Beck recalls meeting warm, kind and open Dolly Parton as a child: I was taken aback

Beck has recalled meeting Dolly Parton during his childhood, saying that he was “taken aback” by her kindness.

The alt-rock artist shared the story during a recent interview on BBC Radio 2, where he was asked about the “icons” he’d crossed paths with in the past, and which had meant the most to him.

His first pick was Neil Young, with Beck remembering going on tour with the legendary singer-songwriter when he was younger.

“Another person who I met – not through music, but it is timely ’cause she just passed – is Dolly Parton,” Beck told host Jo Whiley. “I met her as a child, ’cause a friend of my mum was getting married and they had the reception at Dolly Parton’s house.

“So I didn’t know anybody famous; we lived a very kind of humble [life]. I don’t even think I’d ever been to Beverly Hills before. And we walked into her house, and she could not have been more friendly and hospitable.

“I was taken aback ’cause she was being so friendly to me and my brother.”

He continued: “It was like, ‘Does she think we’re somebody else?’ ‘Cause she shouldn’t be this nice to us, but she was. She was just almost over the top friendly and welcoming.

“In my normal life, there weren’t people who were really, like, that warm and kind and open. So that really struck me.”

Beck concluded: “She had all the biggest stars in Hollywood there at her house, and she was just focused on us.”

His mother is performance artist, musician, actress and writer Bibbe Hansen, and he was born and raised in Los Angeles.

The musician appeared on Radio 2 to promote his new album, ‘Ride Lonesome’, which was released last week. In a glowing, four-and-a-half-star review, NME hailed the collection as “a drop-dead gorgeous meditation on heartache and solitude”.

“For all the heartache, there is a seam of optimism and acceptance on a record that should offer succour to those who need it, too,” it concluded.

Speaking to NME about the LP recently, Beck explained: “In another era, it probably would have come out a year and a half ago. I was initially going to finish this record and have it come out in 2023, but I ended up shelving it for two years. I wasn’t sure about the songs, I didn’t think they were strong enough, and I just wasn’t in the mood for what the record would require to really fully live it and bring it to life.”

He added: “It’s kind of a heartbreak record. It’s pretty obvious! A lot of the writing is very direct. It’s about reckoning with loss, letting things go, navigating these emotionally impossible places and trying to get through those moments.”

Beck is currently out on a North American headline tour – you can find any remaining tickets here.

Meanwhile, Parton is set to posthumously appear on U2’s new song ‘Torn’ from the band’s upcoming album ‘Carnaval De Luz’. The collaboration will mark the late country legend’s final recorded performance.

In other news, Dolly Parton posthumously accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americana Honors & Awards, appearing in a pre-recorded video clip at the ceremony.

Her sister shared a statement this week denying that there is any family “feud”, following news that the singer’s nephew was fired and hit with a restraining order.