Texastoolman: I don't think "superstars" necessarily WANT to separate themselves from the hoi polloi. I think the public forces them to. It comes with the territory.

One of the nice things about folk music is that folk musicians almost never become superstars. (Bob Dylan is a special case.) No matter how much we folkies adore them, we are a small minority, and the rest of the world either ignores them or doesn't recognize them. Therefore, they never feel overloaded with attention.

Can you imagine what it must be like to never be able to go to Target and look at a toaster without being besieged by adoring fans, just wanting to talk to you, touch you, and have you smile at them, so they can brag to their friends about it later? (Just like we are bragging now.)