Exploring Mac DeMarco’s love of The Smiths
In a similar fashion to that of The Smiths, Mac DeMarco carved out a unique sound that single-handedly changed the indie scene and inspired a sea of imitation acts. Both are originators in the truest sense, and DeMarco’s love of The Smiths is unsurprising.
Morrissey and the band first began to play a part in his life when DeMarco was a teenager, and they’ve continued to soundtrack his life ever since. High school was a formative time for the musician as he began to initiate himself with the local music scene, meeting like-minded individuals and honing his passion. These friendships offered DeMarco an escape from the typical Edmonton route and a chance to make something of himself.
Reflecting on his childhood, DeMarco explained to The Guardian in 2017 about his hometown: “Outside of that small arts community, it’s a pretty weird place to be. For example, for the past 15 years, they have had tar sands up north, which is refining really dirty oil, melting the polar ice caps, and all these guys who dropped out of high school can go up there and make a whole shitload of money, because it’s really dangerous work”.
He added: “Get hookers, get addicted to meth, buy a huge house, buy a huge truck – and they’re not really concerned about what they are doing with the planet but they’re very happy to be getting a new hockey stadium next year.”
The arts community saved him, and everybody in the scene saw the world through the same lens as Mac. However, DeMarco was the only person in his friendship group with an affinity to The Smiths, and nobody else could understand the appeal of the Mancunian legends. During another conversation with The Guardian, the Canadian musician singled out ‘Ask’ by the band as the piece of music that made him “feel different at school”. The Canadian explained: “At high school, people generally liked the same music I did, but when I started getting into the Smiths, everybody was like: ‘Dude, why are you listening to this crap?'”
He continued: “I was like: ‘Fuck you guys!’ I remember playing this song in a car with some jock girls who liked hanging out with me for some reason – probably because they didn’t feel intimidated – and they just didn’t give a shit. Which is too bad because it’s a really catchy, beautiful song.”
Feeling like an outsider has never been an issue for DeMarco, who has always worn it as a badge of honour and allowed his individuality to shine through everything he does. Therefore, it makes sense for DeMarco to have an infatuation with The Smiths, considering they were equally proud of being misfits. On a musical level, it’s easy to understand how Johnny Marr’s jangly riffs had an impressionable effect on a teenage Mac DeMarco before manifesting in his work at a later date.
