Interview with Mac DeMarco | Stingray PausePlay

We are here in our beautiful RV at Osheaga chilling in bed with Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith the 4th also known as Mac DeMarco. How are you my friend?

Mac: I'm good

You're good just chilling out yeah, had a good day?

Mac: Yeah!

Busy, busy, busy?

Mac: So busy.

Man, I feel like a woman

Yeah that's fine. So my friend, why music?

Mac: Why the fuck not?

Hahaha that's a way better answer! To make all your fans feel like you're not the huge rock star you are, what are some other shitty jobs that you've had in the past?

Mac: Construction, insulation, McDonald's, Starbucks.

You worked at McDonald's?

Mac: Yeah for a week, yeah.

For a week?

Mac: Yeah

And did they fire you or did you leave?

Mac: I like, went through the drive-thru and just handed them my uniform back through the drive-thu window.

That is genius. That's actually a genius move. So I loved the video for “My kind of woman”, and I recently saw your incredibly sexy faux American Apparel ad.

Mac: Yeah, I don't even know who made that. It's kind of weird, but a lot of people talked to me about that. Yeah, it's kind of weird

What is your favorite part about dressing as the opposite sex?

Mac: Um I like to feel like a woman. I like to I like to feel sexy and I like to feel-

So you don't feel sexy as a man?

Mac: No. Sometimes I feel like I may be a woman trapped inside a man's body, so it's nice especially in this circumstance is my life right now, you know, I can get away with exploring that.

It's pretty acceptable now for you to switch that up, and you could just go and get that changed anytime you want.

Mac: It's like people are almost used to it.

Almost, yeah. So, what is your kind of woman?

Mac: um I don't know probably big tits

Okay, so if you had to piece together bits of celebrities, who would you piece together to make your perfect woman?

Mac: I would take Angelina Jolie's tits. I would take Jennifer Lawrence's…

Tits as well.

Mac: Yeah, tits. Yeah it would just be kind of a blob with 19 sets of celebrity tits on it. Just kind of like a slate of flesh.

She sounds intelligent, yeah that really sounds good.

JX-3P, DX7, R2D2?

So how do you write music? What's your process like, is there a process?

Mac: I just sit down and press record and then song comes out sometimes, sometimes it doesn't.

Do you always start with guitar?

Mac: lately I haven't been but usually yeah. I'm kind of a guitar guy.

And what have you been doing instead lately?

 Mac: A little bit of keyboard first-

Oh! Piano, synths?

Mac: Synthesizer.

Yeah? What kind of software do you use?

Mac: I don't use the computer at all.

Oh so all analog stuff?

Mac: Yeah.

Like what?

Mac: I got a Prophet-5, we got a Juno-60, JX-3P, DX7, DX100, whatever you want!

I think halfway through that you started making up random alphanumeric combinations there

Mac: No, they’re all synthesizers, look them up. Vintage Synth Explorer.

What is the most important song that you've ever done?

Mac: Most important song that I’ve done or written you mean?

That you've ever written.

Shit, I don't know.

What's your favorite Mac DeMarco song?

Mac: Um fuck, I don't know I guess um… I mean hell maybe I'll just go with rock and roll nightclub why not?

Okay, fine. What does a song need to be good?

Mac: It needs to be catchy. needs to be rockin- or it can be very somber and tender- but it needs to be… need to have a little extra touch of spice. I don't know what it is maybe that's why the music is so magical cuz nobody can put their finger on it

Or in it.

Mac: Mm-hmm

Great Canadian bands and little pricks from the UK

Which is- I kind of wish I could! I feel like it'd be a little squishy but like warm a bit. That's beautiful. I hear your mom runs your social media accounts, is that true?

Mac: No, but hers is pretty much a social media account. Her Facebook account, kids just hit her up and she like talked to them for weeks and hours and shit and some fucking little prick from the UK proposed to her over Facebook, a 17-year old-

Did she say yes?

Mac: She was like, well, and she said no but like you know she talked to him. if I see you over in the UK you little shit I'm gonna beat your ass!

Mac DeMarco is not stoked.

Mac: He's trying to ease trying to be greasy on my mother to make me listen to his demos. I'll kick your ass boy.

So his whole point of getting married to your mom was solely so that his new stepson would hear his demos?

Mac: Yeah little prick.

So let's say they got married would you at least take a listen?

Mac: I would beat the shit out of my dad every day.

At the wedding?

Mac: Yeah, yeah.

Really? But your poor mom I feel like you'd be ruining her special day.

Mac: It'll be fine, get a couple glasses of wine in her, passes out, beat the dad up.

So your mom passes out after a few glasses of wine?

Mac: Not a big drinker, not really no.

That surprises me to be honest with you, I feel like she could drink it up.

Mac: Yeah well, the apple fell a little further away from the tree.

Hahaha, that's fine. What is a great Canadian band that people should get into? Or really that just you’re into, you know? What’s some great Canadian music that you love right now?

Mac: People should listen to Sean Nicholas Savage, they should listen to band called Viet Cong (now Preoccupations), they should listen to band called Each Other, they should listen to a band called Home Shake and they should listen to a bang called Walter TV.

Walter TV?

Mac: Yeah.

Why have I heard of Walter TV?

Mac: It's my band mate’s band and then Home Shake is my other band mate’s band.

I feel like... did you talk to Nardwuar about Walter TV?

Mac: Yeah dude

That's right, okay okay. I don't have any gifts for you, how does Nardwuar know how to give people the right gift?

Mac: I don't know. With me I could kind of figure it out because he talked to a lot of my friends in Vancouver about what to ask me to freak me out, so I knew exactly where he was coming from.

How did he know who your friends were?

Mac: I mean he's a Vancouver guy. A lot of my friends are in this music scene they run record labels and shit so he just calls him up I think.

Is he as weird off camera as he is on camera?

Mac: Yeah, I think he's like a pretty genuine dude like he doesn't really put it on

No way, that's not a thing he just is usually strange.

Mac: it's really cool.

Festival Experiences

What is your best and worst festival memory?

Mac: I remember I woke up in the car at Bonnaroo and it was so hot and I was covered in sweat and but also like crusty and like cooked that sucked. Best, best festival memory-

Oh that wasn't your best?

Mac: That was the worst. best one I remember swimming in a creek with my booking agent in Australia-

Where in Australia? I’m an Aussie myself.

Mac: At this festival, Meredith. It was outside of Melbourne and that was it the whole festival I just really loved it, that festival’s amazing.

What was it called?

Mac: Meredith.

Meredith. And who are you most excited to see here at Osheaga?

Mac: um I don't know. I wanted to see Outkast I think we're playing at the same time

I think they're up next yeah.

Mac: I watched Skrillex on one of those one of the TV screens backstage for a while that was pretty insane, some weird shit going on.

Oh yeah, like what? I missed it.

Mac: Just insane people going nuts. He's in this like weird fucking graffiti tank looking thing and it's just like so much bass I thought I was gonna have diarrhea.

Did you have diarrhea?

Mac: Oh my god, came close but you know-

But you saved it

Mac: Yeah, saved it for later

That's really good to hear. I'm genuinely happy for you that you didn't shit your pants at Skrillex.

Mac: I’m probably going to do it on stage instead.

I'm sticking around for your show so if you poop your pants, if you could just look me right in the eyes when you do it, it would make my weekend.

Mac: No problem.

Mac DeMarco on Stingray Music

You're a sweet man. Mac DeMarco is a sweet man. You can hear Mac DeMarco playing all over Stingray Music's Rock Alternative and Mellow Indie channels, Mac thanks for stopping by and hanging out in bed with me man.

Mac: My pleasure!

It was a good one. Guys tune in next time have a good one! 

Mac: Peace out!

Peace out!

Mac: I love you mother.

Love you, I also love you Mac’s mom. Will you marry me?

Mac: Chill.

 

 

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