Monday, October 17, 2005

Dolly Parton: Don't Shoot the Messenger

From Yahoo!:

On the eve of her 60th birthday, Dolly Parton has the verve, sass and energy of someone 35 years her junior. She is crisscrossing the country on her Vintage tour -- a trek that surrounds the October 11 release of her new album, the self-produced "Those Were the Days." And in her scarce downtime, she is penning the score to the Broadway-bound musical "9 to 5," which is based on the 1980 hit film that starred Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.

For the aptly named Vintage tour, the legendary artist performs a mix of Parton classics and songs from the new Sugar Hill Records album, which is a collection of covers from the 1960s and 1970s. But these are not just any old songs. For the most part, they are folk-pop nuggets of a political bent. Originally created during a time of strife and unease, era-defining songs like "Blowin' in the Wind," "Imagine" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" take on contemporary resonance in 2005.

..."For me, these songs are not really political, but more a sign of the times," Parton says. "I see them as songs of hope, songs with strong messages, songs that take on a new relevance today." For Parton, these songs could have been written yesterday. "With everything going on in the world today, these lyrics are right on the money," she says. With a sense of glee, she adds, "And now, I'm the messenger of these songs."
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I wonder if it would be possible for Dolly Parton to do something that would make people hate her. I'm pretty sure she could do a record of nothing but gg allin covers and people would find it charming. Especially me.

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