Mac DeMarco talks new 199-song album, sobriety

(7 May 2023) Some two weeks after Mac DeMarco surprised critics and fans with a new 199-song album, the indie rocker opened up in an interview with The Associated Press about why he decided to do it. He says "One Wayne G" is a deeply personal project - a self-portrait of sorts - and one that he felt would enable him to move forward with making new music.
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[@seancphygital]

Mac Demarco once bought some guitar strings at the music store I worked at. When he came to the register, my boss looked at him and said, "Bubba, I don't know who you are, but when you walked in, Sean here giggled like a little school girl." Mac looked at me and smiled, "Are you going to the show tonight?" I let him know that the show sold out before my brother and I could buy tickets. He wrote my name down and assured me that I would be on the guest list. Sure enough, I pull up to the show, tell them my name, and walk right in. It was an amazing show! Out of all the bigger musicians that came through the store, Mac stood out as a truly genuine dude.

[@40buster32]

I ran into him at the Home Depot I used to work at a few years ago. He was always there ordering from the food truck and shopping, but I never wanted to bug him. One day, I finally asked him if I could have a picture with him. He responded kindly and said Of course. As he put all of his stuff away in his car he began talking about the different shows going on with him that week and having a conversation with me about the plants he had just bought. He was definitely a genuine person.

[@mikeywalt8918]

the fact that he's still going to buy his own guitar strings makes me like him even more

[@Sampoochy]

I pulled up to the Vons (grocery store) parking lot in echo park (part of LA) and there was Mac standing outside the door. I walked up and put my arms out in kind of like a shrug that said “can’t believe you’re just standing here”. And he mirrored my shrug. I asked for a hug and we hugged. Nice guy!

[@FreeAndGallantGraceOfTruth]

Mac is a beautiful person.

[@fromtheworldwithlove1797]

Amazing!

[@BIacklce]

nothing says "im sober" like putting out nearly 200 songs all at once

[@chrissiemilnarskii]

tearing up laughing rn thank you

[@neilz.]

8 hrs worth of music and instrumentals. Mac's the only artist in the world that would do that, and I will listen to it.

[@broganludwig2635]

Nice comma. The structure of your comment is fantastic

[@Guadeloop]

Autechre does it too

[@basementrockets5798]

@@Guadeloop 👌

[@2m7b5]

Your comment emanates a pleasant aroma, and the aftertaste is exquisite.

[@Mojorising1328]

Madlib did this countless times. I'm pretty sure Dilla did as well.

[@vipy4309]

Mac makes music for the people. I listened to half of the album, going to listen to all the songs.

[@grundl1024]

i believe he makes it for his own enjoyment but he has the innate talent of touching the souls of millions by complete accident

[@mememan3799]

Glad to hear hes sober, I know hes said he really regrets the whole cigarette icon thing he had going on for a while.

[@christoth2705]

wow so cool

[@LyonHeartMusic]

Lol he's why I started smoking 😂

[@brittanysmurphy1097]

I got to talk to Mac after two different shows & character was so magnificent. Im glad hes taking care of himself to stay around as long as possible. He's a true gem in this world & his real music is the true cig/dopamine hit we need

[@Lukehugstrees]

So proud of mac for being a voice for Sobriety now, legend !

[@jareddeltaco6185]

fr, crazy enough I heard that he had quit shortly after I had quite nicotine myself. it’s Been about 5 months now and it was heartwarming to hear he quit too.

[@ImTooAbstract]

I could listen to this man talk all day

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@wolfumz]

Glad to see he's in recovery today. I always thought it was painfully obvious Mac had a problem.

[@pompompurinsbutthole]

i’m really proud of him, i haven’t seen any recent interviews with him in a while so this was such a pleasant surprise 💗

[@jwreed91]

Just got back from a vacation in which we drove 8 hours one way. I downloaded this album and enjoyed being able to listen to the whole thing

[@elizabethlight9697]

This person = pure love. So grateful for Macky!

[@junechoate8297]

I’m so happy for him!!!!! My boy has grown up!!!

[@marianne22222]

Love to hear him talk 🤍 glad he’s taking care of himself

[@icnocuicatl]

His beautiful silky voice

[@isaacwalker5124]

The way he says "FREE" at 1:45 absolutely booms through my soul. I'm nicotine free for 2 months. Almost feeling that FREE!!

[@gabrie406]

I just went back to nicotine after 4 months of "freedom". The hardest part is that I havent given up yet and still refuse to smoke more than 2 cigarettes per day and I end up eating a lot of junk food while drinking a lot of wine (which makes me want to smoke even more)

[@Zugzzzwang]

@@gabrie406 sad to say you won’t be able to stop nicotine if you don’t stop drinking.. they’re like PB&J lol

[@prackk]

1:46

[@mrcool76789]

@@Zugzzzwang I always quit till I hit the liquor

[@Zugzzzwang]

@@mrcool76789 same bro

[@Connorjamesmcguire]

Proud of you Mac! ❤

[@monichimusic]

im so proud of him, he look great !! and i loved the new album :-)

[@annangel4828]

You're a better man than me, Mac.

[@British_loyalist]

Proud listener since 2016

[@JohnnyMontilla]

Proud of Mac!

[@shamanic_nostalgia]

"i don't like being beholden to things like that" ...for some reason this way of putting it really resonated with me

[@hanatarash33]

Im so happy for him

[@Dave....]

That's pretty amazing to see he's given up cigarettes. Especially since people resonate that so heavily with him. One of the coolest photos until this day I've seen was him with I think like 100s of cigs in a tub? Something to that degree lol. I don't smoke cigs but I've been on a similar "journey" the past year or so myself. A lot of it had to do more so with realizing my health wasn't the same. But been working on trying to give up crutches like sugar, caffeine and other bad stuff for the gut. Not going to say I've completely stopped. But it's gotten to a point where I could go weeks without it. Or if I do consume it's very minimal. And honestly just having that feeling where you feel much more in control is so vital to life.

[@ShelleyDuncan]

A KZbin recommendation that actually factually resonates with me.

[@justforshow1993]

I love you Mac Demarco.

[@fuscia13]

Road trip 4.5 hours one way 4.5 back and you’ve listened to the whole thing. Perfect

[@flybar3344]

You’re the man Mac. Keep doing you

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@leekkili]

proud of him❤️

[@michaelwatson3592]

As someone who struggles with substance use and addictions (highly functional) I really appreciate the way Mac talked about it in this interview. Sometimes people who get sober have an air of superiority, but he just explained his decision making and experiences without shame or fear.

[@LowdownBoy]

*(highly functional)*

[@michaelwatson3592]

@@LowdownBoy yea lol that was silly on my part

[@SmD-ff5xd]

@@LowdownBoy Nah he's right, I struggle with substance abuse and addictions and it's made me near enough non functioning. It's something to hold on to

[@bakdhuachisonora8315]

so proud of mac

[@flamingo-moments]

glad to see him doing well. i was seeing rumors of One Wayne G representing his retirement and i was like where did they get that from??

[@jareddeltaco6185]

fr the albums comments were littered with that and it was impossible to reason with those saying he was. I thought i was going insane

[@sovka8394]

I feel like everybody in their late 20s is starting to get sober. You can’t do that stuff forever. We had our fun , now it’s time for some self-care and accountability.

[@jareddeltaco6185]

I’m going into my 20s and had that realization with nicotine. I shared the same sentiment as mac though, I hate being reliant on anything

[@23lFrench]

You can just drink less… like most people do as they get Older. The problem is if you are an addict.

[@patricksimnor6589]

Nah baby ride it til the wheels come off.

[@Gino565]

You speak as though every single person in their 20s abuses drugs or alcohol. Not everyone needs ‘self care’ and ‘accountability’ because most people don’t make the drugs they occasionally take their only purpose in life. Ridiculous to suggest that most people in their late 20s are getting sober because they need to take ‘accountability’. Not everyone is an addict.

[@frankreynolds4249]

early 30s here, sitll going strong. ill do all the drugs so you dont have to.

[@christofferaikin7381]

Mac low key enlightened

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@Datboi-zr8zw]

Glad to see this. He sorta made cigarettes cool with viceroy. Now he can be a seen as someone who can make being health conscious a thing worth trying. Free yourself from harmful vices. Rock on Mac.

[@douglasbrown2367]

I love this man.

[@Swagolisious2]

Respect my brother. I commend you

[@avanti6058]

I just got to know who this guy is and I am totally mesmerized by his music and the way he carries his art.

[@SalvationLife]

proud of you Mac

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@wartimemodels]

He gets it. Sobriety is about freedom. I really enjoy One Wayne G and 5 Easy Hot Dogs, along with the older stuff.

[@jastrology4192]

Wish more artists would do this. Can you imagine Damon Albarn’s version of this

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco. I'm actually listening to Gorillaz right now too lol

[@bamafencer12]

love you Mac!

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@xux1379]

te amo

[@pedroprovan4046]

Lovely mac

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@franchxscaaa]

mac eres el sol que alegras mi vida 💗💗💗💗💗

[@ucodetiaw]

Somehow I feel that the 199 songs can be read as a kind of diary (? something like when people decide to paint an excel square a certain color per day, realizing a state of mind. Here you can do similar readings, no just because of how the songs sound, but also because of the frequency of the dates of the recording and perhaps mistakenly intuiting readings that go beyond the song itself, but arise from the act of publishing the 199 songs

[@kissaguitar]

Respect

[@reab.1690]

I want this man to be happy and free.

[@Chron_Dawg78]

love the stash and the sobriety!

[@onox4740]

wow Mac quit smoking, fak i may take his lead.

[@Knifymoloko]

You can do it Tom

[@monichimusic]

u can do it brother !!

[@uncooldispatch5438]

Tom 😂best dude

[@tennaejtnias]

Proud of you dog 🤙

[@drids.]

Why did he disable comments for all his videos and social media?

[@warmarcade]

I wish Mac would do movie and TV show soundtracks

[@addy_hits]

I like this stuff, I wanna share it, I wanna copy what my old guitar player just did XD

[@liam_dawson]

the air i breathe and hot water > woo!

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@OkieBadu]

I would listen to every minute of it. It would probably be 7 or 8 hours long but YOLO

[@void0094]

I like how he put out a nine hour long album in a time where mostly pop artists only put out a couple of short singles.

[@petep5003]

pop music bad

[@sunkintree]

@@petep5003 mac makes pop music himself, poindexter

[@petep5003]

@@sunkintree whoosh

[@rjtkoh]

I hope he can still play viceroy live…

[@fetedesneiges6678]

Mac was on Acid this entire interview.

[@thedarkcranberry]

Bro was hooked on that icy goodness 😂 no more cold water

[@l.1020]

I really respect his moustache💪🏼

[@cstrongman]

Blue boy is finally dusting himself off for the comeback. Bout time too

[@patrickengberson8363]

Is it just me or does he sound like Jason Bateman?

[@gliderceo]

Smart

[@stclair2012]

Mac just remember you did those things because you loved them for a reason. Teaching yourself discipline and moderation the how you can still do the the things you love and enjoy yourself

[@jakedill2468]

Was playing one Wayne g in the smoke shop I work at and my coworker said it sounds like elevator music and I said I’ll listen to 100 hours of Mac demarco elevator music idgaf.

[@Kobiwan_]

He did say in viceroy, I’ll smoke you “TILL” I’m dying so…

[@frallan521]

he sounds a little like jason bateman, are they from the same area?

[@LoserDub]

Wow great idea, i have a million little songs i should do that

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco

[@oooooooohhhYEAH]

"Sobriety" ... always awesome for a musician ...

[@sunkintree]

as much as I'm a proponent of drugs among artists, it's not that simple. Most artists throughout history didn't use drugs

[@oooooooohhhYEAH]

@@sunkintree Most great artists did

[@MiguelPaulettePerez-bj8ml]

Tried to vape in Brazil... it was a nightmare... I like that idea of "freedom" hes talking about

[@joeyaracri8176]

Homie is cool af

[@BigMunDungus4000]

Lol my acupuncturist told me to only drink hot water as well...

[@thedude870]

he didn't say he stopped drinking alcohol tho

[@HArryvajonas]

When did Mac turn into Quint from the movie Jaws?

[@bqfilms]

love papa mac, glad he's finally done with nicotine

[@UndercoverNormie]

I quit drinking and using drugs 8 years ago but I cannot fathom giving up the nic and caffeine...

[@harveydean7952]

Mac's attire and moustache kinda has a Yankee Civil War vibe going on.

[@ajn2747]

i've been trying to tell people about the hot water for years now.

[@rivermiel]

where are the subtitles for this!!

[@wesleyflietstra]

I’m all for no THC or alcohol or even nicotine but the no caffeine has me Trippin 😂

[@davidmoralescasillas9893]

actually i think he looks way better now, his face, his skin... must be the no alcohol maybe

[@MA-zg2pz]

The mustache tho 😘

[@aliasanew3398]

❤️‍🩹

[@hoodparticles]

I’m happy to hear more and more people are minimizing substances they require

[@lilycaraway2751]

Mac Demarco should take up acting for the sole purpose of playing Mark Hamill in something. The resemblance in looks and voice is uncanny.

[@jameslaurent6491]

He'll come back around lol

[@dance_pattern]

Wish he would have at least given each song a name. Even if just simple names.

[@bluegusher77-to4cl]

no cold water

[@JEEDUHCHRI]

FIRE WATER SHELTER FOOD That’s the sacred order dude.

[@vaultboygilbert]

Does he actually not drink cold water anymore?

[@zephyr2905]

I was with it until he said no cold water…? Can someone explain? Drinkable water in nature is always cold it seems so unnatural to deprive yourself of that

[@hankwicklund2182]

I think he's probably joking but I can't tell.

[@darioscomicschool1111]

NO COLD FOODS! TCM DOC KNOWS!

[@tano9905]

Warm water and steak, got it.

[@dongliker]

Yooooo how you go sober over nicotine bruh

[@eweimer83]

What is this thing about hot water? Is that a metaphor?

[@uncooldispatch5438]

Asian thing

[@stranded9225]

@@uncooldispatch5438 what?

[@JasonLiske]

Why release brainstorms. Hone. Perfect. Craft.

[@saintkevinofficial]

Exactly. It indirectly decreases the quality of the music.

[@shadetheband]

no cold water lol

[@janisladigs7825]

lil b of indie music

[@goonisamenace8956]

now i gotta stop smoking

[@funlittlefish]

Hey you might like a band called The Doublejumps if you like Mac Demarco