Mac “Puppy Face” DeMarco (Photo by Annett Bonkowski)
It’s pretty obvious, MAC DEMARCO is one of these lovable, good-natured and funny guys to hang out with. No doubt about that. Whether onstage, doing press or inviting fans into his former home in New York – the charming Canadian-born singer keeps it real all of the time. Somehow, it is no surprise that he recently moved to California. A state where the amount of sunshine equals his gentle, sunny soul.
Returning with his new album This Old Dog, MAC DEMARCO gets into the spirit of his mellow self. At times, thoughtful and bittersweet, but most of all a heartfelt and warm. The grooves may be more subtle this time, but the comforting vibes are very much present. Despite confessing that he likes cats, too, we caught up with him in Berlin to find out what dog breed would be a suitable companion for a cool dude like him. What kind of dog matches his personality best? We got to the bottom of things with the help of the ultimate dog quiz and found the perfect Top 5 dogs for Mac.
1. Which phrase best describes what you’re looking for in a dog?
a) A cuddle friend who doesn’t need tons of exercise
b) Sporty, high-energy dog
c) An agility wiz
Mac: It sounds like me! Down to hang, but not too ready to do anything at anytime.
2. What size dog are you considering?
a) I prefer small dogs
b) I prefer medium or large
c) I prefer large dogs
Mac: The more, the merrier! More cushion for the pushin’!
3. What comes closest to your ideal way to spend an hour with your dog?
a) Tossing a Frisbee or ball at the beach
b) Hanging with friends at a cafe
c) Snuggled up on the couch
Mac: That sounds pretty good to me. I just love sitting. I’m sitting right now. If only it was a couch…right now, being so tired, the idea of sitting on a couch sounds awesome.
Mac “Sad Puppy” DeMarco (Photo by Annett Bonkowski)
4. How smart would you like your dog to be?
a) Smart enough to keep me on my toes
b) Responsive, but no smarter than I am!
c) Doesn’t matter
Mac: People are always talking about certain breeds being this or that. ‘A Golden Retriever is a smart dog! A family dog.’ I think more friendly is what I’d be looking for. You know, some dogs are inherently evil. Some dogs are bred to be attack dogs. They are not fun to hang out with.
‘I want something mellow. Smart is fun.’
5. How much do you exercise?
a) Frequently
b) Occasionally
c) For me, it’s a walk to the fridge
Mac: I mean, I have a pool so I swim in the pool sometimes, but not in the winter. Then it’s just a walk to the fridge. Well, I play shows, too. Then I get sweaty, but that’s probably because I don’t exercise. Yoga? Not for me. Never really tried yoga. I have tried a couple of positions because my girlfriend is really into it.
‘There’s nothing wrong with yoga. It’s cool. I just rather sit on the couch.’
6. Are you looking for your dog to be a jogging companion?
a) Yes
b) Now and then
c) I’m just looking for a companion
7. How do you tend to react when a good friend starts telling you a story you’ve already heard?
a) Smile and nod, smile and nod
b) Interrupt and beat her to the punchline
8. How do you react when another driver cuts you off while you’re on the highway?
a) Accelerate and try to cut him off
b) Lean on the horn, but stay out of his way
c) Slow down to give him some space
Mac: I drive, but I’m not a total jerk so I lean on the horn. It happens all the time. People drive crazy in L.A. You don’t have enough room to drive crazy in New York. People honk a lot more in New York. Give them a little lip. You don’t want to get too touchy. You don’t want to cause an accident, but you got to acknowledge that the other person is a jackoff.
I’m a good driver. A lot of kids learn to drive when they are teenagers and they never learn how to drive like an adult human being. I learnt how to drive when I was a teenager, but I never had a license.
‘I had to drive super perfectly so I wouldn’t go to jail for driving without a license.’
9. What kind of home do you have?
a) Small apartment, no yard
b) Medium-sized apartment, house, or duplex — no yard
c) Standalone house, with yard
Mac: I like L.A. a lot. I have friends there and I enjoy it. It’s definitely very different than New York. It’s the right vibe for me right now. I think the food is my favourite thing about L.A. Food is great in New York, but for some things I’m interested in, for example East Asian food, you can find great stuff in New York, but sometimes you’ve got to go to some really weird parts of town.
In L.A. there’s more of what I want. If I only wanted to eat Italian food like pizza, fuck yeah, I would never leave New York. L.A. has got good sushi, great Mexican food…it’s got everything!
Home sweet home
10. What kind of amusement park ride best describes the energy in your home?
a) Carousel (not many surprises)
b) Log ride (boisterous and noisy but not out of control)
c) Roller coaster (sometimes a little too exciting and unpredictable)
Mac: It’s not too crazy. I’m not much of a ride guy. I don’t even know last time I was on one. At festivals my bandmates sometimes say ‘Let’s go!’, but I don’t like it at all. It’s not for me, but lot’s of people like it.
‘Terrify myself on purpose? I don’t know about that…’
11. Are you planning to bring a new baby into your home within the next few years?
a) Yes
b) No
12. How old are the children in your home?
a) 7 and under
b) 8 and older
c) I don’t have children in my home
Mac DeMarco (Photo by Annett Bonkowski)
13. Are you or is someone in your household allergic to dogs?
a) Yes
b) I don’t know
c) No
Mac: My girlfriend is allergic to cats which is a pain in the ass. I love cats. Am I allergic to anything? I think beer, but I drink it all the time anyway. The allergy seems to get worse. I just can’t help it.
‘I’m Italian. What am I supposed to do? No pasta. No bread. That’s crazy.’
14. Plenty of mental and physical exercise is essential for a happy dog. What arrangements are you planning to make for your dog during a typical week day?
a) I’ll make sure he’s walked when I can’t be there
b) I’m planning to leave him alone until dinnertime, when I get home
Mac: If I’m home, hell yeah, I would have a dog. I would just sit on my ass all day. If I’m on tour, my girlfriend could take care of it, but I don’t think she wants to, especially because I’ll be going on tour for a long time. We’ve talked about it and I’m like ‘Let’s get a dog!’ and she says ‘You’re going to leave me here with a fucking dog!’ Maybe someday. I would be a good excuse for me to get up from the couch, but then we would get all tired from the walk and the dog would want to sit on the couch, too!
15. How would you rate your health?
a) Excellent
b) Fair
c) Poor
Mac: I drink a lot and I don’t get that much exercise. I kind of eat junk food. The healthiest thing I’m doing is drinking this water right now.
16. When it comes to spiffing up your dog, you:
a) Think nothing of giving him a haircut or bath as needed
b) Don’t mind giving him a bath, but I draw the line at haircuts
Mac: I figure, I don’t really like getting my hair cut so a dog would probably like it less. I cut my own hair a lot, but you just got to let a dog live. Let it be hairy. If dog hair falls out, it’s probably fine.
‘Do wolves in the wild get their hair cut? Nah.’
17. How much does fur bother you?
a) I’m oblivious to it
b) I don’t mind a little fur
c) I hate the idea of hair on my clothes or furniture
Mac: That’s the one thing. If I got a dog I wouldn’t want that dog’s smell or hair everywhere. That would piss me off. As for real fur, I never owned anything like that before. Do you think I should get into it?
‘Do you think faux fur would look good on me? If I had a dog and it passed away, I would wear it as a coat. I miss you, my sweet jacket…’
18. How much training would you like to do?
a) Teach my dog the basics but once that’s done I’d like to be done
b) I consider training an ongoing process
‘Can you make dogs shit in the toilet or is that just cats? That would be dope. I could also teach my dog to skateboard.’
Photo by Coley Brown
19. What’s your best guess at describing your future dog parenting style?
a) I’m more comfortable being a buddy than a parent
b) I’m prepared to set boundaries as needed but want to spend time playing with my dog, too
Mac: The idea of being a parent to an animal kind of seems more like slave/master than being like ‘Yo, we live in the same place. Let’s chill.’ That’s why I like cats because it’s not like ‘I’m your master!’. The cat will go and live in somebody else’s house for a couple of weeks, then come back and be like ‘What’s up?’. Pets are weird when you think about it. It’s like you’ve got your own personal zoo at the house. I had a lot of pets when I grew up. Hamster. Fish. Lizards. Also water lizards. I kept them in some kind of tank.
‘I accidentally dropped one down the sink. The thing is, he probably popped into the sewage system and had a fucking blast of life! I hope so.’
20. Are you willing to train your dog to walk without a leash?
a) Yes
b) It doesn’t matter to me whether I can walk my dog off-leash
Mac: In New York it’s kind of funny. The size of your dog is like a status thing because nobody has space to have a big dog. When you see someone walking a big dog, you know what’s up. Having a dog in New York is a little bit cruel. The dog lives in a shoebox apartment. It’s fucked up. L.A. is dog paradise. Space, hills, plenty of stuff to piss on. It’s got a lot of dog parks. It’s a pretty sick zone for a dog. I always liked it in Paris where nobody cleans up their dog shit. It’s crazy.
I looked after my sister’s dog at one point, took him on a walk, didn’t bring a bag, took him to this residential neighbourhood and he tjust ook huge dumps on the neighbour’s lawns. I just looked at everybody saying „Sorry!“. I blew it. But in Paris, it would’ve been all good.
21. How much does drooling bother you?
a) Not a bit
b) Not my favourite, but I can deal with a little. Especially if it’s the right dog
c) I really don’t like it
Before killing the suspense for good to find out what kind of dog would be perfect for him, we ask MAC DEMARCO what dog he expects to pop up on the screen we have been staring at together for the past twenty minutes or so.
‘I want to say Basset Hound, but I don’t really know what their personality is like. I just like the way they look. I feel like I act more like a Golden Retriever or something like that. Friendly and easy.’
TOP 5 DOGS FOR MAC DeMARCO
Tibetan Mastiff (Getty Images)
Tibetan Mastiff
The Tibetan Mastiff is loving, gentle, patient and understanding. He’s a hard worker, protective of his family, fearless and loyal.
Borzoi (Getty Images)
Borzoi
This graceful sighthound is poetry in motion. He’s the picture of refinement and elegance. Borzoi are known for their speed, juxtaposed with a laidback personality.
Clumber Spaniel (Getty Images)
Clumber Spaniel
The easygoing Plumper has a loyal spirit and tender heart. His personality ranges from reserved and dignified to ‘I love everyone’
‘These are dogs I have never even seen before. He is cute! Actually, it looks like one of my new press shots.’
Saint Bernard (Getty Images)
Saint Bernard
This gentle giant likes to cozy up to his family and friends. He does not need a lot of exercise and he’s versatile and good-natured.
Canaan (Getty Images)
Canaan Dog
This breed is alert, vigilant, devoted and docile with his family. He requires extensive socialization – exposure to many different people, places, sights, sounds and experiences.
Awww, furry cuteness
Expectations were high. So how does MAC DEMARCO like the Top 5 potential furry companions that match his personality best?
Mac: Those are my dogs! I would fuck with the Saint Bernard for sure. Why not? It kind of looks like a Basset Hound, but a bit more athletic. It would be sick to have a really old dog. One that’s so tired already. A dog that basically says ‘Fuck off. I just want to hang out. We could go for a walk, but I don’t give a shit.’ That would be cool. A dog is like a buddy you have for twenty years.
‘My life has settled down in some ways in the last year or so, but maybe not enough to have a dog.’
My bandmate texted me yesterday saying that we should get a dog on tour. But who takes care of the dog after the tour? The van is already pretty gross, but if there was a dog living in there, too? Fuck. That would be gross. Dogs, God bless them!
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