"I didn't have a lot of communication with Elvis. You had to go through a barricade to get to Elvis. It was people hanging on every word, and I felt very uncomfortable a lot of times"

In this quote, Mac Davis assesses his interactions with the legendary Elvis Presley, highlighting the complex and somewhat separating nature of popularity. Davis, a songwriter and musician in his own right, paints a vibrant photo of the barriers-- both literal and figurative-- that surrounded Elvis.

To "not have a lot of communication with Elvis" recommends that despite perhaps being in the same spaces or social circles, a meaningful connection in between the 2 was tough to attain. This can be attributed to the enormous celeb status Elvis had actually attained, which often necessitated a controlled and filtered environment around him. The "barricade" that Davis mentions could be both a physical one, such as bodyguards or security, and a metaphorical one, indicative of the entourage and handlers who handled and mediated Elvis's interactions with others.

Davis's recommendation to "people hanging on every word" of Elvis underscores the intense adulation and examination dealt with by the icon. Every interaction or utterance by Elvis was most likely examined and adored by fans and the media, producing an atmosphere where spontaneity or genuine individual connection might be suppressed. For Davis, this environment was "extremely uncomfortable", maybe because it contrasted with more genuine or less pressured social interactions he experienced outside of this celeb context. The discomfort may also originate from the awareness of a plain power imbalance-- where everyone was vying for the King of Rock and Roll's attention, making genuine interaction feel improbable or performative.

This quote exposes the separating results of fame, where even fellow artists like Davis might struggle to permeate the fortress built by fame around someone like Elvis. It highlights the human expense of celeb, where individual connections may be compromised at the altar of public adulation, leaving both the star and those around them in separated silos, yearning for genuine interaction.