George Well, it should be. Whitney Houston took that song.
Jon I know, but I mean…
Mo Yeah.
George ah
Jon But when you look at the the performance, it’s not like, oh, Dolly wrote it and then Whitney made it great. Those performances are equal caliber, I’m saying. you know
George Oh yeah, no question. out Now Dolly has said herself that she felt Whitney Houston did a better job. than she did with the song and she was Proud all the way to the bank, she said.
Jon Well. We can agree to disagree. He died.
George but
Mo Yeah.
Jon That’s right. Yep. Yeah, and then… ah So in the 70s. This gets to cross over into mainstream pop. So Moe, this is probably the stuff you’re remembering.
Mo yeah
Jon from uh in in new york Here you come again. And here I go, right? A major crossover hit. A lot of country artists were doing that and in the in the late 70s. Kenny Rogers was another one. you’ll find a lot of success that way.
Jon So at that point, she was no longer just a country star. She was appealing. She was appearing on mainstream television and becoming recognizable far beyond just the people that would be around the Grand Ole Opry.
Mo Yeah. I think it also had to do with just her personality was such that. Every talk show wanted her on there. show.
Jon Sure.
Mo You know, she was just such a joy to have on every show.
George Yeah.
Mo As you you know, that you as a kid, like, you know, the Mike Douglas show that they’ve had, you know, I mean, all those she’s on.
Jon Mm-hmm
Mo Everyone. yeah
Jon And she was charming as hell on every single, every time you saw her.
Mo Oh yeah. And everyone loved her in every single one.
Jon Yep.
George I mean she did have her own TV show for a little while there too.
Jon Mm hmm. Yeah.
Mo Yeah.
George So. You know, I mean.
Jon Yep.
George She was…
George she’s on She’s an icon. We… You know, people use that term these days maybe a little too often.
Jon Yeah.
George with some people, but… Dolly Parton. 100 % icon. No question.
Jon Well, shall we get to 1980?
Mo Sure.
Jon Nine to five.
George Ah! don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t don’t
Jon Big Gen X.
Mo do do do do do do
Jon touchstone turning point for us.
Mo youtube
Jon ah Dolly Parton. Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin. We’ve talked about this film before on the show. who Her song nine to five became the title for this massive.
Mo Yeah.
Jon And just the movie was a pop culture hit and she was right in the middle of it.
George Oh. You’re saying nine to five. Oh.
Mo What?
George I thought you were going to talk about rhinestone.
Jon No, not quite the touchstone that nine to five may be, George.
George Ha ha!
Jon Uh… for a lot I think for a lot of Gen Xers like us. That was. The point when Dolly Parton became. Just… A celebrity. Not a country music star.
Jon Not a crossover artist. Not a girl from Tennessee, right? Now she is a celebrity. And that’s that’s there’s the Mike Douglas tour.
George Yeah.
Jon There’s all that stuff, right?
Mo Mm hmm.
Jon Could have been a flash in the pan. Nope. Throughout the early 80s, she became a straight-up movie star. Maybe maybe he wouldn’t have seen it coming with her soft-spoken nature and her…
Jon ah The way Hollywood is kind of cutthroat after nine to five. Best little whorehouse in Texas.
George ah So funny and good.
Jon Yes. Oh, was that Burt Reynolds in that, right?
George So funny and good.
Jon Burt Reynolds in…
Mo Yep, yep, yep
George Burt Reynolds in that?
Jon Yeah.
George Absolutely. And it was a musical.
Jon Yeah.
George that If you can make Burt Reynolds look good in a musical, that’s talent.
Jon Mm hmm.
Mo yeah
Jon Yep.
George I mean… It was so funny. oh my god
Jon let me Let me tell you how popular Dolly Parton was. My parents took me to the movies to see a movie called The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Jon Because it was Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton.
George Wasn’t just your parents, me and my mother went to that movie.
Jon How bad could it be if Dolly Parton is in it?
George Yeah. Yep.
Jon You know? uh rhinestone is on the list of course is there but i mean That was just.
George yeah
Jon It started regular presence in movies. and television. 1983. That was when we got. The duet with Kenny Rogers, Islands in the Stream.
George Yep.
Jon Huge crossover hit.
George Yeah.
Mo Oh, major.
Jon you know one of the i didn’t I didn’t dig into the the musical stats or anything because, frankly, I was thinking beyond music. but I know that charted. I know Islands in the Stream charted.
Jon I see George furiously typing to help us out here, isn’t he?
George I am right now because um I remember. i’m just remembering i’m trying to remember which
Jon I think it came up We talked about it.
George which ones that popped up. it Oh, goodness. It was on… let me go to charts. Here we go. So… ah europe hot 100 number 11 scottish single sales number one and uk singles Number one, those were weekly charts.
George Uh… I don’t see the charts listed for the American charts, though.
Jon Okay.
George That camp.
Jon i and It had to be up there.
George That’s stupid. Oh, you know why? Because I’m looking at somebody else’s dumb cover of it.
Mo Oh, yeah.
Jon Oh!
Mo Don’t do that.
Jon We don’t want that one.
George Ha ha.
Jon Try again.
George Here we go. Here’s some other weekly charts.
Jon The duet with Kenny Rogers, right?
George Let’s see. All right, Billboard Hot 100 number one, Hot Country Songs number one, Adult Contemporary number one, Cashbox Top 100 number one.
Jon There you go. There you go.
Jon Yeah, I guess it charted.
George I think it made it.
Jon I guess number one charts.
George Ha ha!
Jon And that put Dolly Parton in the MTV crowd.
George Mmm.
Jon She wasn’t an MTV artist.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Again, she’s a celebrity. And now she’s now you have these two crossover artists who, in their own right, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton doing a duet that’s number one across the charts.
Jon Ah. By the mid 80s. She become one of those rare entertainers who was simultaneously a singer. songwriter, actress, television personality. Pop culture icon.
Jon So look our parents knew her as a country artist who. Kind of. Segwayed. We got to know her. not just as a country musician, but we grew up with her, like I said.
Jon everywhere. Oh. Now.
George Yeah, I mean That song you we were talking about, I’m still looking at stats while you were talking because I was counting.
Jon Mm hmm.
George That song charted in 15- different countries at the time.
Mo Of course.
Jon Not surprised.
Mo Yeah, not surprised at all.
George Now that was not.
Jon Not surprised.
George very often that that would happen in that day nowadays it just charts on spotify or what the fuck ever Countries don’t matter anymore.
Jon Particularly since like… If you go by the numbers, it’s a country song, kind of.
George Right.
Mo Yeah.
Jon I mean, it’s poppy, but you know.
Mo Yeah, and don’t forget, I mean, she also was in movies like a Steel Magnolias. you know
Jon Of course.
Mo You know, which is she did which again, not a singing role, just…
George oo
Jon Oh yeah.
Mo an actress you know and she knocked out of the park And she had so many. I was just looking at IMDb. I’m like, how many movies has she been or TV shows? The list is so freaking long. So I think if somebody asked her to be in something, even as a cameo, she probably did it just because she’s so nice.
George well Yeah.
Mo You know?
George and Every talk show had to have her on 27 times. Johnny Carson, she was a regular on his stuff.
Jon Mm hmm.
Mo What?
George I mean…
Mo I mean she did The Simpsons.
George Yeah.
Mo She voiced herself on The Simpsons.
Jon Yeah.
Mo So, you know, she was pretty much everywhere.
Jon That’s awesome.
George you know And I don’t know when we’re going to talk about it, but…
Jon We’ve been talking. Good.
George Are we going to talk about her park at any point? Because… That was right around this same time frame.
Jon The Dollywood an opening?
George Dollywood, 1986? I mean…
Jon Yeah, I mean, that’s still running strong even today.
George Crazy.
George Mm hmm.
Jon That’s been cooking.
Mo Yeah.
Jon I’ve never had a chance. Now, you said you’ve been meaning to go. I i used to vacation pretty regularly up in Sevier County, but I’ve never been to Dollywood.
George Oh wow.
Jon Mo, did you ever make it up there?
Mo No, never.
Jon Yeah.
George Hmm.
Jon Yep.
George And. I just watched a video. That’s what I was talking about. You know, documentaries that I’ve been watching lately.
Jon Mm hmm.
George and then People pass away. I was watching a ah documentary about. Dollywood and how better it runs today than Disney parks do.
George Like how it’s better for people.
Jon i saw some of that too i saw some of that yeah
George Yeah.
Jon Yeah.
George And this was like. One of the ones I watched was from a channel that highlights everything Disney.
Jon Mm hmm.
George And they were like,
Jon Yep.
George Oh, but… We finally went to Dollywood for the fifth time and we decided, yeah.
Jon We watched the same video. Yep.
Mo Oh yeah.
George And I was like, holy crap, that’s really… And it. I imagine that that part runs… the way it does because of her because that was her ah yeah she wasn’t about grabbing a bunch of money
Jon Mm hmm.
George She was about taking care of people.
Jon Yeah. Oh yeah.
Mo I mean… and Do you know that? People who work at her park. They get. free education if they want it.
Jon Tuition.
George Mm hmm.
Mo retuition she covers all of it like every penny she will cover if they want to go back to school
Jon Yeah. Mm hmm.
Jon Mm hmm.
George Well, that’s what we got ah we got a whole segment of that coming up.
Jon Not just that.
Jon Yeah. yeah not just that if she if they get a Uh… If they get a degree. She will hire them back at a higher tier. Like if they go to culinary school, she’ll hire them back as a chef if they were a waitress or whatever.
George Yep. We did watch the same video
Jon She opens the door. to come back we did watch the same video i know we did Now.
George Yep.
Jon We’re starting to segue into what our next segment is about. We’ve been talking about her rise to prominence and her musical career and her television career as a celebrity, but… Okay. All that stuff brings you wealth.
Jon She didn’t sit on that. She took her wealth and rolled it into philanthropy to help. everybody she could reach. So, uh… We’re going to talk about some some of, not all, some of her philanthropic works.
Jon right after this break. Stick around.
Jon Great. Okay.
Jon Okie dokie. So. Philanthropy. Here we go. In five. Four. three
Jon Now, realistically… It’s this segment that we’re going to start talking about now, which is the reason that we’re doing ah a backtrack about Dolly, not just because she was a great vocalist and a great singer and a TV celebrity. but it’s the impact she made on people.
Jon that made us care about her, even though… We couldn’t pick up the phone to call her. Like we said earlier. We felt like. Maybe if… If we had her number, she’d probably answer. You know, it’s one of those things.
George mm-hmm
Jon Cause she cared. She was giving. So late 80s, 1988. Before it was a theme park, I guess just after it became a theme park, the Dollywood Foundation. It was a nonprofit she created to improve educational opportunities for children in her home. county in East Tennessee.
Jon And education was something that she was. Throughout her career, she was very… um very adamant about supporting. 1991. She was concerned about local high school dropout rate.
Jon So she promised seventh and eighth graders. $500. if they graduated. Not some of them, all of them, right? It’s the Michael Scott, the thing, right?
George I know, I was just thinking the same thing.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yeah, right?
Mo except he Except she actually did it.
George I was waiting for a moment to start singing the song. What you gonna do?
Jon So here’s the thing.
George Make your dreams come true.
Jon Your seventh and eighth graders, $500 if they graduated, provided… Their buddy graduated too. So she made the kids accountable for one another? Like, dude if i you don’t graduate, I won’t get the money and you won’t get the money, you know?
Jon She made them support each other. Genius. Dropout rate amongst those classes fell from 35%. to 6%. ah
George Nuts.
Jon Simple incentive. Tangible results? spend a little money. Money that she had.
George Mm.
Jon and she She didn’t get joy out of sitting on money, clearly. She got joy out of helping other people. Let’s move ahead to 1995. probably her greatest philanthropic legacy.
Jon Inspired by her father, who could neither read nor write, Dolly began mailing a free book every month. to children from birth through age five, regardless of family income.
Mo Yeah.
Jon She started in her home county and eventually expanded internationally. Today, it sends more than 3 million books. every month. For Gen Xers, like us specifically, this arrived just as our generation was becoming parents.
Jon So a lot of Gen Xers know Dolly not from 9 to 5 or Jolene, but… because her books showed up in their children’s mailboxes, encouraging them to read.
George You know. it’s I think about. That one in particular, because I saw her do interviews. on her book program.
Jon Mm hmm.
George I can’t even count how many times.
George I mean just imagine the The sentiment. and And I know we we try to stay away from politics and religions in the show, but I’m just going to. She was embodying that whole.
George If you give, God will return it to you tenfold.
Jon Mm hmm.
George idiom. in her philanthropy because You imagine she started off just giving the books to people in her county. Now it’s giving 3 million books every month worldwide, right?
George That couldn’t sustain itself. unless people saw what she was doing. and wanted to contribute and be a part of it.
Jon and want to be part of it.
George And. There are very few of these missions that people set out to do that stay pure.
Jon Mm hmm.
George oftentimes we see somebody starts a charity next thing you know there’s embezzlement or you know some bad circumstance happened to somebody that it was supposed to be helping or something You’ve never seen that with anything that Dolly Parton.
Jon Yeah.
George organized because I feel like she stayed on top of all these things. While still. performing
Jon Yep.
George And. opening up a theme park and being on television she did all I don’t think the woman ever slept.
Jon Her heart was at the heart of these things.
George Mm-hmm
Mo The thing I love about all the good works that she did is that they’re all… Very… specific and targetable things. Like, there wasn’t…
Jon Practical.
George Right.
Mo It wasn’t like, oh, I’m going to feed all the children in the world, or i ah I’m going to get rid of hunger.
Jon Right.
George Right, yep.
Mo you know It’s nothing like…
Jon Right.
Mo Yeah, which you can’t. when it’s like can you measure it she’s like i want every kid to read so i’m gonna send them a book You know.
George But I’m going to start in my county.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Exactly.
Jon And let’s see how it goes.
Mo We’ll start small and see how it goes.
George Yeah.
Jon Maybe we’ll grow it.
Mo Yo.
Jon Right?
Mo you know we’re gonna you know i want high school rates to drop You know, I’m a.
George Yeah.
Mo Start this simple program. If you graduate, you get money. If you do your butt, I mean. Just very simple, very actionable, very easy to track.
Jon Mm hmm.
Mo how well it’s doing. You know?
Jon Yeah.
Mo I mean, it’s… I mean, they’re almost genius. I wish most charities just kind of did this, like just focus on something and just.
Jon Cheers. Just make it simple. Yeah.
Mo Yeah, just keep it simple.
George Unfortunately. unfortunately most charities get corrupted. by human beings.
Mo Yeah. Yeah.
George She was just incorruptible.
Jon Yep.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yep. Now, I told you I used to vacation up in Gatlinburg. And so you might remember. in 2016. Wildfires. Devastated. like the places i would go and stay burned down like it was
George Yeah.
Jon Families have lost homes and everything. And that’s, she started, that was her people. She started this fund called the My People Fund. After those wild wildfires came through Gatlinburg and Sevier County,
Jon She immediately created a fund for families who had lost their homes. more than 900 families, ultimately received assistance totaling $10 ,000 per family.
George Wow.
Jon And her benefit efforts raise millions for recovery. for the entire region. Because that’s our home.
Mo Mm-hmm
Jon I remember hearing people that had no home, they had no clothes, had no whatever, and… She’s signed up with Dolly. And there wasn’t like a. a vetting process. Do you deserve it? Are you destitute enough?
Mo Yeah, it didn’t matter.
Jon I was like, here, let me help.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Here, let me help.
George That’s…
Jon Yep.
George That’s simple math. That’s $9 million. dollars
Jon Yeah.
Mo Mm hmm.
Jon There you go.
George That she put out of her own pockets to help people. in a time when we have other Very important figures trying to take those kinds of things away from people who need it.
Jon ah Oh I know.
Mo Oh, I know.
Jon Yeah.
Mo I yeah i know.
Jon Yeah.
George That’s Crazy.
Jon Yeah.
George Awesome. I mean… you talk about you know like we always hear the negatives the bad news this is the good news stuff i don’t need to see all the bullshit bad stuff that’s going on in the world if news stations john you are a news guy
Jon Yeah.
George If those goddamn news stations would focus on these stories all the time. I feel like we would find a way to be a better. race of creatures than we are now.
Jon Hmm.
George That’s crazy good.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Yeah. I mean, yeah like you said, it’s like you know her. Imagination Library thing. I mean. you know the government cut funding for that. Because they were actually contributing money to it.
Mo Yeah. I mean… Yeah. Just give me a kid a book.
Jon Right. how How tough is that?
Mo How could that be bad?
Jon ah
George But we can… But we got no problem spending $20 billion dollars on another bomber. And I worked on those goddamn things. And I’m telling you.
Mo Yeah.
George That’s bullshit. If we would just take care of people to the same degree we wouldn’t have half the problems we have right now.
Jon What? what What a great way to spend your wealth.
Mo Mm hmm. Yeah.
Jon You know?
George oh
Jon You can watch the numbers stack up or you can see it doing good in the world.
Mo Shit.
Jon No wonder. No wonder she’s a good person.
Mo Yeah.
Jon She was doing good. It was coming back at her. Yeah.
Mo Yeah. And she had plenty. I mean, she lived. A very great lifestyle, which I… She deserved every second of it, you know?
Jon Oh yeah. That’s right.
Mo But. sheep. You know, all that excess, she did good stuff with it.
George Well, that’s what that religious moniker does. It’s not about receiving… cash back tenfold.
Mo Mm hmm.
Jon Mm hmm. It’s about receiving
George It’s about receiving the good vibes.
Jon Good. Yep.
George basically back.
Jon Yeah.
George tenfold and Boy, I tell you every time I’m starting to tear up again. We better move on God damn it.
Mo Yeah.
Jon It’s easy. It’s easy ah So when the apocalypse hit 2020 with COVID-19.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Virus came through.
George Yep.
Mo That seems so long ago.
Jon ah Dolly Parton. Personally donated $1 million dollars to Vanderbilt University. for COVID research.
George Yep.
Jon She’s like, I don’t know what’s gonna fix this, but I know my money will help.
Mo said And here’s people smart enough to actually do it.
Jon Part of that… Right, right. I can’t do it. But part of that funding supported critical early research connected with the Moderna vaccine, including. Testing responses generated by the vaccine. It turned out what initially sounded like another celebrity donation into something with very real. Global. impact.
Jon Yeah.
George You say it sounded like another celebrity donation, but how often… Do we see celebrities just asking?
Jon Yeah.
George All of us to donate.
Jon To give, yeah.
George Without putting their own money where their mouth is.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Mm hmm.
George Anytime there’s a natural disaster, 20 million celebrities come out. You guys should really… Send your money. Here’s the QR code. Go to this thing on your screen.
Jon Yeah.
George Dial 1-900-GIVE-ALOT or whatever. They’re not donating that money themselves, though.
Jon Like I can just help.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yep.
George Right. But she just… She didn’t ask nobody. She just said… Here’s a million. Go do what you can, please. That’s… Beautiful. It’s all… Her, Sam Jackson, a few others are those kind of people.
Jon Mm hmm.
Mo and And don’t make a big deal of it too, right?
George Mm. No.
Mo She just gave the money.
Jon Right.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yeah. um I heard about it on the news because I saw a picture of her getting the shot.
Mo Of course.
Jon But otherwise, yeah.
Mo And I’m sure Vanderbilt probably wanted to publicize it too to get more donations, which is fine.
Jon Sure.
Mo you know But she herself did not do it.
George yeah like you don’t that’s not a press release she put out
Jon Yeah.
Mo Yeah, exactly.
George Exactly.
Jon Right. There’s… there’s There’s tons. You could keep digging. But in general… Look, she believes in health care. disaster relief. She put money back in Tennessee communities.
Jon She helped raise a million bucks for women’s health care and birthing center in Sevier County. $700 ,000 for Tennessee flood victims in 2021.
George Mm.
Jon scholarships. And even this year. before she passed. directing proceeds from from new music she did toward pediatric cancer research.
George Mm.
Mo Yeah.
Jon I don’t have to tell you.
Mo It…
Jon we We lost a good one, y ‘all.
Mo Yeah, and it just makes me more… upset of all the f freaking billionaires we have right now.
Jon Who could do the same thing if they just and wouldn’t and wouldn’t feel it.
Mo Could you could do it and it wouldn’t It would be a rounding error. It would be a rounding error.
Jon Right, exactly. yeah
Mo You know.
Jon Hmm.
George Even compared to like she’s Dolly was wealthy. No question.
Mo Oh yeah, absolutely.
Jon Yep.
George But she’s not. billionaire wealthy. She’s certainly not.
Jon She…
George Elon, fuck you, trillionaire wealthy.
Mo No.
Jon She could have been a billionaire if she’d Saddle net money, right?
George Right.
Mo Yeah, sure.
Jon You know what I mean?
George Exactly.
Mo Probably, probably.
Jon Right.
George Yeah. If she’d have just put it in a goddamn savings account, the interest alone would have made her a billionaire.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Yeah.
George Nope.
Jon Yeah.
George She was out doing good.
Jon Okay. One more segment. ah We get back. We’re going to talk a little bit about. As if we haven’t already, some of the lasting legacy she’s left behind since she passed away just a few days ago as we record this. so Stick around. We will wrap it up right after this.
Mo So the next section is only two things that I put in there. ah One is about…
Jon Okay.
Mo I’ll always love you with Whitney Houston and the money she… Did you use that money for? And then you heard about her 100. Your birthday thing, right?
Jon What what?
Mo You didn’t hear about that? She has a new song.
Jon What?
Mo that she made? that will only be released on her 100th birthday.
Jon Oh, right. Because she said, I bet I’m not around to hear it, that to hear it released.
George Oh yeah.
Jon I remember talking about that.
Mo Yep. and So it’s actually Lux in a… time capsule with a CD player. So you can play it.
Jon I’ll be damned. k KCD players aren’t around.
Mo in case any players aren’t around, but it’s only released on her 100th birthday.
George so
Jon Okay.
Jon In most any backtrack we do, this last segment is usually about. the legacy of the thing, the movie we’re talking about or the the video game we’re talking about or whatever. In this case, we’re talking about the life of a wonderful lady who.
Jon She was already famous when we all got here. You know what I mean?
Mo Yeah.
Jon She was part of the fabric of our Gen X experience. And then she stayed and she evolved over time. She continued to maintain relevancy. Um,
Jon So like. The crazy thing is the person that we admired at the end. Wasn’t all that different from the person that.
Mo No.
Jon came out of the old Tennessee shack with 12 kids, you know? Yeah, I mean, she… You know, people figured out there’s more to her than. Her bust and the hair and the rhinestones and the jokes and stuff like that. It was the person we’re talking about here.
Jon August 25th. 2026 Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80. years old. and the tributes. are still happening. I opened my news feed and half of it is Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton, Dolly Parton.
Mo Yeah, of course.
Jon People want to, people want to talk about their experience with her and what she meant to them, right? And it it shows what we’ve talked about so far. what she was to us as a generation. was far beyond her.
Jon country music appeal or whatever she did in TV and movies, you know?
Mo Matter of fact, I just saw a video before we started recording this. um at the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
Jon Yes.
Mo Yeah, they have a band that plays with them And.
Jon Yep.
Mo They usually play… you know you know, whoever, you know, go along with the queen, whatever.
Jon Like a buck, some March or something, whatever.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yeah.
Mo They played nine to five.
Jon I saw that.
George Yeah.
Jon Mm hmm.
Mo It was the most amazing. I’m going to put a link to the video because it is. It was just amazing that here in England, and you know, the most
Jon Yeah.
Mo stoic staunchy ritual that they have. They decided to take the time and actually… Learn and then play the song.
Jon Yep.
George the The video I just watched earlier this week was the Empire State Building turning pink.
Mo Mm hmm.
George for her.
Jon Mmm. Mm hmm.
Jon Of course, there’s her music. Jolene. Nine to five. Code of many colors. I always love you. Look, they’ve already. State hits.
Jon for generations.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Right. Um, With us, there’s a little extra connection.
George ah Generations. I mean even Miley Cyrus did the remake.
Jon Hmm? Yes. Yeah.
Mo Yeah, yeah.
George The, the re. Yeah, did ja Jolene in their backyard concerts.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Yeah, yeah.
Jon Mm hmm.
George Yeah.
Jon It wasn’t. ah Miley Cyrus was…
Mo Her goddaughter, her goddaughter, yeah.
Jon Goddaughter? Right.
George Yeah.
Jon Dolly Parton. She was the godmother.
Mo Mm hmm.
Jon Right, right, right.
George Yeah.
Jon um We have the extra connection, of course, because… We knew the original Dolly and then we watch Whitney Houston cover her and get famous and made a defining record of the nineties, you know, out of what we already knew.
Jon It was.
Mo Yeah. Via.
Jon Stunning.
Mo She sang, you know, I Will Always Love You, which was…
Jon Hm?
Mo It’s still an amazing, amazing song.
Jon Yep.
Mo um Yo, Dolly Parton, she was also really smart. especially with business because she retained all the publishing rights to all her music. So when she when Whitney Houston did I Always Love You, Dolly Parton made like $10 million dollars off of it. that song.
Mo But… She took the royalties and she used it to invest in property in a black community in Nashville. And she called it like the house that Whitney built.
George Right.
Mo Like she didn’t want like her name on it. She’s just like. you know, Okay. And she also said that you know she… thought that Whitney Houston’s version of the song was phenomenal. like And she would talk it up.
George That’s what I was saying earlier, yeah.
Jon Yeah.
Mo Yeah.
George She thought it was better than hers.
Mo Yeah.
Jon Yep. That’s the thing. You know, I made $10 million. dollars And immediately she’s like. What can I do with it to make things better for somebody, right?
Mo Yeah.
Jon It it wasn’t like let’s add a zero somewhere.
George Yep.
Jon um Her other pop culture stuff, of course, we’ve talked about. The films, 9 to 5, Best Little Whorehouse, Islands in the Stream. Talk show appearances. Uh…
Jon yeah i think I think this thing that I found somewhere that somebody said was. You didn’t have to own a single… Dolly Parton. album or song or single to know exactly who Dolly Parton was.
Mo For sure.
Jon That’s how impactful she was. She proved that reinvention didn’t require abandoning who you were. Country singer. pop star, actress, songwriter, businesswoman, theme park owner, philanthropist.
Jon And still, she was just Dolly. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame specifically cited the ability to cross genres and media. while remaining authentic as the reason she was inducted.
George Yeah, I remember. She did an interview about that being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where she said, I had to go learn how to play rock music for a little while.
Jon Right. Well, she entered the country music hall in 99. Rock and roll hall in 22 that you’re talking about. and Ultimately, her career encompassed more than one hundred million records sold, and thousands of songs written.
Jon her charitable work. Keeps operating. After she’s gone. The Imagination Library may be one of the most literal examples of a legacy continuing after death. Children will continue receiving books with Dolly’s name on them. Long after the generation that… first knew her from television has grown old.
Jon How about that?
George Yep.
Jon Yep. Maybe the biggest legacy. It’s just goodwill. She achieved something that… are is surprisingly rare for somebody famous for more than. 50 years she was famous.
Jon People might disagree about music, politics. generations or almost anything else. And somehow we all agree. We like Dolly Parton.
Mo Well, I don’t think she judged people too. That’s the other thing.
Jon Right? Isn’t it something?
Mo you know she just egg wherever you were whatever you believe but she just accepted you you know and was your friend she’d even be your friend you know it was just
Jon Yep.
Mo you know and she encouraged it too in some cases you know it’s it’s she’s just ah just such a good person it’s just It’s hard to believe that people who are like like exist.
Jon Yeah.
Mo You know, in a sense.
Jon I know she’s an anomaly. I wish you weren’t. I wish you were the norm. I wish it was boring because there’s so many people like her, but I just, there aren’t right.
Mo Yeah, exactly. Oh, another dolly. you know
Jon Another philanthropist giveaway wealth.
Mo Yeah.
Jon It’s just.
Mo Yeah.
George you know it’s I don’t say this to. elevate myself or my mother in any way but my mother and Dolly Parton Share. way too many personality traits for it to be.
George a coincidence that they came from the same kind of backgrounds the appalachian Dirt pour. No.
Jon Right.
George floor in your house kind of situations. My mother doesn’t have… hundreds of millions of dollars. But she does the same kind of thing that Dolly Parton does. If there’s somebody that she can help.
Jon Mm hmm.
George She helps them. If there’s something she can give. Even if it takes away from her. it’s an It’s not even a thought. She doesn’t have to make a decision. It just happens.
George I see her treat.
Jon Mm hmm.
George people that way. animals that way, it’s… It’s just something Natural. for a lot of the people who grew up. in that part of the country in those conditions that it just kind of If you go. To those places, John, I know you
Jon Hm?
George vacationed a lot in…
Jon Yep.
George that area. Of course, I grew up there and still went back there. quite often and i know i give my kentucky hillbillies a hard time a lot of times because i moved away at all but the truth of the matter is When you talk about salt of the earth people.
George That’s salt of the earth people. And Dolly Parton just happened to… be the most financially successful. who ended up being The most. visible.
George of those. types of people.
Jon It seems like it kind of fosters a certain sense of community and responsibility that might not be as universal anymore.
George Yeah.
Mo Yeah.
George Yeah.
Mo For sure. The last thing I just found out about her, which… it’s It’s almost too perfect. is that she actually has a song that will only be released on her 100th birthday.
Mo So it’s going to be released on January 19th, 2046.
George Wow.
Mo So it gives me encouragement to stay in the round for another 20 years.
Jon ah Hang in there, Mo.
Mo Right. Stay healthy. You got to hang in there.
Jon Hang in there.
Mo and it’s it’s And it’s titled My Place in History. And she even included a CD player with it. In case there weren’t any CD players around to play a song.
Jon ah
Mo I know.
Jon appropriate.
Mo Yo. But think of the events when they…
George Always solving problems.
Mo but see Think of that event, though, in 20 years.
Jon Yep.
George Right?
George Mm.
Mo You know, when they actually do it, it’s.
Jon It’ll be cool. Something to look forward to.
Mo It’s going to be a thing. I’m sure.
Jon Yeah. Yeah. A very atypical kind of backtrack for us, but one that I feel really good about. I’m really glad that we took this little detour, spent some time talking about somebody that deserves to be recognized and applauded.
Jon Um, throughout her life and now in this case posthumously so we miss you dolly and we’re glad we glad we had you for as long as we did
Mo Yeah.
Jon That gentleman is going to wrap up this backtrack. Don’t worry if you were worried. We will have another one coming your way in a couple of weeks. Next week is the standard edition of our show. Until then, I am John. George, thank you so much for being here, pal.
George Yes, sir.
Jon Mo, you know I appreciate you.
Mo Always fun, man.
Jon Fourth listener to you, we all three appreciate most of all, and we can’t wait to talk to you again next time. Bye-bye.
George See you guys.
Mo Take care, everybody. And I am good.

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About The Author

Mo As someone who barely manages to squeeze in as a GenXer my memories include more of the 70's than those younger GenXers. Reading and movies are my passions with some video gaming thrown in there for good measure!

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