Dolly Parton’s Surprising Secret To Managing Fame: “I Really Feel Sorry For A Whole Lot Of Stars”

A national treasure.

Dolly Parton has talked extensively about her cherished childhood and growing up “poor,” noting that she didn’t even know she was until someone told her that… her family had a simple life, where they worked hard, grew everything they ate, and didn’t worry about the things that people with money did.

They were rich in the ways that matter, and had a magical place to live in the Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee.

Throughout the years, despite her massive success and cementing herself as one of the most beloved entertainers to ever live, Dolly has remained humble and true to her roots, and in a 1980 interview with Rolling Stone, she explained how she viewed fame and why it never got to her head.

Dolly says that she was never willing to sacrifice her personal life for her career, so she worked hard to find that balance, noting that she didn’t want to end up like other musicians who suffered badly as a result of their extreme fame, noting Elvis as an example:

“Well, I’m not really sure, because I doubt that I’ll even know it if I am. It’s just that I’m tryin’ to do everything I’m capable of doin’ and have a perfect balance in my life—to be successful at my work, and at bein’ a wife and a sister and a friend.

I have to have all of those things in their proper place. I don’t want to be a star if I have no life. I’m not willing to be like Elvis, who had no personal life.”

Understandably, I think many celebrities, especially at the level of Elvis and Dolly, tend to shy away from gong out in public and doing “normal” things once they reach a certain level, but Dolly never felt that she needed to hide, in a sense, and lived her life how she wanted to regardless of who may walk up to her out at a restaurant.

Even back in the 80s, Dolly lived her life normally, and she says she was never afraid of people or what the experience would be like if she stayed in her bubble:

“If I want to go out to a movie, I just go out to a movie. If I want to go out to supper, I go out to supper, because I happen to feel that I have no reason to be afraid of the people. I’ve observed a whole lot since I’ve been in the business.

I’ve seen a lot of people who panic at the thought of somebody runnin’ after ’em on the street; instead of takin’ it as a compliment, they take it as a threat. If I can’t sign autographs, I can always speak and be friendly and say, ‘I can’t right now, I’m late for a plane.’ Because I do appreciate it.

I don’t believe we owe everything to the public. I think I have a right to my privacy, and I also feel that people have a right to the time I’m in public. That is their time; that is not my time.”

She added that she managed to find other ways to have a personal life, which often meant going out with no wig or makeup… making for the perfect disguise, though I think her voice and mannerisms would probably give it away pretty quickly:

“So I provide for my own personal time a little differently than that: camping trips, traveling cross country in a station wagon, camping out with no wig and no makeup. I mean, there’s always a way to do it if you want it bad enough.

I think one of the big mistakes celebrities make is that they think because they are so popular, it sets them apart and makes them like gods instead of just extremely lucky people. I really feel sorry for a whole lot of stars, and I hope and pray I never get that way. I don’t really believe I will.”

I think in many ways, it’s a testament to how she grew up and how she was raised to treat people, because she’s never gotten too big for her britches, so to speak.

And clearly, it’s a strategy that has worked for her over many decades, and has only endeared the public to her and ironically, allowed her to keep many aspects of her life private even being the most famous person on earth.

Long live the Queen…

View this post on Instagram

The post Dolly Parton’s Surprising Secret To Managing Fame: “I Really Feel Sorry For A Whole Lot Of Stars” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.