Dolly Parton's America – Episode 9: "She's Alive!"

Podcast: Dolly Parton's America
Date: December 31, 2019
Host: Jad Abumrad
Producer: Shima Oliaee

Episode Overview

“She’s Alive!” is the culminating episode in the acclaimed series “Dolly Parton’s America.” Hosted by Jad Abumrad, the episode centers on perhaps the deepest question of all: what is the source and shape of Dolly Parton's faith—and how has it made her both an enduring icon and a unifier in a divided America? The episode explores Dolly’s spiritual journey, her personal theology, a story of profound self-revelation in a crumbling church, and her vision for her legacy and life beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Core Question: Dolly’s Spirituality and Faith

• Jad reflects on his hesitancy to discuss religion with Dolly, stemming from his family's avoidance of churches due to divisions caused by religion (03:58).
• The episode is prompted by a student’s question from the University of Tennessee's "Dolly's America" course: What is the theology of Dolly Parton behind closed doors? (07:56).

2. Dolly’s Personal Take on Regret and Living Authentically

• When asked if she has regrets about the way her life played out, Dolly says:

  “To change one thing could change the whole thing. So I don't think you can live your life like that ... I regret it if I've hurt anybody else, you know, on my journey. ... But to be honest, I guess the real answer to that is no.” (05:51)

• Jad pushes a bit further and Dolly teases:

  “You can't know everything, can you?” (06:45)

3. Rumors and Realities: The Tattoos

• Dolly confirms longstanding rumors:

  “I have a few tattoos on my body ... they are not meant to be tattoos for the sake of tattoos. ... I have some butterflies. I have some lace and some ... little bows, couple things like that.” (07:02, 07:42)

4. Dolly’s Theology: Faith Without Boundary

• Dolly declines to label herself as conventionally religious, instead identifying as “very spiritual” (08:30).
• She explains her faith as an internal, ongoing, informal relationship with God:

  “I don't practice it. I live it. ... I talk to God like he is my best friend. ... I don't feel like I have to go to church to do it. I think church is in our hearts.” (08:49)

• She avoids pushing her views onto others:

  “You live by example, you teach by example, you learn by example, don't you think?” (09:22)

5. Wrestling with Dogma: Growing up in a ‘Fanatical’ Church

• Dolly reflects on her upbringing in a Pentecostal “Holy Roller” church, with vivid memories of “hellfire, damnation” sermons (11:31):

  “That hellfire, damnation that we went through used to scare me to death. ... I don't want to be afraid of God ... I was confused with all that.” (11:31)

• She yearned for a direct encounter with God beyond the rituals and expectations of her church community.

6. Transformative Moment: The Abandoned Church

• Dolly recounts a pivotal, mystical experience at age 12 in an abandoned church—a site both scarred and sacred (13:23–13:46):

  “There was this whole church at the foot of the hill ... all the windows were all busted ... there was dirty pictures painted on the walls.” (13:24)

• She describes the peace and comfort she found there, and her fascination with the intersection of the sacred and profane.
• Profound moment:

  “I felt like I found God that day. And I felt like I knew who I was that day.” (15:37–16:56) “I found God. I had found Dolly Parton. And I loved them both.” (17:01)

7. Holding Contradictions and Embracing Wholeness

• Jad summarizes what this story crystallizes about Dolly’s appeal:

  “...how she can be all of these things at once. Like she's able to pull in all of these disparate things from the borderlands and somehow hold them all together to where they don't feel contradictory.” (18:46)

8. Dolly’s Private Spiritual Sanctuary

• Dolly describes her ability to mentally and spiritually ‘go back’ to that church as a place of renewal:

  “I can just kind of go through there and be in my God place. ... If something’s really troublesome ... I just have to go to my own little space.” (19:24–19:55)

9. On Legacy: Preparing for a Future Beyond Herself

• Dolly and Jad discuss her plans for her musical legacy:

  “...I’ve got hundreds, hundreds, even thousands of songs, and a big part of them have never even been recorded. ... So that will go on forever.” (23:07–23:47)

• Dolly is actively archiving her music to allow new production and releases after she’s gone.

10. Death, Reincarnation, and the Afterlife

• Dolly muses about the afterlife, her hope for continuation, and even jokes about reincarnation:

  “I believe that we’re all part of that great divine plan. ... I’m just open to things.” (25:49)

11. Dolly on Her Influence and Inspiration

• On being called “Saint Dolly,” she demurs:

  “First of all, I’m no saint. Trust me, I’m no saint.” (22:24)

• She hopes her work inspires others:

  “Maybe something we’ve done might inspire people to do a little better.” (26:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Regret:
  “To change one thing could change the whole thing. So I don't think you can live your life like that.” — Dolly Parton (05:51)
• On Her Tattoos:
  “I have some butterflies. I have some lace and some inbows of hope, little bows, couple things like that.” — Dolly Parton (07:42)
• On Faith:
  “I don't practice it. I live it.” — Dolly Parton (08:49)
• Finding God and Herself:
  “I found God. I had found Dolly Parton. And I loved them both.” — Dolly Parton (17:01)
• Holding Contradictions:
  “She's able to pull in all of these disparate things from the borderlands and somehow hold them all together to where they don't feel contradictory.” — Jad Abumrad (18:46)
• On Her Enduring Musical Legacy:
  “There’s enough stuff to go on forever with my music ... any producer, anywhere in the world ... could take my songs ... and build a complete arrangement around that.” — Dolly Parton (23:07–23:51)
• On the Afterlife and Reincarnation:
  “If nothing else, we just go back into that great flow of divine energy and hopefully we can spread ourselves around in other wonderful ways.” — Dolly Parton (25:50)
• On Inspiration:
  “Maybe something we’ve done might inspire people to do a little better.” — Dolly Parton (26:38)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Discussion of Dolly’s regrets: 05:45–06:47
• Rumors about Dolly's tattoos: 06:51–07:56
• Dolly on her faith and spirituality: 08:30–11:04
• Reflecting on childhood “fanatical” church: 11:19–12:39
• Story of the abandoned church and personal revelation: 13:23–17:01
• Summarizing Dolly’s ability to embrace contradictions: 18:46
• Dolly’s mental sanctuary and spiritual self-care: 19:24–19:55
• Dolly’s legacy and planning for future releases: 23:07–23:47
• Dolly’s beliefs on afterlife & reincarnation: 25:49–26:35
• Closing gratitude and thoughts on inspiration: 26:38–26:56

Overall Tone

The episode is warm, intimate, and reverent—marked by Jad’s blend of curiosity and admiration, and Dolly’s frankness, humor, and wisdom. Dolly’s unpretentious attitude, spiritual openness, and her ability to entwine opposites (earthy and divine, sexuality and sanctity) are on full display. The episode closes the series on an uplifting, thoughtful, and inspirational note.

For First-Time Listeners

If you haven’t heard any of “Dolly Parton’s America,” this final episode is both culmination and stand-alone meditation—a beautifully produced, soulful conversation with one of America’s great icons about who she is, how she sees the world, and how she hopes her work will live on.