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“Travelin’ Thru” is the Dolly Parton song that can’t be forgotten

When Dolly Parton spoke, one could tell she always had her tongue planted firmly in her cheek — and I’m not just talking about the way she’d deliver her “S” sounds with a slight whistle, courtesy of her distinctly lovable…

August 28, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

HBO Max is sacrificing its credibility to vertical video

Historians like to claim that the pre-millennium monoculture is dead. Really, it’s just blurred. Smartphones have fooled us into thinking that we curate what our screens show us. But when so much of the media we consume is presented the…

August 27, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” made me want to date again

There are two scenes in Jane Schoenbrun‘s “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” that I hope will be among the first things to flash through my mind at the hour of my death, somewhere right after “oh sh*t,” and…

August 27, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

Dolly Parton blazed a path that modern country stars can’t follow

Dolly Parton made a lot of things across her 60-plus-year career: massive hit songs, a theme park, a children’s literacy initiative that gave away over 300 million books, movies of both the smash-hit and cult classic variety. But she shied…

August 27, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

Tim Curry’s devilish charm was irresistible

The seduction of sin was only theoretical to me until I fell for Tim Curry’s performance in “Legend.” That title may be unknown to many, although the British actor’s talent for prompting debauched thoughts in his audience surely is not.…

August 26, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” withers in metaphor Hell

There comes a time in every English-speaker’s life when they learn the meaning of the French phrase “la petite mort,” an adage that, translated literally, means “the little death,” and typically refers to the sensation immediately following an orgasm. Given…

August 26, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

Say it, sister: “I had an abortion”

Given the national tension over abortion, and the targeting of clinics and doctors by antiabortion protesters and terrorists, it’s understandable that we don’t hear much from women who have actually had abortions. Even for those who are pro-choice, there can…

August 26, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

Dolly Parton’s TV specials showed her sparkle was universal

Funnily enough, when Dolly Parton made her debut on “The Porter Wagoner Show,” she wasn’t wearing any rhinestones. Faux jewels, sequins and shiny baubles were Parton’s signature once she became a household name. But in that 1967 episode, when she…

August 26, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

Dolly Parton, American hero and icon of inclusion, dies at 80

American icon Dolly Parton, whose career as a country singer, songwriter, actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist spanned six decades, has died at age 80. The news was first announced on Parton’s Instagram account by her nephew Brian Seaver. He did not…

August 25, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0

Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli: “Writing songs is the greatest gift I could give myself”

Greg Dulli has a thing about cars. In his songs with the Afghan Whigs in the 1990s and with the Twilight Singers in the 2000s, the Cincinnati-born, New Orleans-based songwriter always has a ride waiting outside. “I’ll get the car,…

August 25, 2026 · by Friedrich Arndt · 0