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Betty "McMom" Trimble Interview
Tim McGraw's Mother Talks!
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be the parent of a famous
child?
Betty Trimble knows.
She's the mother of country superstar Tim McGraw.
Affectionately known as "McMom" by a growing circle of fans
and admirers, Betty Trimble has written her autobiography—"A
Mother's Story" .
We talked with Betty "McMom" Trimble about her life and her
son Tim McGraw.
Q. How does it feel to be the mother of a famous
singer? How has life changed for you?
A. I tell you it's really great to hear my son on the radio! It hasn't changed
a whole lot other than I do to have an unlisted phone number now. As far as
we go because we came from a very modest income, our gifts are more expensive.
(Laughs). We get to travel more. It really hasn't changed a whole lot. Tim
is still down to earth. I'm really disappointed that I don't get to see him
anymore. I have to go out and catch a show if I want to see him. But, I'm lovin'
it, especially with my book out. I get to talk about my children which every
mother likes to do.
Q. Did you know that one day Tim would be famous?
A. I didn't know it, but early on because of the circumstances, Tug McGraw
is Tim's father; Tug and I had a brief summer fling. This was my first time
with sex. My luck I got pregnant. He didn't want to get married. He went
his way, and I went mine. The whole time I was pregnant, I would pray at
night and talk to my baby. I was a singer. I liked singing and dancing. I
thought I was gonna be Shirley Maclaine when I was a teenager. I would pray
that this baby would be someone special and everyone would love him. I wanted
him to be somebody where his Dad would sit up and take notice and regret
not having him in his life. So, I keep telling everybody, God does answer
prayers, because he's answered almost every one of mine.
Q. Do people believe it when you tell them Tim McGraw
is your son?
A. You still have those skeptics. I don't just go out and say, 'Hey, I'm Tim
McGraw's mom.' We'll be in a conversation and it will come up. When I open
my billfold I have a big picture of Tim right there. (Laughs). They'll go,
'No, you're not.' I'll say, 'Yes I am.' They'll say, "really, what's it
like to have Tim McGraw for a son?' It's just so incredible. I can't hide because
my son gave me a van. My license plate says ‘McMom.’
Q. A dead give-away.
A. We call it the 'McMom mobile.'
Q. What does Tim think about the book? Has he been
supportive of it?
A. I was approached by several people that said you should really write a book.
In fact, the girl that manages me now used to work publicity in Tim's management
co. that he first signed with. I was doing so many interviews with the newspaper
here ( Jacksonville, Florida). They asked if they could do a series on Tug
and me meeting here. I called her and checked if I could do those interviews
and she said, 'No. You should really write a book.' So, that's what got me
started. But, I set the kids down and Tim naturally first, because he was the
one in the public eye, and asked him what he thought. He goes 'Mom, I think
it's great. I think you could write a good book.' The girls were really supportive,
because this was our life being on paper. I didn't hold anything back. I put
the truth, 'cause there was no point in saying you were going to write a biography
and not put everything. The kids all read it as I went along and when I was
completely finished, I sent each one a copy. I said read it and get back to
me. Tim was the first one to get back to me and said, 'Mom, I think you did
a great job. I think you were very fair to everybody in the book. You told
the truth without really coming down hard on anybody. But, you told what happened.'
The only thing they didn't proof were the pictures. I did all that on my own.
(Laughs). I got a little bit of flack from the kids when they saw the pictures.
Q. Betty, do you believe the public really has the
right to know everything about a celebrity? Were you worried about the
tabloids getting a hold of some of this information?
A. No. That's not really why I wrote the book. I wrote the book because the
things that happened to me, a lot of tragic things, and with each thing that
came up, I jumped over it. I kept going with my faith in God and the faith
in myself, I just kept going, kept moving and made things hotter. Everybody
has something happen to them and they got down. I've been at the lowest anybody
can possibly be, and I managed without having a nervous breakdown, without
taking drugs, everything that people use as excuses, I just pushed forward,
and did what I had to do. I didn't get child support, so I worked three jobs.
Q. Have you been going around the country doing
these books signings?
A. Yeah. In fact, I've got three this weekend.
Q. The book must be doing pretty well then.
A. It's doing real good. We've already sold out our first run and we're in
our second printing now. I only printed 10,000 first. We're doing 15,000
now. Books don't sell like records. I was kind of disappointed at first.
I went to the Book Convention in Chicago and got to meet Ross Perot and Jane
Fonda, and all these people that wrote books. Everybody's congratulating
me because I had a big order turned in for books by bookstores. It was only
for 5,000 books. I'm going, 'Is that all?' (Laughs). I'm used to Tim and
these millions of records. But, they said that's good for books.
Q. And maybe there's a made for t.v. movie in your
future.
A. That's what my kids keep saying. They said this would be a movie, and Sally
Field needs to play you. (Laughs). So they've got it all figured out.
Q. How long did it take you to write this book?
A. Actually, about a year and a half altogether.
Q. Is Tim the only one in show business?
A. Yeah. Both my girls do sing very well. But Tim just had, you know, it's
a complete package. You can have a good voice, but you've gotta have that
something, charisma I guess people call it, from the stage, and Tim does
have it. He showed that at a young age. He was singing in church when he
was three years old. He's a very shy person. People don't realize that, because
of his stage show. He gets mad at me for saying that to people. Tim's always
been a nice looking boy. When he was in high school, all the girls were crazy
about him. I had two daughters and there were girls at the house all the
time. Tim would never ask anybody out. He'd get his sister to get him a date
for the prom, like the night before the prom. I'd say, 'Tim, do you think
these girls are hanging around this house for your sisters?' He was just
that shy that he wouldn't ask anybody out. All the girls were dying to go
with him. He gets mad when I tell that story.
Q. I realize that your son is famous, but he's really
just starting to break. Should you have waited to write this book? When
he's more famous?
A. But you know, if I did that, that's when Tim should really come out with
his own book, his own biography. This is my story. I figure, in a few years
he'll be ready to come out with his own story. Naturally, it's not gonna be
like mine. It's gonna be his point of view. I can tell you how he was born,
but I can't tell how he feels, what he thinks of the music business. And some
day, maybe I'll be good enough at writing that I can write his biography for
him.
© Gary James All Rights Reserved
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