Dolly and Gloria: gone, but forever in our hearts — and our politics
Dolly Parton: 1946-2026 Gloria Steinem: 1934-2026 “I believed in my talent.” Dolly Parton “Self-esteem isn’t everything — it’s just that there’s nothing without it.” Gloria Steinem Some humans are larger than life due to talent, skill, hard work, and a bit of luck. They make headlines for good reason, and they draw paying crowds who want to experience them live and in person. We want these out-of-the-ordinary humans, these leaders and heroes, to give us something in that moment that we cannot experience through the page or screen or recording. When I saw Dolly Parton in concert, I was somewhat disappointed because it seemed to me the whole performance was canned to within an inch of every rhinestoned costume change and every song sung — the same for us in Winnipeg as it had been yesterday in Toronto and would be tomorrow in Vancouver. Staged, not spontaneous and truly ‘liv...