Don McLean Remembers Dolly Parton as “Generous”

Joining me now by phone is American Pie singer songwriter American legend Don McLean. Don thank you for taking time with us right now when I know your heart must be very heavy. Tell us tell us about Dolly. You know it really is it gets the same feeling as when Elvis Presley died. It's the national you know shock of a major major size. And I can tell you you know she ran the table as far as having every kind of award and every kind of statistic. But I know a lot of guys in Nashville who worked for her and they say she was so generous and nice to them giving them a lot of money when they weren't you know in her band anymore you know severance money she didn't have to and this kind of thing. So she was you know genuinely what she appeared to be. I don't need to tell you this but there are not a ton of people who really make it big in show business who go on to have tremendous you know generation-defining careers who then also become equally well known for being a wonderful person. She is one of the rare few who achieved that. Well that's why it's killing the country right now to hear this news because this is the real this is a very painful thing to hear and we're going to hear a lot more about it I suppose as the days go on and but she would she would tell a story about her song I will always love you that Elvis Presley wanted to record and his people called her and wanted half the publishing and she said well I'm you know I'm sorry but I can't do that so Elvis didn't do the song and my song and I love you so was done by Elvis Presley but we got the same call yeah I wanted half the publishing and I said no and he went ahead and did it so he never knew but she was she thought that was things she'd missed out on she really wanted to hear Elvis do her song see what he would have done with it but anyway you know she is exactly you know what do you think she is and we're all gonna just miss this so much it's been a permanent part you know my life since I first set eyes on her in a hotel room with with Porter Wagoner back in like 1970 and nobody knew who she was and I thought wow she's not only beautiful but she's so talented and you know who knew that she developed into this gigantic star it's I guess ironic Don to hear you talk about a world in which nobody knew who Dolly Parton was I was born in the 80s that sounds really unimaginable to me she's such she sort of surpasses icon status now you know she's really her own everything she's her own industry she is you know she has transformed your business for women she's a humanitarian but she was all business she was very serious a country girl and she had nothing and I think when you have an intelligent really a brilliant person like she is and was and you've grown up with nothing I mean really grinding poverty that you you know you want to work hard and take advantage of all this opportunity that's out there that a wonderful career like she had would bring you and I'm sure this is the same for Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley and all the other stars in country music in the 1950s they were looking at being you know sharecroppers or truck drivers and they knew how lucky they were and she she's the same she knew how lucky she was and she worked worked at it valued it you know value of the audience I saw her in Bangor Maine about 12 years ago and she came out in this low-cut gown and high heels and sang I was about 38 degrees out and she sang for more than an hour and then she took a break and then she came back for another hour and sang all her hit records so it was two and a half hours of freezing out there and she was just that's what she did and tough as nails tough as nails I was getting I was getting worn out watching her you know that's how strong she was do you have a favorite Dolly song no I don't that I will always love you I like that a lot it's not a bad pick what about you know she had all these amazing Dolly one-liners starting with like what one of my colleagues and I were just talking about how we love how she said do you know how expensive it is to look this cheap do you have a favorite Dolly one-liner I like that one I thought that was always the one that I remember yeah it's always pretty great what do you think Don you know really having known her as an artist and as a person what do you most want America to remember about her well she's such a really wonderful example for young stars coming up young ladies she wasn't always searching for the lowest common denominator you know which I think we do today how can we go lower you know how can we do something that's gonna attract people by being you know crude and she was there she had a lot of class she really did she held herself in high esteem she valued herself and that came through you know that's why she was always litter perfect and she always was looking gorgeous and and this this takes a great deal of effort to be camera ready all the time you know everybody today is talking about oh I can't do this show because I have a headache or my mental health is bothering me or some reason you know she didn't have excuses there were no excuses with her I can tell you that right now no excuses maybe that's what we should all reflect on you know and especially in this moment as you mentioned with a younger generation that seems frustrated when it comes to making that transition from student or amateur to professional in this country you know it's the determination and the doggedness and the energy for hard work that I think jumps to mind first for a lot of folks when they think of Dolly she she valued the opportunity she was getting because she grew up with very bleak horizon almost no opportunity and so she valued the opportunity and so did so many of the other you know original country stars they came from this kind of a background so they worked very hard you know they do 301 nighters a year and they lived in the bus you know and but she didn't seem to fall victim to you know pill addiction and these kinds of things she she valued herself that's one thing you could tell and she you know success was important but I think her personal integrity was more important than even success and that came through it's it's remarkable Don that you know her husband died not that long ago we often see people you know couples who are married for decades yeah yeah pass in rapid succession sadly I you know this is getting into the personal side of things which I don't think she was ever comfortable with but certainly you know you can you can see that that could be a possibility I was surprised as she was not appearing at different things that normally she does she it's not the kind of artist who would not show up being being there was as much a part of her professional attitude as anything you must appear when you've been booked and when people are expecting you and so she was very much a professional so this is a little strange I don't know what's going on but it's a remarkable insight yeah we haven't seen her publicly very often before learning about this terrible news this afternoon Don wishing you love and healing over the coming days thank you so much for joining us to talk about her this afternoon I hope I could add a few little things to the dialogue but I'm really shocked and to me it feels like the death of Elvis Presley it really does it feels that same because there was that closeness you know and that feeling of really knowing that someone having them be a part of your life and for so long so anyway thank you for having me thank you so much Don we're all huge fans of yours here and we really appreciate you taking time for us this afternoon be sure to LIKE and subscribe for all the Fox News latest on YouTube and catch full shows streaming now on Fox 1