Lindsay Ellis’ video essay on Dolly Parton, Yes she really was That Great, is so, so good.
Dolly has this rare distinction of being just as talented at the showmanship aspect as she is at the songwriting and singing aspect. And that seems to be kind of hard to square for people. You know the hair, the wigs, the rhinestones, the tig ol’ bitties, they are all just as much a part of her brand as her music. But this disconnect between how she looks and how smart and strategic she is, it’s part of why she’s hard to fit into any simple political or cultural bucket. She is the rare artist where not only are the caricature and the reality both true at once, she is able to convincingly sell that.