The lineup for Brown’s Spring Weekend has been released. People are understandably freaking out about Fetty Wap, Tinashe, and Mac DeMarco. Oh, Mac. Everyone who I talk to feels the need to express how big a fan they are of his – like, undoubtedly, The Biggest Fan™. If only they knew the rich history of my relationship with Mac. The truth is, Mac DeMarco is my best friend and long-distance boyfriend, and I am his muse.
I unofficially met Mac in 1997, when I was born in Rhode Island. He was seven years old and living in Canada at the time, but as soon as I came into the world, I felt a mysterious connection that I would spend my infancy and adolescence exploring. As a kid, I ate a lot of McDonald’s, macaroni, and macadamia nuts. My favorite fish was mackerel, and my favorite dance was the Macarena. I wouldn’t understand this affinity for mac-related objects until I met Mac in person a few years later.
Around 2011, I was entering high school, while Mac was moving from Vancouver to Montreal. With that move, the distance between us shrank from 3000mi to a mere 380mi. The bond between us became much stronger, and I knew I had to find my other half. I sensed that he was in Canada, so I took a trip to Niagara Falls with my family, under the guise of visiting one of the most beautiful wonders of the natural world. While my parents were gaping at the Falls, I made my move. I ran a mere 500mi to Montreal, knowing I would find Mac at some point. When I did find him, he was working as a road paver on Maple Leaf Street.
I walked up behind Mac, and without turning around, he knew it was me. We hugged for a full five minutes, and Mac wept with happiness. We were two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. After the usual greetings (“Hi, I’m in love with you,” “I’m in love with you, too”) , he told me that his solo career wasn’t going as planned, so he had to take up odd jobs here and there to put food on the table. For the next few years, I became his inspiration to persevere in the music industry. His career really took off after the release of an EP, Rock and Roll Night Club, and Mac had me to thank.
Mac and I continued to grow closer – so close, in fact, that he finally told me his real name: Vernor Winfield McBriare Smith IV. We were inseparable, and he used aspects of our daily life to fuel his music creation. For example, our passion for eating healthy food inspired “Salad Days.” On one rainy day in June, we stayed inside and built a giant pillow fort. When I left to get some snacks, he wrote “Chamber of Reflection” because he felt so lost without me. “Freaking Out the Neighborhood” was written after Mac and I reenacted all eight movies of the Halloween series in his front yard, and the neighbors called the mounties. When we weren’t working on music, Mac and I developed our own clothing line, characterized by cuffed jeans, baseball caps, and Vans. The name of the clothing line was a combination of our names: SaMac.
Eventually, we both knew that I had to go back to Niagara Falls and reunite with my family. They must’ve been so worried; I was gone for years! (Luckily, they were still in the same place, gaping at the Falls.) Mac wrote “Let My Baby Stay” about our tragic separation.
I was made to love her, been working at it
Half of my life, I’ve been an addict
And she’s been good to me
Far as I can tell she’s happy, livin’ with her Macky
I haven’t seen Mac since 2014. Since then, he’s put out a new album with multiple songs about me, including “The Way You Love Her” and “I’ve Been Waiting for Her.” I will finally get to see Mac again on April 16, 2016, when he comes to Brown for Spring Weekend. I can only hope that he’ll stick around for longer instead of quickly saying “Goodbye Weekend.”
I wish we could listen to music together again, reading this makes me miss you so much.