Dolly Parton on family, fashion and rock stardom: ‘I have to be who I am, so I fought for that and I still do’

I’m not entirely sure what my expectations were for a career in music journalism, but they certainly didn’t include a living legend singing my name to the tune of one of her most famous songs. I doubt my parents had that in mind when they decided to honour my Irish heritage, either. But here I am, on the phone to Dolly Parton, explaining how my name rhymes with that of the red-haired seductress from her 1973 classic “Jolene”.

“Ro-sheen, Ro-sheen, Ro-sheen, Ro-sheeeeen,” Parton sings in that signature heart-aching Southern trill. By the time I’ve returned to Earth, I can tell she’s at ease and in high spirits. “I’m actually comfy today,” she says, when I ask her what she’s wearing. “I’ve got some soft black pants on and a soft shirt, because I’m not going out.” Of course, she’s still wearing a full face of make-up – just in case someone shows up at her door. In her new book, , she writes about how she started going to bed with her make-up on while she was living in LA, just in case an earthquake sent her onto the streets in the middle of the night. “My eye doctor put a stop to me wearing [mascara] though,” she admits. “He said, ‘You can’t wear your eye make-up at