You know when two people wind up together in a photograph and it suddenly makes you wonder why they haven’t been hanging out the whole time? Well, it's just happened again, because two of the sassiest and most outspoken women in pop history – Lily Allen and Dolly Parton – have just turned up on the cover of the Radio Times. We know.
Wearing enough sequins to give Liberace a migraine, Lily interviewed pop legend Dolly about her upcoming Glastonbury performance and touched upon issues facing women in the music industry. Dolly was keen to praise her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, whom she called ‘fantastic’, but then moved on to discuss how women are represented by the media. Speaking about the current state of the music industry (of which Lily Allen has been a pretty vitriolic critic recently), Dolly believes that women have made huge leaps since she starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the 1980 film 9 To 5: 'I think women have been accepted a lot over the years. It has more to do with your attitude, your personality and your talent.
'I never had those problems. It served me well, being a girl, and being brought up in a family of men – six brothers, my dad, [and I'm] close to all my uncles. So I know men, I love men, I understand men. Women have got a long way to go, but I really think we've made a lot of great strides since Jane Fonda starred in 9 To 5.
'I felt I was part of a whole new movement, especially in the workplace. There are a lot of wonderful women out there doing a lot of wonderful things.'
Dolly was also keen to get a few tips about Glastonbury festival from Lily, who has been going to the festival since she was six weeks old (and who just tweeted this VERY NSFW pictureabout this weekend’s festivities).
Dolly said: 'I've heard that people from all walks of life come to Glastonbury. I guess they smoke a lot of dope and drink a lot of booze, like most festivals, right?
'But then there's a lot of people that don't; they just come to listen to the music. Who cares, as long as they're having a good time?'
She also added: 'What should I expect? Mud? I’ll be wearing my high heels, even if I’m up to my knees in mud. I’m a little bit apprehensive. I’m excited, I just want to make sure I do the right show. I’ve heard of Glastonbury because it’s one of the biggest in the world, right? For years, everybody’s asked me why I’ve never done it, and I guess it’s never worked out where I could, and so now I am.'
Dolly Parton performing to a bunch of stoned, pissed English people trudging through the mud in six-inch heels. We’re so excited, we can barely even see…
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophiecullinane
Pictures: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.