There's a Jane Fonda interview with Conan where they talked about Dolly Parton that I had to go dig out this week.

Fonda was doing background research for a part and asked Dolly for help. It involved meeting hillbilly/Appalachian types and she didn't know who else to ask so she went to Dolly and Dolly said, "sure!"

They got on the tour bus and did a 10 day trip meeting people all over. Talk about a friendly gesture. But, the part that I was still remembering was Fonda talking about the way Dolly was always all done up, in full Dolly mode, through this whole trip through the backwoods and the nowheres.

Full makeup. Full wig. Unmistakably Dolly, as her fans would know her.

And they loved it. Fonda remembered it. But she also remembered it, in this interview, in the context of how her dad was with his fans (he did not like being approached and asked for autographs), and yet, what she saw Dolly doing was so pure and honest in a way she deeply respected.

If you are who you are, and that's what people want, it's a lot easier to give them what they want without sacrificing yourself.

Conan had his own version - what John Candy did for him when they met.

There's a truth in there.

One about your performance skills and knowing how you show up in the world to do your things. But another about being true and aligned within yourself, so the real McCoy is the real McCoy all the way through.

It's something I aspire to.

P.S. I write real McCoy and this song gets stuck in my head. Can’t help it.