“I will never call this a job. A job is fixing an engine, mowing a lawn”: Why Mac DeMarco has no time for artists complaining about how hard being a musician is
Mac DeMarco might be a rather unconventional artist, but one thing he will never do is complain about making music for a living.
On 22 August, DeMarco will release his 10th album, Guitar. It marks his first record since 2023’s One Wayne G, which was a compilation mostly made up of instrumentals and unusual demos that had a run time of over eight hours.
The album was viewed by many as a sort of rebellion against traditional album formats and streaming – DeMarco didn’t see it that way, but rather as a bit of fun. The indie artist now says he has an unusual relationship with the music industry, and doesn’t view his artistry as a job.
READ MORE: “All the pedals should be put in a big pile and we should light ‘em on fire”: Mac DeMarco says why he thinks pedals are “crappy”
In a new interview with The New Yorker, he says, “If I’m idle, I feel like I should be working on music. But I have a complicated relationship with music, too, because I just want to have this pure experience with it, as opposed to thinking, Well, maybe I should put the b.p.m. up on this one, because they’ll want us to play it on Jimmy Fallon’s show.”
Though some may say that’s part of the business side of being in the music business, he goes on to add: “I will never call this a job. I get paid. But a job is fixing an engine, mowing a lawn. Writing songs? Going on vacation for free? Sometimes younger bands are, like, ‘Touring is so hard.’ Maybe these people have been going on vacation their whole life? For me, I’m kinda, like, ‘I’m in Chinaaaaa!’ It’s a paid rock-and-roll adventure! What is wrong with you?” he quizzes.
“I get it. Not for everybody. But I love it. I didn’t get to go to these places, and now I’ve been to fuckin’ China!… That is amazing! Because I wrote some little songs? What a gift!”
Mac DeMarco’s new album, Guitar, will land on 22 August. He also heads out on tour at the end of this month – you can view the full list of scheduled shows via his official website.
The post “I will never call this a job. A job is fixing an engine, mowing a lawn”: Why Mac DeMarco has no time for artists complaining about how hard being a musician is appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
