Uncle Si Says There’ll Never Be Another Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton died this week, and the Duck Call Room crew—Si, Phil, and the rest—can't stop talking about her. Not because they knew her personally (Si saw her at a couple of events but never approached, figuring "the way she actually interacted in person was how you saw it on camera was good enough for me"). But because she represented something vanishingly rare: a universally beloved public figure with no pretense, no scandal, and a business brain that made her a fortune while keeping her hands clean.

Why Dolly Was Different

The conversation circles around what made Parton singular. Si points out that she was called names throughout her career and "just laughed it off." She had a unique marriage—her husband "didn't care nothing about what she did" and stayed at home—which the crew agrees is nearly impossible when one spouse is that famous and always on the road. But the real key was her self-awareness. Si plays a clip of Parton saying, "I learned a long time ago: keep your mouth shut if you want to stay in show business. I'm not in politics. I'm an entertainer." The crew loves this. Si calls it the tagline everybody should live by.