Thursday, August 27, 2026

The Best of Us

There are a million different things we could say about Dolly Parton. We could emphasize her kindness, her humanitarian efforts (she fucking helped fund the development of the Moderna COVID vaccine!*), her authenticity, her acting, her self-awareness, her loyalty to her husband and her roots, her genuine affection, her ability to laugh at herself and with others, her damn near singular manner of embracing her sexuality on her terms and not the culture's - especially given the era she came to prominence in, her songwriting, her...all of it. Absolutely one of a kind, and the universal outpouring of love for her in the wake of her passing will not be matched in my lifetime.

(* Apologies for cursing, ma'am.)

And there are a million different pieces that have and will be written about the indelible mark she left on our world. I'd rather spend time reading those than trying to find a new angle. 

One of the most interesting things I've seen since she left us this week is directly connected to the thing we knew her for first. The number and diversity of the artists that have honored her with their live performances over the past few days is remarkable. She touched performers from Eminem to Brandi Carlile and so many beyond that, famous and not. Here are just a very few of the musicians that made time to remember one of one:

I mean, Pitbull loved Dolly!


Jack White's been performing Jolene for years. Here he was the night after she passed.

The everlovin' Bands of His Majesty's Royal Marines, for goodness' sake.

The Avett Brothers were probably a good bet.

@avettbros The Avett Brothers perform a mashup of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” and “Pretty Girl from Annapolis” at their show last night. 🦋 #dollyparton #dolly #avettbrothers #livemusic #cover ♬ original sound - The Avett Brothers

But I don't that anyone other than Dooger would've guess Amyl and the Sniffers loved her.

14 comments:

  1. just had my first dentist appointment since before the pandemic. somewhere up above, dr. seymour russell, d.d.s. is nonplussed.

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  2. You’re an anti-dentite?!

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  3. Trump just changed Lake Ontario to Lake America. This wastes our time and money, dipshit. Stop it.

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  4. Canadians should replace/deface every new sign with "Lame America"

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  5. trump didn't do shit. he had a press availability that the media lapdogs covered uncritically. but the canadians should go wild with their response. every sewage treatment plant in the entire nation should be named after trump.

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  6. niche comment inbound. the new fedex cup format is lame. used to be players were rewarded for their status heading into the championship, and given an advantage over those lower in the points rankings. now, once the field has been whittled to the final 30, it's a free-for-all - winner of the championship wins the title. seems unfair to dudes like scottie sheffler, who's been head and shoulders better than the rest of the tour. i don't really dig him - he has the vague stink of maga - but i think i might be rooting for him this weekend.

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  7. They are changing the format to a hybrid match play format in 28.

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  8. saw that. it’s at least interesting.

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  9. I was thinking how nothing lasts, and what a shame that is.

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  10. Howdy, Whit. Meet you over at the Times? Or the Dub?

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  11. Tribe kicking it off against Villanova tonight on the Main Line. Welcome to Patriot League football.

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  12. Teej, you and I shared so many pints in the Irish Times 20+ years ago. Silly days. Good memories.

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