Dolly Parton discusses her upcoming book Songteller: My Life in Lyrics and growing old in style with Oprah Winfrey. The country music legend appeared on Winfrey’s TV show The Oprah Conversation.
Winfrey asked Parton about hitting a milestone in her life by turning 75. But Parton said she doesn’t have time to grow old. The country artist is too busy working on her next project to settle down. Recently, Parton released her third Christmas album A Holly Dolly Christmas, which topped the charts. She will also star in a Netflix holiday special in November.
“I don’t think about my life in terms of numbers. First of all, I ain’t ever gonna be old because I ain’t got time to be old,” Parton told Winfrey. “I can’t stop long enough to grow old. I’m just going to be the best I can be at whatever age I am.”
The country singer insisted she wouldn’t look much different in 20 years. She said she would have both makeup and her plastic surgeons to thank for that. She compared herself to the Gabor sisters, three actors and socialites, who became famous in the mid-1900s for their beauty.
“But I think more than anything. It’s about what comes from inside of you,” Parton said. “It’s an attitude and you know you got to shine from within. Sometimes that can make you feel young and make you seem young to other people.”
Dolly Parton Reveals Songwriting Methods
In a separate interview with Bustle, Parton discussed her process for songwriting. She insisted that she’s written song lyrics on everything from a Kleenex box to a McDonald’s receipt to the back of her hand. She never knows when the muse might strike her.
When she gets serious about songwriting, Parton will go up to her lake house for a few weeks.
“I used to always say, ‘Okay, I’m taking two weeks off just to write,'” Parton told the outlet. “Then I would go up to my lake house or somewhere else [and write]. The first few days I would go on a juice fast until I cleaned myself out. Then I would do a day or so of a water fast, just to feel closer to God.”
“To me, that’s my personal God time,” Parton continued. “Nothing in this world is greater than when I have those times where I feel like I’m living on creative and spiritual energy. I just write, go to sleep, wake up, and write some more. Sometimes I can go for hours, and hours, and hours. I’ve written for 24 hours straight. That’s my favorite thing ever. That’s my time.”
