Basil Vaughn Soper

I’m so so heartbroken about Dolly’s (@dollyparton ) passing. I’m someone that grew up in the south incredibly poor and in some ways, someone who shouldn’t be out of poverty by the standards of class in the U.S. , similar to Dolly Parton. Not only did she defy her circumstances but she helped shift the way that many people saw Southern Appalachia over the years. She changed what it meant to be a musician and an artist. In grad school, I took a hard-core punk class. It was an archival class. I remember making an argument that Dolly Parton was more punk than a lot of the cis white male hard-core punk guys of the 80s. I say this because at the time second wave feminism was at its height, she was seen as someone who was inherently anti-feminist for dressing in ways that were deemed provocative or lingering towards the male gaze. She was so ahead of her time. She was able to take her career in country music and flip it to pop music. We’d not have a Taylor Swift or maybe even some Americana music or the alt-country I so love, if it wasn’t for her. While I obviously didn’t know her personally it seemed like she led her life with kindness. At the very least, her brand was one of kindness which we tend to lack so much in the world today. So losing such a force has brought tears to my eyes. Also, I have a lot of memories of people I’ve loved who connected with me in our love and admiration for Dolly Parton. Most recently I think about my young nephew who got to go to Dollywood for his birthday and told me that if Dolly Parton showed up and sang him happy birthday, it would be “a dream come true.” She also defied generational admiration.

I’m grateful to have been in Nashville this weekend for the Big Thief show, surrounded by her impact and presence, even if I never met her.

@waxa_katie lighter to light Dolly on her way.

#dollyparton #southernappalachia #tennessee #westernnc