What Would Dolly Do? | Voice Notes

My mom said she was glad Dolly wasn't political. I disagree. Dolly Parton was deeply political. The week Dolly Parton died, the President of the United States and the Democratic Socialists released essentially the same statement about her. One woman, both sides, same sentiment. That doesn't happen by staying out of it. In this Voice Notes episode, I make the case that Dolly was deeply political and never partisan — and that we've largely lost the ability to tell those two things apart. From the Texas drag ban struck down the day she died, to Dollywood as economic policy, to "Travelin' Thru" and what it did to a twenty-something's beliefs, this is about how one woman changed minds without ever telling anyone how to vote. CHAPTERS 0:00 The text I didn't answer 0:28 Both sides wanted to claim her 0:57 The day the drag ban fell 1:25 She saw everyone as human 2:02 Branson, Missouri 2:59 The t-shirt 3:22 Dolly was a paradox 3:52 It was never a costume 4:39 Dollywood was the answer 5:07 Empathy wasn't set decoration 5:40 Voting is a binary 6:03 What public Dolly did 6:51 We are all political 7:03 Four questions 7:21 Transamerica 9:00 Public Dolly, private Dolly 9:29 Made from scraps 10:17 What would Dolly do MENTIONED - Pivot with Kara Swisher and Kaitlyn Collins— - Texas SB 12 ruling — - Transamerica (2005) - Dolly Parton's Imagination Library — CONNECT https://davidpeck.co Threads / Instagram / TikTok — @itsdavidpeck