Category: dolly
June 10, 2004
Dolly Tops List
I know it’s not Dolly Parton Appreciation Week any more, but how fabulous is this? Dolly has topped a list of the 100 Greatest Love Songs. Sure, it’s not for the magnificent Islands In The Stream, but we’ll overlook that.
Dolly came up trumps in Country Music Television’s list for her tune I Will Always Love You (butchered by Whitney Houston in the early nineties for The Bodyguard), a ode to her ex-collaborator Porter Wagoner.
This is further proof that Dolly Parton should rule the world. Or something.
Posted by Jess at 9:53 PM Link | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)June 6, 2004
Goodbye, Dolly Parton Appreciation Week!
Sniffle. We all knew the day would come, but it doesn’t make things any easier. It’s time we bid adieu to Dolly Parton Appreciation Week. What fun we’ve had, don’t you think? We’ve learnt so much from our favourite buxom country singer! She’s a got a crackin’ sense of humour, has sold a bung load of records, is a devoted-yet-not-showy philanthropist - AND she’s responsible for some genuinely wicked tunes such as Islands In The Stream and Jolene!
In a way, it’ll always be Dolly Parton Appreciation Week in our hearts.
But what next for ausculture.com, eh? Surely this can’t be the last Appreciation Week ever? Dang tootin’, friends - we’ll be starting another Appreciation Week on Monday the 14th June. Till then, back come the cryptic clues - can you guess what we’ll be appreciating next week?
Posted by Jess at 11:59 PM Link | TrackBack (0)Letterman’s Dolly Top Ten List #2
Dolly actually read this one out on The Late Show back in 1995…
Dolly Parton Pet Peeves
- Accountants who don’t understand how much it costs to make me look this cheap.
- Trying to play guitar with three-inch fingernails.
- When the country declares my hair a fire hazard.
- Confused Dali Lama constantly asking for theme park royalties.
- You can’t get a wig repaired because Letterman’s got some kind of hairpiece crisis.
- Rhinestone rash.
- Whenever he visits my gift shop, Garth Brooks tries to shoplift stuff under that big hat.
- Smartass emcees who introduce you by saying: “And now here they are, Dolly Parton!”
- Whenever the Super Bowl is over, winner never says, “I’m goin’ to Dollywood!”
- Nobody notices I’ve got a great ass, too!
June 4, 2004
Another Dolly Mp3 - The Very Brilliant ‘Jolene’
I won’t bother to go through and tell you the exact moments the song’s brilliance shines because quite frankly, the entire thing is divine. The guitar is great (and a little Ani DiFranco-ish if you ask me) and this, the original Jolene, is far superior to the hyped White Stripes cover version of it.
Go on - have a listen. This is a genuinely ace tune. I’ll keep it up here for a day or two, then take it down so Dolly doesn’t get cranky with me. Cos Dolly and I talk all the time, especially about copyright law and stuff. We’re best friends.
/end delusion
Posted by Jess at 3:07 AM Link | TrackBack (0)Getting To Know Dolly (I)
Thanks to the adorably informative dollymania.net and their Frequently Asked Questions section, we’d like to offer you the chance to get to know the first lady of country music a little better. Today, let’s find out a bit more about Dolly’s political leanings, shall we?
Although she has said she’d never pose nude, she doesn’t see a problem in drawing attention to her own body with her outfits or when other women pose nude, even agreeing to appear in a self-designed Playboy bunny outfit on the cover of that men’s magazine known for its centerfolds.
She has long advocated racial harmony and said she was a strong supporter and believer in John F. Kennedy in the 1960s. She and Porter even recorded a song in 1973 to promote the bicentennial Freedom Train, and the lyrics spoke admirably about JFK and Robert F. Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King, Jr., a rare occurrence in the conservative country community during that era.
She’s long been a supporter of equality for women, with several semi-feminist themed songs.
She also has been a quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet) supporter of gay rights and AIDS issues for many years. Her former longtime manager and business partner Sandy Gallin is an out gay man and one of her closest friends, and their production company’s first project was an Academy Award-winning documentary on the AIDS quilt. She appeared on the cover of the gay magazine Out in 1997 and the AIDS magazine A&U in 2003. In the New York gay magazine Next a couple of years ago, she offered the following opinion on homosexuality: “I think it’s great when people accept themselves for exactly who they are and accept other people. I think that’s the key to happiness and success. It doesn’t matter who you are, as long as you do that really good. We’re all God’s children. He loves us all the same. We have to learn to love each other and ourselves a little better.” In Out, she noted that she has straight fans and gay fans. “It’s two different worlds,” she said. “And I understand them both and love them both.” She is also considered one of the top gay icons. (While not as big as Barbara Streisand, Judy Garland or Liza Minnelli, Dolly ranks up there with Bette Midler and Cher with a huge gay following.) And in 2003 on Oprah with Melissa Etheridge, she congratulated the lesbian singer on her recent marriage to another woman and said she supports gay marriage, joking that gay people should have the right to be “as miserable” as married straight people are.
So there you have it - our beloved Dolly is no red neck hillbilly - she’s a supporter of equal rights for everyone. Is there anything not to like about this woman? (“Her music!” I hear Ol scream - hush now young man!)
Hurrah for Dolly Parton!
Posted by Jess at 12:04 AM Link | TrackBack (0)June 1, 2004
Bananas Are The New Coal
Bless. news.com.au reports today that farmers in North Queensland are planning to generate electricity from their wasted bananas. More disturbing was the mention in the report that one in every three bananas were rejected in fruit shops because of their colour. Well, that’s banana-ism, surely?
Dolly Quote! My husband said ‘show me your boobs’ and I had to pull up my skirt… so it was time to get them done!”
May 31, 2004
Hilary Duff’s Future
And good for her for picking such a kick arse role model! She’d better improve her finger pickin’ skills if she wants to do a half decent version of Jolene though…
Make Dolly’s Mum’s Fried Cornbread!
adapted from The Tennessean
Dolly’s Mom’s Fried Cornbread
Dolly Parton came from a family of 11 brothers and sisters, born in Sevier County, Tenn.
The favorite room of the house for their mother, Avie Lee Parton, was the kitchen where she created meals mostly from things they planted and harvested on the East Tennessee farm. slow?
Recipe
1 cup cornmeal
¼ cup flour
1 egg
½ cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon sugar
Optional: a small onion, chopped finely
1 tablespoon country bacon grease for the mixture.
Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, egg, onion, buttermilk and grease. In a skillet — iron skillet, if available — warm about four tablespoons of oil or bacon grease. Fry until brown on both sides. The recipe makes eight small or four large pieces of cornbread.
Posted by Jess at 12:55 PM Link | TrackBack (0)Saint Paris of Surfers Paradise
Awwww, bless. Paris has been spending time with sick kiddies while she does… ummm… whatever it is she’s doing in Queensland. “I just feel I have the time and the resources to help out,” the society heir said yesterday. “They’re just so sweet. I love children,” she said.
It’s good to see Paris doing something with her time over here other than fuelling ridiculously laughable rumours about a lusty bonkfest between her and Ian Thorpe. As IF Ian Thorpe would be having sex with women! I mean, he’d be far too busy training for the Olympics to indulge in the ladies… cough…
Dolly Quote! “I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde.”
Dolly Parton - “Islands In The Stream”
To kick off proceedings, please enjoy this sample of Dolly’s work. Islands In The Stream was a huge hit in 1983 for Ms Parton and Mr Rogers, and the magic of this BeeGees penned track hasn’t dimmed with age.
Some of you will no doubt recall the late nineties hit “Ghetto Superstar” with Pras and Mya (I think) which used Islands In The Stream’s kick arse chorus but with some words changed and it was sandwiched between some rap rubbish. I think you’ll find once you download Islands In The Stream that the original is certainly the best.
Look Out For:
0.28 - Dolly is first heard on the track, worth a mention simply due to that.
1.32 - Dolly sings solo! Hurrah!
1:36 - “Everything is nothing if you got no ooone and you just walk in the night, slowly losing sight of the real thing” So true.
2.18 - “We can riii-iii-iii-de it together, uh-huh!” - woo! Wicked Dolly-bit of the song.
3.01 - Oooh! Horns! And Dolly’s “Oooooh won’t you saaaaaail awaaaaay with me” blows Kenny’s earlier “Sail away” out of the water. Sucker.
3.35 - Best chorus in the song yet - Dolly’s “That is WHAT we aaaaare” rocks.
May 30, 2004
Dolly Parton Appreciation Week Launched!
Well, she’s not Australian, and perhaps some might find her a little uncool (heathens!), but I concluded that my earlier Dolly related insanity was a sign from the Gods to spread the glory of Dolly. Therefore, this week is Dolly Parton Appreciation Week.
Stay tuned for exciting Dolly tit tid bits, trivia, pictures and anything else I stumble across. There are so many reasons why Dolly Parton rocks, and it’s about time someone (ie: me!) took the Gospel of Dolly to the masses. She’s got a wicked sense of humour. She sang Islands In The Stream. She isn’t Celine Dion, Mariah Carey or countless other crap people. This is her time to shine, and at ausculture.com, we’re proud to have her shining here.
In advance, I’d like to thank dollymania.net for being an absolutely gem for someone in the pursuit of Dolly-knowledge.
Posted by Jess at 11:46 PM Link | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)May 25, 2004
Am I Insane?
I’m listening to Islands In The Stream by Kenny & Dolly (and no, that’s not the reason I’m asking) and it’s speeding up in my head and Dolly sounds all hyperactive and chipmonkey and it’s an mp3 so it’s not like it could be speeding up…
Have I finally cracked it after one too many all nighters?
Posted by Jess at 5:16 AM Link | TrackBack (0)