As news of Dolly Parton’s death broke, I too felt a wave of sadness, but perhaps, of a different kind.
For me, she epitomised something other than country music’s smart ‘dumb blonde’ and the rags to riches American dream…….
It was how those we admire………can disappoint us.
Had she died in 2006, 2016 or even 2019, I’d have been like the rest of ’em - giving it a bit of ‘Islands in the Stream’, indulging my ‘Whorehouse’.
Shitshow changed everything.
Often, we talk about rose tinted spectacles.
But what about their more sinister counterparts?
The dark glasses we never wanted to wear, but now, cannot remove.
Sure, I wanted to carry on seeing Dolly as the affable Backwoods Barbie who made millions smile with her storytelling.
But when she chose to turn ‘Jolene’ into ‘Vaccine’ and donate $1million to Moderna, my feelings about her changed.
A sentiment I’ve often heard expressed over the last few years is;
“I see everyone these days through the lens of how they behaved in 2020”
And I get it.
From the ‘love and lighters’ on our friends lists, exposed as shallow grifters, to those in the public eye we once respected.
It truly was a ‘when the chips are down’ moment. No longer a hypothetical ‘what would you do if….’ but a tangible ‘what ARE you ACTUALLY doing right NOW.’
To clarify, this isn’t about who took the jab or who wore a mask etc.
That’s personal choice.
But trying to coerce others?
Using your enormous platform to persuade people into taking an experimental vaccine?
No!
It’s plain wrong.
How many impressionable people took those shots after hearing their idol advocate for them?
Could she have been certain all of them were okay?
Perhaps she was channelling her old bud Kenny with ‘Gambler’, hey?
But Dolly was far from the only one to disappoint.
Every day in 2020/21 felt like a ‘Oh no - not you too!’ moment.
Who can forget Martin Kemp dressing up as Father Christmas whilst plugging the jibber? Who the fuck does that? He really was all about Gold, wasn’t he?
We had the likes of Adele and Springsteen saying you wouldn’t be allowed to attend one of their gigs without proof of vaccination. Treating loyal fans like pieces of shit they’d rather not stand in.
I will say it again, this wasn’t about getting vaccinated or not.
It was about respecting choice.
Seeing the human.
Then, there were other well known figures, noteworthy because of their absence, their lack of something to say.
People who were normally very vocal about matters.
And don’t tell me they did speak out but were cancelled.
Because people like Ian Brown blow that bullshit right out of the water.
What does ‘cancelled’ even mean in that context anyway? Lost sales?
Because unless someone physically had a gag around your mouth or a weapon to your head, I’m calling bollocks.
If you had a platform on social media, you could have said something. End of. Let’s not shroud it in mystique.
And if you didn’t, it was about how you feared you would be perceived, about management and venues possibly getting arsey with you.
It was about money and popularity.
So, moving on………
Do we dismiss the sum of a person’s life and their contributions because of one thing we find distasteful?
I think for many of us, it depends on what that thing was.
Some are easy.
Out and out noncing springs to mind.
If you want to clear the room at a party, stick on a bit of Gary Glitter.
We don’t care what came before it, how much he might have done for charity. A line was crossed.
With other actions, perhaps things aren’t so clear cut.
We will all have our own limit.
We will all ask our own questions.
And ultimately, whether we believe Parton was a good egg, a black heart or simply a flawed human, the only soul we have any control over, is the one inside us right now.
Let’s concentrate on that.
Endeavour to shine so bright that it shatters any lens people want to impose upon you, dark, rose tinted or otherwise.
Be bold, be brilliant, be beautiful.
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