As you’ve probably heard, the great Dolly Parton passed away this week.
My family and I love her. We loved her music, the enormous amount of charitable work she did throughout her life, her endless support for reading, and her spirit.
When I visited the Country Music Hall of Fame last month and saw her first draft of “Jolene,” I felt like I was looking at the Dead Sea Scrolls:
An artifact attached to a song attached to a woman whom I loved.
The world lost a great musician, humanitarian, and human being this week.
In watching clips of Parton, I found this 15-minute appearance on “The Tonight Show” from September 19, 1979, utterly captivating. Johnny Carson interviews her, and he’s clearly a man of his time. Some of the questions he asks and some of the things he says to Parton would be considered cruel, stupid, and unconscionable today, but 45 years ago, this kind of conversation was sadly table stakes.
Women like Parton were swimming in the patriarchy, and it wasn’t especially kind to them.
Despite this, Parton brilliantly manages the interview with intelligence, savvy, and grace.
And her musical performance is extraordinary.
Parton is a woman of her time, too, understanding how late-night television and the world work, and if she wants to leverage this moment in the spotlight for her own gain, she’ll need to talk about things she probably would like to avoid.
Rather than dodging and deflecting, Parton’s strategy on the show and throughout her life is one that makes her almost bulletproof:
She doesn’t demand that people stop seeing the wigs, breasts, rhinestones, and “dumb blonde” persona. She exaggerates all of it herself. She makes fun of the things others would use to attack her, which deprives them of the ability to use them against her.
She’s not just self-deprecating. She’s funny. Sometimes hilarious, even though the target of her jokes is herself.
But meanwhile, underneath the joke was an exceptionally ambitious songwriter and businesswoman who knew exactly what The Tonight Show could do for her.
Johnny Carson thought Dolly was funny.
Dolly Parton understood that Carson thinking Dolly was funny could make America love Dolly.
She was right.
Dolly Parton also professed her love for Johnny Carson throughout her life and often credited him with bringing her to the world’s attention. She never had an unkind thing to say about the man.
Yes, perhaps Johnny Carson deserves a tiny amount of credit for bringing Dolly Parton to the world, but I think it’s the way Dolly Parton handled herself on the show that won the day.
Being given a stage is just the first step.
Performing brilliantly on that stage is another.
Dolly Parton was remarkably poised and skilled in an interview that would never happen today.
Losing someone like Dolly Parton is always sad, but thankfully, she’s left so much of herself behind. The world is now without an incredible human being, but her art and efforts will live on for a long, long time.
Watch the interview. It’s an incredible artifact to behold.
