Tim McGraw

0:00Hi, I'm Tim McGraw and you're watching Illness and Exclusives. I'm a slow dance with three minutes or so. I wish you as first. Baby, that's your wishy. She slides in and she gives you the green. This is gonna be one of those. It's a new record, Two Lanes of Freedom, out now. Yeah, very optimistic record according to you. Yeah, I think, I think sonically. I mean, there's so many different storylines out of it. I think, sonically, when you hear it, there's a very optimistic sort of... ...eprovescent sort of feel to it.

0:47Well, Mexico most certainly has a different kind of feel to it. Yeah. With the accordion, everything going on. It's a lot of fun. You know, Mexico most of those records, I think. And even now, I listen to it very often, but when I put it in and listen to it, or when I'm getting ready, I'm trying to remember the words to go back out and do another show, I hear something different in it every time. And as much as we worked on it, as much as the mix, and we got the mix just right, there's always something that jumps out at me that I like better every time. It might be the horns in this part, it might be a keyboard in this part, but something always jumps out at me. So you're producing the record I see on the back here? Yeah. But you work with a bunch of writers. So what are you looking for in a song? Like, what draws you to some of these songs? I think I sort of open myself up to sort of this sort of from an attack. You know, I think that when you hear a song, it has to affect you.

1:32And usually right away, I know if it's going to affect me or not. And if it doesn't move me in some sort of way, I mean, you can be, you know, a physical chill bump reaction, or it can be something that sort of chokes you a bit, or it can be something that makes you smile, or something that makes you feel happy, makes you roll the window down. All those things, something has to happen. And if something doesn't happen, then there's no need to listen to it anymore. Well, I'm curious about the feelings then. Well, let's go with the hits. One of those nights. What was your impression of the first time you heard that? It's about making memories. And right away, it put you right in the position to think of things that you did when you were a kid. And things that you, you know, when you were young, and you know, like you first got your driver's license, your first dates, and when you first sort of the world started opening up to you a bit, and that's what it put me in the mind. It's got me thinking your girls are probably getting to that age now.

2:18No, no, no, no. Come on, man. That's a lot. Well, I have a few years. I have a 16. She's going to be 16 and coming up in May, and she has her permit now. Yeah. So it's how are you doing with that as a dad? Good. You know, she should be out on her own driving this May, but she does. But she's, I prepared her well, I think. She's a good driver. I feel pretty, pretty good. As good as I can feel about it, but it that way. Yeah, OK. This is a good segue into Highway Don't Care because of the driving, I guess. Absolutely not. Let's go with that. Why not? Sure. So talk about the feelings behind that one when you first heard it. Well, I'm going to drew you to that. I knew instantly. I mean, I love the song instantly, but I also knew instantly that I wanted Taylor Swift to sing on it. Why her? Because of her voice, I mean, she's a big fan of hers anyway. But I thought her voice was perfect for that part.

3:04It just, it had the right bit of everything to it. And I like the perspective of being a song coming from the radio. That somebody's listening to it not being the love interest in a song, which I thought was cool for me. And then I knew Keith was going to play guitar. I mean, I wanted to work with Keith for a long time. But I wanted to work with Keith, you know, we wanted to sing a song together. And when this came along, it just made perfect sense to having play guitar and Taylor sing and me do my part. It just made, you know, it was a cool way to do something together without it being the typical, you know, well, let's sing together. Let's do this together. It's just every part is sort of a unique perspective. So you've been in Vegas for, I guess, a couple of weekends now going on it. So it's, we're almost done. Almost done. Yeah, we've done, we're about halfway done. And we've, we're doing 10 weekends and I think we've done five.

3:51OK. So halfway through. April, we were done. But you're singing with Faith, I heard it. Yeah. Yeah. So is she taking Taylor's part or you kind of? No, we're not doing that song. No, that song is done. But it's the new hit you have to do it. No, no. Well, we'll be done by the time it's out on the radio. So I'm being out being the single. So when are we going to see you next? I'll be up here July, I think. July, Calgary, Craven, which is a really cool festival. Craven, the Molson, the theater. Yeah, here in Toronto. Yeah. So July 25th, I believe. Yeah, that's what it is. That's what I'm trying to do. I want to hear if you could do it first. All right. I don't know where I'm at tomorrow. Yeah, fair enough. Where are you tomorrow? I think I'm Nashville. OK, so you get to go home. I get to go home a little bit of a break. Speaking of Nashville, I hear you want to run for a Senate or governor. You got some political aspirations? I think that was back when I was drinking. So it was a long time ago. No, you know, look, I believe that I was very fortunate

4:42and to grow up where I grew up and live in the country I live in. And as I'm sure all the Canadians are proud in the living the country they live in, I think that if you can help, then great. If you feel like you've got something to offer, then great. Right now, I think I'll have to get a lot smarter to feel like I have something to offer. I think it'd be nice to see a Democrat in Tennessee. Well, I like that idea. Yeah, I thought you might. Talking ideas you might have liked. So you finally got the player through Springsteen. I hear this was something you've been wanting to do all your life. Yeah, I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. And so is that experience like? Were you scared? Well, Faith and I sang, a tougher than the rest together, which was fantastic. We enjoyed that. And we got to see some great performance.

5:27It was for music cares, the project for the Grammys were they honor, especially guest raisement for musicians who are in trouble, down and out, which is a fantastic charity and it's for the Grammys. But we just, Mumford and Sons did a great performance. John Legend in one of the coolest performances I've ever seen. There was a lot of great artists on it. And at the end, we all got up together and he called everybody up to sing. Just sort of him, stand behind him and sing Glory Days. And sure enough, he calls me out to sing the second verse. And I couldn't remember the words to the second verse. So sort of screwed that up. But I was on stage Springsteen, so it didn't matter. Exactly. Yeah, that's cool. There's so much I want to get to. I'm trying to figure out where to go, because we don't have too much time. But there's rumors of you doing another movie. Like you've been in a movie every year for the past few years

6:12and then nothing recently. Well, I just had time and working. Busy working on this? Working on the record and being in court, and doing a lot of stuff. I had a time to deal with. But I want to do one. It's just finding the right one to do. I don't want to just do one to be doing one. So the rumors of you doing Five Good Years? Yes, no. No. Dispelling rumors? No, like that. No, I don't think I've even seen a script that says Five Good Years. Well, there you go. You better. IMDB is lying. Before I let you go, we do something called Five Questions. Five Quick Questions, one more dancers. All right. Oh, gosh. Road or studio? Oh, Road. Leonard McCourtney. Landon. When you hear a song what usually hits you first, lyrics melody or rhythm? Lyric. Song you've written you're most proud of.

6:58Mellow girl. And in one word, Tim McGraw. Honest.