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Listen to Looch: a Dolly Parton documentary to watch

Dolly Parton attends a press conference before a performance celebrating her 50-year anniversary with the Grand Ole Opry at The Grand Ole Opry on October 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dolly Parton attends a press conference before a performance celebrating her 50-year anniversary with the Grand Ole Opry at The Grand Ole Opry on October 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

by Mary Lucia

November 11, 2020

I just watched a documentary on Netflix called, Dolly Parton: Here I Am. Now, she's a fascinating figure in pop culture, in music, in movies and everything, but she considers herself first and foremost a songwriter and a storyteller.

Dolly was obviously determined and completely maybe ahead of her time. She never proclaimed herself as a feminist, but certainly is an icon to the LGBTQ community as well as to feminists. There was a certain amount of power in her while she sort of played the dumb blonde, but as Dolly herself said, "I know I'm not dumb, and I know I'm not blonde."

Dolly Parton: Here I Am is directed by Francis Whately and is streaming now on Netflix.

Dolly Parton: Here I Am - official Netflix site

Dolly Parton's America - WNYC podcast