Dolly Parton's America – Episode 8: "Dixie Disappearance"

Release Date: December 17, 2019
Host: Jad Abumrad
Producer/Reporter: Shima Oliaee
Podcast Description: In this journey through the “Dollyverse,” host Jad Abumrad explores why Dolly Parton unites people across the political and cultural divide—until she doesn’t. “Dixie Disappearance” investigates the controversy and soul-searching around Dolly Parton’s “Dixie Stampede” dinner theater, the cultural weight of Southern nostalgia, and questions around rewriting history.

Overview

Episode 8, "Dixie Disappearance," delves into one of the most contentious crossroads in Dolly Parton's career: the rebranding of her dinner show from "Dixie Stampede" to "Dolly Parton's Stampede." The show examines the broader American reckoning with Confederate symbols, the nature of historical memory and erasure, and Dolly’s unique position as both a unifier and a lightning rod for controversy. The episode asks: Can Dolly Parton—famed for her ability to straddle cultural contradictions—bridge an increasingly divided America, or are some lines simply too fraught to cross, even for her?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Contradictions of Dollywood

• Jad, Shima, and “Dollyologist” Allie Tiki visit Pigeon Forge and describe the spectacle and excess of Dollywood, comparing it to Las Vegas.
  • “For a while it's all Smoky Mountains. And then you pull in the Pigeon Forge. Wow, this is a little bit like starting to remind me of Vegas.” (Jad Abumrad, 01:35)
• The centerpiece: Dolly Parton's "Dixie Stampede," a high-energy dinner theater featuring a Civil War-themed competition.

2. A Civil War Showdown—But “Friendly”

• The show splits the audience into “North” and “South”—complete with jeering, competitions, and spectacle:
  • “The whole arena is split in half. On one side you've got the north and on the other side the South.” (Shima Olia, 04:32)
• The Civil War is depicted as a neighborly rivalry—ignoring its violence and its roots in slavery.
  • “Was the Civil War friendly? Wasn't it really about slavery?” (Jad Abumrad & Shima Olia, 06:47)

3. The Antebellum Illusion and the "Tourist Imaginary"

• Patricia Davis (Cultural Studies, Northeastern) calls the Dixie Stampede part of the “tourist imaginary”—a sanitized, glamorous vision of the South that omits slavery.
  • “There is no slavery. There is no discussion of exactly what exploitation led to that grandeur. It's just the grandeur that's displayed up.” (Patricia Davis, 07:11)

4. Spectacular Distraction vs. Historical Reckoning

• The show's dazzling finale, with patriotic pageantry and a giant Dolly, serves to paper over deeper issues.
  • Quote: “As soon as my critical self kicked in, and I thought, hang on, that's an appalling way to write history, there’d be a flamethrower or something to distract.” (Helen Morales, 09:46)
• Helen Morales describes the personal conflict of loving Dolly Parton while feeling uneasy about this aspect of her brand.

5. Charlottesville and a National Conversation (11:07–14:50)

• The 2017 Charlottesville protests around Confederate symbols prompt reevaluation of history, inclusivity, and representation on a national level.
• Aisha Harris of Slate reviews the Dixie Stampede post-Charlottesville, questioning the show’s casual erasure of slavery and confronting aggressive backlash.
  • “Did you grow up with her music?... I think that’s something to celebrate and to kind of look up to.” (Aisha Harris, 14:04)
• Harris’ critique is met with anger—yet she emphasizes she’s speaking as a Dolly fan who believes even beloved icons can have blind spots.

6. Internal Debate and Decision at Dollywood

• Pete Owens (VP, Dollywood) explains that conversations about changing the show had begun before the national controversy.
  • “Everywhere is becoming more diverse, and we want to be as Dolly is, as inclusive as we possibly can.” (Pete Owens, 16:04)
• The Stampede removes Civil War imagery and music numbers, changes team colors, and most significantly, drops “Dixie” from its name.
  • “We made the decision to just remove... just to remove Dixie from the name.” (Pete Owens, 16:49)

7. Community Reactions: Nostalgia, Resistance, & Identity

• The change meets resistance, locally and more broadly—protesters arrive, seeing the removal of “Dixie” as erasure of heritage.
• Conversations with East Tennesseans—many of whom claim kinship with Dolly—reveal a complex relationship to both Union and Confederate histories.
  • “They were okay for 150 years and now all of a sudden they're no good. That doesn't make any sense to me at all.” (Evelyn Miller, 23:50)
• Others at the table advocate for change: “When you know better, you're supposed to do better. Times were different back then. Times are changing.” (Local response, 24:12)

8. Statues, Erasure, and the Mobius Strip of History (25:29–26:27)

• The debate loops: is changing names and removing statues erasing history, or are the monuments themselves a revisionist product?
  • Only 38% of Americans cited slavery as the main cause of the Civil War when polled (25:49).
  • “Clearly, we have a deep problem in this country if a majority of Americans don't think that.” (Jad Abumrad, 26:00)

9. Dolly’s Own Response—Business Sense Meets Compassion (26:56–29:49)

• Dolly herself addresses the name change:
  • “Out of ignorance, people do things you don't know… Never thought about it being, you know, about slavery or any of that. But when it was brought to our attention... I would never want to hurt anybody for any reason... If I've offended one person, as a businesswoman I don’t want to do that.” (Dolly Parton, 26:56)
  • The change is also about expanding the brand beyond the South, acknowledging “Dixie” doesn’t play as well nationally or globally.

10. Ongoing Evolution: From Civil War to Christmas (31:00–31:49)

• The competition at the Stampede is now themed “North Pole vs. South Pole”—a holiday rivalry.
  • “Are the costumes still red and blue? Actually, they've changed... they’re red and green. Why are they red and green? Shima—Christmas. North Pole vs. South Pole. That’s what they’re doing now.” (Pete Owens, 31:45)

11. The Dolly Solution: Inclusion as Legacy (33:05–38:52)

• Tennessee state representative Jeremy Faison—once a defender of Confederate history—changes his mind after learning about the true legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest, and suggests replacing Forrest’s bust in the state capitol with Dolly Parton's.
  • “In my opinion, Dolly Parton is a Tennessee treasure. But even more than that, Dolly Parton is a national treasure.” (Jeremy Faison, 36:28)
• The episode closes with this emblematic moment, suggesting Dolly’s story—and her willingness to change—is part of a larger conversation about who gets honored and how America remembers its past.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On spectacle and distraction:
  "It's brilliant theater... There'd be a flamethrower or something to distract. It's hard to stay in one place—ironic, serious, critical." – Helen Morales (08:24, 09:46)

• On changing the name:
  "If I've offended one person as a businesswoman, I don't want to do that. So we completely cleared all that out and started over... I just wanted to fix it because I don't want to ever hurt or offend anyone." – Dolly Parton (26:56)

• On historical amnesia:
  "The critics... would agree with you that the reason they wanted her to change it is that the actual story being told in it was itself changing history or not acknowledging history." – Jad Abumrad (24:54)

• On inclusion:
  "I want to make sure we never repeat that again... But I think we can preserve history, tell the truth about history, but also preserve history in such a way that everybody gets included." – Jeremy Faison (37:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:35 – Arriving at Dollywood; introducing the Dixie Stampede
• 03:31–06:19 – Inside the “competition” and spectacle of the dinner show
• 07:11–08:55 – Patricia Davis & the tourist “imaginary” of the antebellum South
• 09:46–10:15 – Helen Morales’ conflicted fandom
• 11:07–12:48 – Charlottesville, Confederate monuments, national reckoning
• 12:48–14:50 – Aisha Harris’ critical review and backlash
• 16:15–17:08 – Pete Owens on the decision to remove “Dixie”
• 19:21–20:10 – Public protests in response to the name change
• 21:00–24:10 – Locals’ reactions, history, and identity
• 26:00–26:27 – Data on public perception of Civil War causes
• 26:56–29:16 – Dolly explains her rationale for the change
• 31:00–31:49 – The show’s new “Christmas” theme
• 33:05–38:52 – Jeremy Faison advocates for Dolly’s bust—a symbolic new legacy

Tone and Narrative Style

The episode balances investigative curiosity, Southern storytelling charm, and sincere emotional questioning. It respects the perspectives of all—fans, critics, locals, and Dolly herself—while gently but firmly pressing on the tough questions of memory, identity, and reconciliation.

Summary for the Uninitiated

“Dixie Disappearance” lays bare how even the most beloved American icons confront the nation’s tangled relationship with history. Through the story of a dinner show, its Civil War spectacle, a sudden name change, protests, and personal reckonings, the episode confronts what it means to confront the past, acknowledges blind spots, and celebrates Dolly Parton’s willingness to listen, evolve, and bring more people to the table. In doing so, the episode asks: What kind of history—and what kind of future—do we want to build, and who do we want to celebrate along the way?