Dolly Parton on 'Pure and Simple,' Hillary, and '9 to 5' reunion

today I'm Larry King now entertainment legend Dolly Parton how many albums now oh my goodness somebody told me is like 43 or something like fast are you a writer who sings or a singer who writes yeah I don't think about my life in terms of money I'm grateful for all of it any of it that I may have but I'm like my daddy I still feel like I need to be working for a living I can't just lay around I just think that we should be more loving more caring we are who we are if you're gay you're gay if you're straight you're straight and you should be allowed to be you know how how you are and who you are Plus even if I've been sick there's just this magic thing that happens with me and when I know that I have to get up there's just something about that spotlight and so once I'm there I'm lifted up into that moment it's all next on Larry King now we're in Nashville for Larry King now with Dolly Parton the entertainment legend award-winning singer-songwriter what all most successful musicians ever actress author owner of Dollywood theme park are our newest album pure and simple is out right now collection of love songs guess what all written by dolly we have worked together quite a lot so happy to see you back then at least 10 shows together yeah what building are we in well this is ctk it's my manager Danielle's building so we do a lot of our rehearsal right in this area where we're sitting it's where I worked up my whole pure and simple tour how many albums now oh my goodness somebody told me is like 43 or something like that but I've been at this a long time I'm like you I mean this is I've been actually I started when I was young in local radio and television back in East Tennessee so I've been at for 16 years are you a writer who sings or a singer who writes yeah no I do I love to write and I love to sing am i i was always singing but i was always writing since i was little so they kind of go together for me how many songs have been published hundreds hundreds and hundreds of songs that have been published and i've written thousands of songs do you ever hear a song you don't know you've even written it I'll hear a song every once in a while and I'll think wow that sounds so familiar and then I realize it's one of mine but when you write that much you do kind of lose lose track give me the modus operandi we'll talk about the current album but how about how you work do you sit down there in a lonely room how do you write well I write out all kinds of ways if I had my preference what I'd like to do is to have enough time off to say I'm gonna take the next two weeks the next month to go to write and I'll either go up to my old Tennessee mountain home route to the lake but I don't have that luxury of time anymore but I ride all the time I'll wake up in the mornings I may be making breakfast and all of a sudden I'll get a good idea for a song or I'll be humming a melody and I'll run and put the melody down so I don't forget it and I'm always coming up with good titles so I can do it any rituais and if somebody Commission's me to write a song I just have to say okay I gotta write this afternoon so I just go and focus and do it who might go a company might Commission you to write a lyric yeah well like when I wrote the musical nine to five or sometimes if somebody's doing a special show like a children's show or something you are so busy doing so many things do you have downtime no I do this is I'm like you I would imagine cuz you've been at so long it's like it's a lifestyle with me it's a way of life I don't think about it that there's sometimes like today I've been doing so many interviews that I talk so fast they're almost hyperventilate because I don't have to go from one to the other I think but usually as far as just the doing it it energizes me really and I just I have protein everything is planned out everything's on a schedule do you have a veg out I've never said that before in my life I don't know if she veggies out I said I sleep with string beans but actually I like to relax my husband I usually if I'm not working we go out to I have a little lake house here and we go out to my lake house and just really they tell me about pure and simple we got hit on not hit on asked to do some charity things I imagine you get actually I was hitting on myself too cuz part of it was for the Imagination Library so I got asked to do some charity shows and one being for the Grand Ole Opry trust fund where we make up money for the older folk for health purposes and also we try to do that so my band had gone on tour my main band with other people cuz I was off the road so I just put together a very small little trim down version of my show and it's just talking just three three of us on stage four of us you know through musicians and me and people loved it and people said you gotta take this show on the road so I had call that little tour simple and I thought well if I've got pure and simple tour I've got to have a simple CD what'll I write it about so maybe I'll do an album of love songs this year because I've been married 50 years this past year and I thought what a good year to write love songs I know about love and and you do too so I thought I just draw from all over you know so you're gonna write a love song so how do you do you know you're gonna write a love song you do 12 songs right you sit down and say what how long does it take to do that well some come very very easy for instance when I started to write the the main song pure and simple it was such a pure and simple little song I just started singing you know every time I think about you I did chills along my spine I thought oh that's simple easy and so I just kind of went back in time to it reminded me of my old records so all of that came right back and before I knew it I wrote that within probably hour-and-a-half had that one done then some of the others were a little more involved and so you just they're all have their own personality you told me you your great love story you've met another laundromat yes we've met fifty-two years ago first day I came to Nashville and I had two wishy washy laundromat remember I saw his kid about it it's been wishy-washy ever since but it was a cute place to he brought his washing you brought yours yeah well actually I had brought my wash and I had had it in the in the machines and I was just walking around outside just looking around my new place a new home Nashville and he just came driving by and he saw me I had on a little rib tickler I showed my belly I had a little red top and little shorts and all that so he the things he was a little excited he probably just saw a girl that he thought was cute he might pick up and sure enough he did you went out pretty soon yeah well actually he came up to the place where I was staying for a few days so I got to know him and so and the first time he took me out he took me over to his mom's house and said fix this girl plate this a girl I'm gonna marry and I went what and I've well that's pretty bold you didn't ask me about that you know cuz he was this kid and he's got a great sense of humor but I found out he wasn't really kiddin so hey did you know that Dolly Parton doesn't stay in hotel rooms it's true and I'll ask you why the album is pure and simple it's out right now and we'll be right back we're back with the great Dolly Parton the newest album is Dolly pure and simple we have it here and that this comes with pictures well this yes this particular one is a Cracker Barrel edition and so that's what that's about two pictures has a lot of behind-the-scenes things you can get a button just said pure and simple and they I don't know well you're not a bad for motor oil you know I'm always talking about goods got something you're doing a big tour right in support so now I actually started in June and we're all over we're going to till the 10th of December so we work a couple of weeks on a couple weeks off to do other things but we're having a great time don't forget what city you're in yes one night I was in I think I was in Virginia or whatever and we just put this whatever the show was so we've done that before I called out then and then I just made a joke of it ladies laugh I said Lord you get so confused you know but everyone smile it happens I said hello Ohio and I was in Virginia why don't you stay in hotel room well because I don't want to I don't have to know actually seriously you said a bus I love my bus I have a great tour bus it's one of those that you know there you convert them into wonderful home we got everything in there and it's just so much easier all your things are already there you don't have to go back forth into a hotel room I just pull right up to the stage go in and do the show get back I can go right to bed like will we know yeah exactly we all love our buses though don't you ever have to fly somewhere sure and then you stay in the hotel we on occasion of course we have to stay in hotel but even when we toured we were we tour Europe and Australia a few times since 2007 and we had they converted they put some busses together for me there and that whole tour with the exception of having to fly on the longer days but we had a bus on each oh it's ghost you know just like here and so we would live in in the bus it stopped the way they both were stalked the same does it always work by that I mean you're so alone you're so celebrated do you ever have a bad night oh there are times yeah but even if I've been sick there's just this magic thing that happens with me when I know that I have to get up there's just something about that spotlight and just before I go onstage I ask God to just leave me guide me and let me you know give me the strength and you know do whatever and so once I'm there I'm lifted up into that moment I may crash when I get back to the bus I have done that before if I've gone on not feeling great which I miss performances I have a few times I try not to but I have in the past mostly most of that is mostly just a vocal thing obviously with all your success you don't have to work well I do you have to work because I love it I have to I don't have to do it for money but I just have to work for my soul and for my mind and I love it I love to work and I don't think about my life in terms of money I'm grateful for all of it any of it that I may have but I'm like my daddy I still feel like I need to be working for a living I can't just lay around I know you don't get into politics a lot but you're a trailblazer you must have some feeling about having a woman run photos oh well I think that's wonderful that we've got to that place I mean I think it would be great whether it's Hillary or some other woman somewhere you know down the road I think it's wonderful that because women are smart women are good and we've always been smart oh you were a little kid one of the things you wouldn't have wish for was to be President no I don't want it to be in politics at all I mean like about politics but I guess we are politicians in a way being in show business you have to be you know diplomatic you have to you know do your do your things you're a certain way but that's different if if you're running your own life as opposed to try to run a country where the lives of so many are dependent on you then you recently those throw support to the LGBT community oh I'm always correct I'm not encouraged they help they've made me the poster child I think only because I'm so outspoken as for us just being accepting of people in general I do not believe that we should criticize and judge other people I think we should be accepting and loving we are all God's children we are who we are and we should allow be allowed to be who we are there any of the faith-based communities that deeply believe the other way take umbrage with you Christian that you're you think you are why are you judging people why are you that's God's job we're not God we're not judges you know we're supposed to love one another we're supposed to not judge and when I'm supposed to take vengeance on other people that's God's job so I I got too much do my own try to do God's work too I mean not to you know to get into trying to do all that so yeah I have to I've suffered for everything I do I'm not out to make any you know I just think that we should be more loving more caring we are who we are if you're gay you're gay if you're straight you're straight and you should be allowed to be you know how how you are and who you are Frank Sinatra said the toughest part of getting older is you lose friends you've lost some friends in the country yes I have I've lost I'll look back sometimes and think about it that so many of my old pals are Porter Wagoner have you seen Glen Campbell I have not seen him I saw that documentary on him I know but you never know what's gonna happen to you you never know how you're gonna age or how you're gonna die or what's gonna get you something's gonna more with the one and only Dolly Parton including a game of if you only do when we come back we're back with the great iconic Dolly Parton her new album is pure and simple she's also on tour for and it's so well packaged the woman is amazing I I don't like to get into myself but I've written the first line of a song oh yeah I've had other country people say it could be a hit you could finish it you think and the first line is I'd rather be homeless than be home with you is that funny that's country I'd rather be home be home with you I'm giving a gia dolly well I'll put some thought into that layer I can I get back with you on our is it true that your trio albums with Linda Ronstadt any little hairs have been remastered that they're gonna release him yes actually it's coming out in September and it's the two originals trio and then trio two and then we had about 20 new songs left in the can on the shelf that we never had put out so we decided that we should get that out so everything can be out there so they're they've remastered remix the first two and then they've added all these new things and I'm that's one of the things I'm proudest of musically that I've ever done how is Linda have you spoken I have not spoken - yes she when Amy and I were we did recently just some promotion on the trio album here and doing some press things and so Linda called in heard her on the phone and her voice is a little weak she can't sing and she's talked well for a while but I could tell she you know she got a little weak I know such an amazing voice but she's doing well and she's having it well of all the songs you've written did you have one that was to you a surprise hit well I'm surprised Vinnie over here it's cuz when you're at home as you never really know because if we all knew I was surprised that when Whitney Houston did I will always love you that it became such a big hit I was more surprised with with that do you see it Oh every night that's how close my show that's my signature song because I always say to my fans you know thank them from know when you wrote it did you give it a Whitney no I I had this a little story about that song when I first recorded it I it was a number-one song for me in 1972 when I first wrote it then when I did the best little whorehouse in Texas with Burt Reynolds we used it in that movie and it became a number-one song again so it's the first time that the same song has ever been number one with the same artist then I had a top ten record as a duet with it with Vince Gill and so then Whitney did it so it's almost like every you know for every ten years or so you shocked when Whitney do this oh yes I was so Oh I mean who could ever have done more than that with it I mean it took it all over the world we're gonna play a little game of if you only knew right I want to throw some questions at you okay funniest Fannin County well it's not a funny one but the most unusual that workers doing yeah a years ago when Jolene my song Jolene came out I came home one day from work we just uh we had our new home in Brentwood and there was a basket at that gate and I thought who's left somebody left us some food or something and I looked in it and there was a baby in it and there was a note that said my name is Jolene and I want you to have me you can have me for keeps or something for that affected I freaked out I didn't know what to do so I went straight on up to the house I didn't I thought well I don't need to touch I don't know what to do so I went to the house and the lady that was at the house as a call child services called the police whatever and then they came and I never knew what happened but that was the creepiest weirdest thing you know what happened I didn't know how to you know they tell it they took they they took it not that well I can't get what's your proudest accomplishment I'm proud of all of them but some of the highlights was when I became a member of the Grand Ole Opry that was a childhood dream it was in 1969 but some of the bigger things has been done paying tribute is the Kennedy Center Awards I'm sure that you know about those things so those were you know those are wonderful things being put in the Songwriters Hall of Fame was a really big highlight if you weren't doing what you do different Korea what would you be well I've always said I'd probably been a beautician because I would have had to have been able to afford the products that I had to have my hair bleach that I had to have my makeup so I don't need to be in a business and I get a discount on all that that's something no one knows about you Wailord I can't imagine they're gonna know everything I'm gonna tell him is there a thing you'd most like to change about yourself well no because I wish I could live forever it always I kind of picked up I picked a number like when I was 35 that was a great pinnacle you know that was a wonderful time in my life so I've always just chose to kind of live in that frame of mind you know and I don't have time to get old anyway but I think to change anything could change the whole picture I'm not one of those people that that goes back and say oh I wish I'd never done that cuz everything you don't have regrets right no because everything I did seemed to me the thing to be doing it's time is there a TV show you're embarrassed to say you watch well everybody says I should be embarrassed go I love those forensic shows I don't watch a lot of TV but sometimes late at night you know when I come home or before I go to bed I love to watch you know those cold case files and you know forensics I'm fascinated with how they can just trap somebody with a hair what's your biggest splurge don't show clothes any weird habits well you'd probably have to ask somebody else what my weird happy so I don't know I don't think so did you have a childhood celebrity crush no well when Elvis at the scene I think all young girls were in love with Elvis and I was young at that musically how great was he well he was fantastic singer he didn't write but he was a wonderful magnetic personality but he had a wonderful wonderful voice what's the characteristic you value most in others honesty and being on time dolly will take their social media questions right after this quick break we're back with our remaining moments at Nashville Tennessee with the great Dolly Parton her new album is pure and simple oh well hoppin say what of course everybody gets angry I often say I don't lose my temper that often but I use it quite a bit sometimes you got to be a little more firm about certain things you have a loving siblings right yeah yeah you never get whacked around in the tabloids oh I do I do cuz I will see what everybody I don't believe anything about me but I believe everything about everybody I want to but actually you know some of this stuff's true but I do I do have read them I do read them I don't go out and buy them but I usually have them because there's a story about me and then if they're there I'll read the rest of the story you read stories about you that are crazy and untrue do you laugh or get bit a little bit but I don't know that I get measurements I get hurt sometimes or embarrassed you know for the other people I get mad oh no he takes it with a grain of salt he thinks it's so funny we have social media questions Cajun girl on Twitter do you consider yourself a feminist I'm very feminine and I'm all for women I just never followed that you know when it was like a poet as a political statement you know I never thought I had to you know to beat the men down to raise the women up I just try to race the women up and do what you know what I can I'm very proud to be a woman I'm very proud of all the accomplishments that women do I'm proud to be part of that 9:00 to 5:00 where we were actually preaching that you know for equal work and we've come a long way but a long way to go be foster on Twitter will you guest star on Grace and Frankie which stars lily tomlin and Jane Fonda your co-star yes we've been trying our best to figure out how to get me on there and we've finally figured out there might be a way to do it to where I actually can go on as as myself and say maybe come into their area and they're at my show for some reason something to that effect so we're gonna get me on that's a great show I know it they're great I love them Ricardo Cruz Roman on Facebook do you believe in aliens well I kind of do cuz I are one maloney Hargitay on Twitter how many nieces and nephews do you have oh I've got so many grandniece I probably got at least 50 with the with the nieces nephews the grand nieces and nephews and now the others are even coming along so I've got a lot quickie today on Twitter where's Kenny Rogers well can you write yourself - my understanding is on a world tour he's doing his last and final tour I don't know exactly what town he's in right now but he's supposedly doing a world tour this year he's a wonderful man I love him good friend George Pratt on Facebook who are you voting for I have not decided yet Rock Hill on Twitter wants to know where do you hide your wrinkles on Twitter how do you maintain your confidence after the age of 50 well I've always had a lot of confidence I just I think the same way that you maintain it before you're 50 I've just always believed in myself I've always believed in my beliefs and what I stand for and who I am and so I just I don't place all that much on the age thing the fact that I'm getting older I wish I could stay young forever don't we all but I just try to make the most of every year I mean I could grow older I can grow old gracefully but Vince key on Twitter do you have any tattoos I but they're not tattoos that are for big statements bold statements I have some tattoos that I started doing just to cover up some scarring that I have different I have a tendency to have keloid scar scarring and so I have scarring sometimes they won't ever leave lose the purple so I started to have a little pastel little things to discuss things splattered him here and there but I'm not making a I wouldn't be a biker chick or anything Dallas is one delicious one on Twitter when's the last time you spoke with Miley Cyrus just a few weeks ago because we were trying to she's working now as as the guest one of the guest hosts on the voice who I love very much so I couldn't get there because I'm on tour but I did do some video stuff for her for them to use in the show to say you gotta get over Miley's team whatever and so we're talking about possibly in the future maybe doing some song together might even do some TV work together be Annika via Twitter do you exercise and do you have a personal trainer oh yeah I'm big on exercise every day I do diddly squat I do my diddly squat sometimes I'll add a few other things Sammy Sam on Twitter the best decade for country music 70s 80s or now they've all been great I think there's something wonderful in all the decades I'm mostly proud that country music is still so loved respected I believe that there will always be great young people that want to go back to the old traditional things like my music early days and Merle Haggard you know those type of things or even its early back as the Carter family but I think what's going on in country music now is really good too because it crosses us over into a bigger market it's the biggest music going and what is special about Nashville I know there is a Nashville sound I noticed the name of the baseball team what's special about the city well this is first of all a wonderful city it's a good location and it has such an energy because of all those things that you said it's like a home town a favorite town where where things have been born things have lived like the music hit records and hit shows come out of here you know so just so many creative things but it's just a wonderful city it's easy we're getting a lot of traffic now but it's a big city but easy to get to where else you want to go more and more people are coming every day now they're gonna it's gonna be the new Atlanta before you know it dolly you're a doll I love you get to do this Dolly's new album pure and simple is out now and her tour in support of the album continues through December and remember as always you could find me on Twitter at Kings things goodbye from Nashville Tennessee you

Channel: Larry King

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Keywords: larrykingcid, 9 to 5, lily tomlin, simple, grace and frankie, hillary, parton, reunion, gay rights, whitney houston, jane fonda, dolly parton jolene, dolly parton, hillary clinton, dolly, pure, dolly parton pure & simple

Id: AugQR_T3dg8

Length: 28min 22sec (1702 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 05 2017