by kelseydeemer
Happy no sun season folks! The time when it’s too cold for autumnal gallivanting but there’s no snow so it’s not winter yet. The sun sets with a quicker swiftness each day and it’s hard to tell when it sets at all due to the 160 net hours of overcast each week. These times are busy, these times are melancholy, but just stop your crying, it’s a sign of the times. Enter stage left, Dolly Parton.
Dolly does not just cradle you, she swoops you into her loving embrace, dusts you off, and tells you everything’s gonna be ok. Exhibit A: me, last week, cleaning my bathroom, down in the dumps and down with the dumps. I shuffled some Dolly for the soundtrack to the shower scrubbing segment of my evening. “9 to 5”, “Who”, and “Here You Come Again” rang over the tile floor and the little lacerations in my heart were carefully stitched back together by Miss Parton’s sweet words. She reminded me that “my feelings are very human and [that] I’m not alone in this world” (@kDeemz twitter drafts, 331). Exhibit B: me, earlier today, grilling chicken on my front porch in the cold, shivering in my socks while my meal prep for the week sizzled. This was not an enjoyable grill. To pass the time I logged onto spotify for more jolly Dolly time. “Red Shoes” came on, the clouds broke for the first time all afternoon, and Tennessee sunshine poured onto my porch. She is a miracle worker.
I’ve been talking a lot about how Dolly is breathing life into me personally but it would be a disservice to ignore Dolly Parton’s raw talent. This woman has never taken a music lesson in her life. She is sheet music illiterate and yet has taught herself to play ten (10) instruments. She wrote “9 to 5” on her goddamn acrylics. Similarly, Dolly has never taken an acting lesson in her life. According to google Dolly has been in “at least 17” movies. Bitch! They lost count! Lest we forget her role as Aunt Dolly on Hannah Montana. Similarly for the second time, despite never taking a fashion icon class in her life, she is indeed a fashion icon. She is dedicated to her flashy town tramp inspired look and I am obsessed to say the least. In her words “less is less and more is more and more is good for me!” She was born to perform, nay, not just to perform, but to be a staple of country music.
Dolly Parton is phenomenal. In a very personal way she reminds me a lot of my grandma. They both speak patiently with precise thought but never any malice. Their laughs and charisma light up a room; they are independent women who know just what they want. I haven’t been home in a minute, and though I don’t call Dolly’s Appalachia my home, listening to her music brings me back to my Nana and my home just a little and my heart is warmed.
Go listen to some Dolly Parton today. Even if you swear up and down that country music isn’t your tune we could all use a warm hug in this no sun season. Bundle up with Dolly’s sweet melodies, let her remind you that you’re human and lovable, and to wear blue eyeliner if you want.
Categories: kelsey deemer, November 3, 2020, review