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 Tim McGraw |
Some artists obsessively plan every detail of their careers. Tim McGraw prefers to be blindsided by inspiration.
“I just wait for something to hit me,” says the country superstar and increasingly busy actor. “Whether it’s writing a song or reading a script, I approach everything with an open mind. It’s never about, ‘Where am I gonna go?’ or ‘Where is this going to take me?’ It’s just got to be a moment that I enjoy.”
Lately, McGraw has had plenty of moments to savour. His 10th studio album Southern Voice, released in October, garnered critical praise and topped country charts in both Canada and the U.S. He recently co- starred with Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock in the Oscar-nominated drama The Blind Side. He just kicked off a Western Canada tour with country-pop phenoms Lady Antebellum and The Lost Trailers.
And of course, he happens to be married to an up-and-coming Nashville singer you might have heard of named Faith Hill.
Clearly, shooting from the hip works for McGraw. So it only seems right that hours before his first Canadian show in Vancouver, the 42-year-old father of three shot the breeze about his music, his leading lady’s recent marital woes and punching out his daughter’s boyfriend.
He plays at Calgary’s Pengrowth Saddledome on Saturday night, in Saskatoon on Sunday and at Winnipeg’s MTS Centre on Tuesday.
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What are we in for on this tour?
It’s just a lot of fun — a new stage, new lights. But you know, that’s the easy part. The hard part is putting together a set list.
I’ve been doing this for so many years and have so many songs and albums — I’ve had almost 50 singles. You’re never going to get in all the songs everybody wants to hear. There’s no way to get even half of them in, because you also want to get in album cuts and some new stuff. So we decided just to hit the high points that most people want to hear, along with the stuff we have fun playing. The main objective is that we have fun onstage, and then everybody else is going to have fun.
But Southern Voice wasn’t an especially fun album. It felt a couple of shades darker than usual. Was there anything that prompted that?
There’s no particular reason. But as you mature and go through life, you really want to have something that feels lived in. And this album felt that way — sort of like sitting down and having a talk with somebody.
That’s an interesting point. There seems to be a dividing line in country; younger artists sing novelty songs with puns about beer and honkytonks, and older acts have those songs about life.
I feel like I’m at the point in my career now where I’m still young enough to go out and raise hell a little bit — but I’m old enough to know how to do it the right way. (Laughs) Well, metaphorically, anyway. And I’m old enough to be able to rationalize and reason about things, and to offer some advice.
Have the success and acclaim of The Blind Side had any effect on the way Hollywood is treating you in terms of the scripts you’re getting and the meetings you’re taking?
I’ve been lucky enough since Flicka and Friday Night Lights that I’ve had tons of opportunities and offers. But yeah, those sort of things have kicked into high gear now, for sure.
I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask for your reaction to Sandra Bullock’s current situation.
Yeah, I understand. But it’s just none of my business, is my only answer to that. I wish them nothing but the best. And nobody knows what people’s lives are like. So it’s just none of my business.
That’s a fair answer. And a nice segue to the fact that you and Faith are coming up on your 14th anniversary. That’s like a million in celebrity years.
Ha! Yeah, we’re going against the grain.
How have you made it work, especially when you both have careers that take you away from home so much?
We just stay grounded. We pretty much live a normal life except when we’re working. We have three daughters who go to the same school they’ve always gone to. We know all the parents. We go to all the school functions. We drop them off at school every day and pick them up every afternoon. And talking about being away from home, most of the time when I work, I fly in and out every day. Unless I’m in Canada and I have to spend five or six days away. But that’s rare.
Most of the time, I leave at 4 p.m. and I’m home by 1 a.m. We just keep everything as normal as we can.
Between the three daughters and Faith, I don’t suspect you’re in charge of much at home. I would think going on tour is your chance to call the shots.
No, I’m not in charge of anything anywhere. Not at home or away. They just stick the hook in my nose and lead me around.
Your eldest daughter is going to be a teen this year. She’ll be dating soon. How are you going to handle that?
I told her that the nicest kid that she brings home, I’m gonna just punch him right in the nose. If you do that to the nicest kid, the ones that aren’t that nice won’t even come close. They won’t even bother.