Drag performer who impersonated Dolly Parton for decades remembers her

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:16)
WBUR Podcasts, Boston.

**SPEAKER_3** (0:21)
I am sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent.
I like the kind of person that I am, so I can afford to piddle around and do diddle around with makeups and clothes and stuff, because I am secure with myself.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:38)
Remembering the one and only Dolly Parton.
It's Wednesday, August 26th, and this is Here & Now Anytime from NPR and WBUR. Today on the show, $17 billion is a lot of cash, unless you're an internet empire. But in addition to the money, Meta's big court settlement also comes with changes for kids on social media.

**Madison Mills** (1:15)
Likes and reactions on posts won't be seen by kids, and then parents will also have additional controls. And lastly, this is super interesting to me, kids won't be able to use any cosmetic filters.

**SPEAKER_2** (1:28)
That's coming up in about 10 minutes. But first, Dolly Parton. Was there anyone more universally beloved? A country star who crossed over into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a self-effacing superstar who always stayed true to her roots in Appalachia, and a humanitarian heroine with a bodacious persona, she said, was patterned after the town tramp, but which was really a tribute to being quote, comfortable in your own skin, no matter how far it stretches.
There are so many people offering remembrances of Dolly who died Tuesday at 80 years old after a brief battle with cancer. We reached out to one fan so inspired by Dolly that they tried their hand at being her on stage. I'll let Robin Young pick it up from here.

**Robin Young** (2:20)
Dolly Parton impersonators, a big part of gay culture. Larry King once asked her about that. This was in 2016
She talked in her answer about why the gay community loved her, even though others in her conservative Christian circles didn't love them.

**SPEAKER_3** (2:35)
They've made me the poster child, I think, only because I'm so outspoken as far as just being accepting of people in general. I do not believe that we should criticize and judge other people. I think we should be accepting and loving. We are all God's children. We are who we are and we should be allowed to be who we are.

**Robin Young** (2:56)
Well, those words meant a lot to Jason CoZmo, a professional celebrity interpreter in Salt Lake City, who's been portraying Dolly Parton for 25 years. Jason, we've seen the photos of you with her.
So sorry for your personal loss. We understand you're having a tough time.

**Jason CoZmo** (3:12)
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. I have been portraying Dolly and other celebrities, but Dolly is the main one for about 25 years now.

**Robin Young** (3:22)
Yeah.

**Jason CoZmo** (3:22)
I've played Dolly in two movies, Dumplin and Jo Bell on TV shows, Younger and Good Morning America. I met her on the red carpet. It's been quite the whirlwind and I'm still in shock. I realized that more people know me as Dolly Parton, than they do as Jason.
She is so much of not even my career, but my identity.

**Robin Young** (3:50)
Yeah. What is it that you'd want to get across about her?

**Jason CoZmo** (3:55)
Dolly is the most unique, incredible human being, I think.
From an artistic point of view and a business point of view, everybody loves Dolly. I believe that is because she sings about, she writes about the everyday person, about the human experience. Nine to five, who doesn't have a job? We all have a job. Jolene.

**SPEAKER_7** (4:19)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.

**Jason CoZmo** (4:27)
Everyone has been Jolene, Dolly with a lover, or all three.

**Robin Young** (4:35)
And for those who for some reason have not heard this unbelievable song, it's about a woman begging another woman, please don't take my husband from me, even though you can.

**Jason CoZmo** (4:45)
Right. Everything she writes about, you can relate to. Coat of Many Colors is being different.
Smokey Mountain Memories is about being away from your family, trying to make a new start. Everybody can relate to it. Everyone can relate to Dolly.

**Robin Young** (5:00)
Well, tell us, you've told us Coat of Many Colors, her song about her mom making that beautiful coat from different colored rags for her resonates for you. Let's just listen for a little while.

**Jason CoZmo** (5:40)
Oh, yeah, yeah.
I've been the underdog my whole life. And she took that experience of being made fun of and being different and turned it around and made something beautiful out of it. And we could all learn from that.