Here’s hoping Dolly Parton wins the Oscar for her song “Travelin’ Thru” from Transamerica. Here she is yesterday, either rehearsing for the Oscars or doing a promo spot for Hot Pockets.
Dolly said she finished “Travelin’ Thru” in one day after a bout of inspiration on her tour bus, and based it partly on one of her colleagues: “I have a person who works in my organization who once was a woman and now is a man. I didn’t know for years that this person had had a sex change. I know what a wonderful person he is, and I based some of my feelings [in the song] on my feelings for him and on knowing what he went through.”
She also recently told USA Today:
“Some things are strange to me, and some things are odd. But I don’t condemn. If you can accept me, I can accept you. Having a big gay following, I get hate mail and threats. Some people are blind or ignorant, and you can’t be that prejudiced and hateful and go through this world and still be happy. One thing about this movie is that I think art can change minds. It’s all right to be who you are.”
Hear, hear:
Travelin’ Thru is a free download on iTunes today.
