Tag: Mac DeMarco

Mac missed, a chapter closed

Despite all the planning, effort and lost sleep with came with my single-minded mission to meet Mac DeMarco in New York City this year, I’ve returned to Perth without having even come close to doing so.

Mac’s move and subsequent movements made the possibility of a meet-up improbable, and admittedly there was a point in planning where I subconsciously accepted this fate and turned my focus to other things.

Fortunately there’s no shortage of things to do and see over three weeks as a solo traveller in New York. I learned tonnes about the US, the world and myself from the experience.

For anyone reading or thinking of taking a trip of their own, and to close this chapter off, I’ve put together a list of my favourite things about New York City from my experience travelling there.

  1. Records

A record started this whole ordeal, so it’s only fair that I gave significant time to exploring this realm of New York while I was in town.

image1New York’s second-hand record scene is packed full of early soul presses, limited new releases and basically anything you could imagine in between. I brought back around 25 LPs gathered from visits to stores across town and lovingly packed into a hard case before being checked in as luggage. They survived, and that’s the main thing.

For those interested, my perspective on this is below:

Best store for digging: A-One Records, East Village

A-One wasn’t the biggest or most visually appealing store I visited, but it was by far the best in terms of digging and very competitive on price. In this store I found a neat original press of Etta James’ first LP, a bunch of Marvin Gaye and my personal favourite – a sealed copy of The Adventures of Ali and his Gang vs Mr Tooth Decay. Commissioned by the American Dental Association in the 1970’s, this record follows the ‘fight of the century’ between Mohammad Ali, close ally Frank Sinatra and the rest of their gang against evil Mr Tooth Decay (seriously). A must have for every collection.

 

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New York – a hunting ground for classics, bootlegs, limited editions and sealed copies of The Adventures of Mohammad Ali and His Gang vs. Mr Tooth Decay

Best for new and limited releases: Turntable Lab, East Village

Turntable Lab killed it for soundtracks and special editions – Stranger Things on smoke coloured vinyl, Drive on fluorescent pink and Twin Peaks on coffee brown.

Best animals: Record Grouch, Williamsburg

image5Record Grouch was cool but the real highlight was the owner’s Chihuahua, who spent most of the time I was there jumping all over the records and trying to dig at them in his own right. What a champ.

Wildcard: The Thing, Williamsburg

The Thing was too hard for me, but if you knew exactly what you were looking at you could do some real damage down there. A floor to ceiling affair in a basement crammed full of records in no logical order, to go through every one would take three weeks of its own but everything there is US$3. The best thing I found was Shaq’s first album, but I left this one behind.

  1. Accessibility

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In three weeks I managed to see Jerry Seinfeld, Bruce Springsteen, Louis CK, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Stephen Colbert, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Rangers at work without too much effort at all.

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More like blurry, blurry night

I got caught up in everything from a Halloween parade to presidential protests, stumbled across part of the New York Marathon and snapped pictures with priceless artwork.

There always seems to be something happening in New York on any given night, and as a solo traveller with the time and freedom to make decisions at short notice it was really easy to make the most of these things. One night I caught a train to see 7000 jack-o-lanterns set up about an hour out of the city. I’d strongly recommend taking it this way for those considering a trip over there if that’s what you’re looking for in a trip.

3. Independence

Further to the point, I feel that spending time travelling on your own provides the clarity required to better understand the things you enjoy without distraction or external influence.

While Mac DeMarco provided a catalyst, it was sense of dissatisfaction with the way things were (as touched on in Roaches & Records) which really drove the decision to take this trip. The decision only affected me and wasn’t anything special to anybody else – people holiday all the time – but  I have a better understanding now of the things I want to do with my time having had that break to assess and explore. I’ve come back with a lot of ideas and motivation, and I’m really excited to pursue these into 2017.

  1. Bowie

I count Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as one of my favourite films, and Seu Jorge’s Life Aquatic themed David Bowie tribute show at Town Hall was the best live gig I’ve ever seen.

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I didn’t get a pic to do it justice so this one comes courtesy of @pterridactyl via the Seu Jorge Facebook page.

It has been 12 years since Life Aquatic was released but the tour is the first time Jorge – decked head to toe in costume from the film – has performed his acclaimed soundtrack of Portuguese Bowie covers.

I can’t really put it in words, except to say Jorge did full justice to the legacy of Bowie and his father recently passed. He was open, honest, funny and talented in equal measures and it was unlike any other show I’ve been to.

  1. Perspective

Fair to say the election was the biggest thing (globally and in New York) while I was abroad, and I feel lucky to have been on had to see everything go down.

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This blog has never been about spouting political ideologies and I don’t have much interest in changing that, but what was clear is that the American people are more divided than perhaps was thought in the lead up.

15034214_10211544635870846_634615505_oThe result of the election caught a lot of New Yorkers off guard, resulting in protests in the street and quiet contemplation on the subway.

No one (not even Trump) really knows what will happen from here, but it will be fascinating to see.

Bonus. Support

Thanks to the people who reached out or got in touch during, before and after the trip to talk about it and the blog more generally – especially those I haven’t spoken to in a while or much at all. As I’ve continued to say, it’s been really encouraging to know that support exists.

I’m going to have a week or so off from it now but I have some short and longer term plans for content which I’ll explain as they come to be. But they are on their way.

Thanks for sharing this first journey with me.

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Jack.

Why tho.

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Celebrity storkin.

As someone who asks questions of strangers for a living I’m a big fan of the word ‘why’. There’s a reason kids often drive their parents insane with it – overdo it at your peril but without any preface or bias it’s pretty much the most thought provoking thing you could ask another person.

Asking why invokes explanation, justification and sometimes deflection, but it’s a fantastic gauge of what someone is thinking and what their actions genuinely mean.

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked why I’m taking a trip overseas on a whim to try stalk a celebrity I’d probably have enough coin to pay for a flight to LA and back.

This week I’m going to answer some of the more commonly asked questions I’ve had since ‘going public’ with my plans. There’s only two, but they’re pretty much the ones everyone has anyway.

Why are you going overseas to stalk a celebrity?

This trip is so much more about the last few years of my life than it is about trying to find Mac DeMarco.

This thing keeps happening with my eye at work, where it gets this involuntary twitch if I spend too long at my desk. I think a few weeks away will help that calm down.

In actuality we all have our ups and downs, but having worked in three jobs and moved house six times since entering the full time workforce at the beginning of 2014, made and lost friends and colleagues, and just all of the other things that have happened I really feel a holiday is overdue.

Despite this, the motivation to actually get on a plane didn’t arise until I heard Mac’s ‘invite’ for the first time. Whether the meeting with the musician actually happens or not is irrelevant at this point, it’s the throwaway invitation which has inspired a trip across the globe, and one I’m incredibly grateful to have.

He moved. What are you gonna do now?

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Waitin for that email bling

Around a week ago I emailed Mac’s management and heard back almost instantly. He’s touring and writing at the time, but the message has been passed on to him for consideration and I guess that’s why I’m waking up at all hours of the night to check my emails. At least I hope it is. I’d hate to think my subscription to Hostelworld’s email newsletter is having that level of impact on my life (seems like it will still come in handy if ever in Budapest).

If we can hook something up for a meeting I’ll fly to LA during a window of the trip. If he’s not, well on a personal level I guess it doesn’t really matter – see above.

Yeah but why? You’re not even a massive fan.

This is the essence of the annoying kid overdoing it with the why thing. I’m going to New York for me, not for Mac DeMarco or for anyone else.

*Surprisingly common blank stare*

……..

Thanks for reading and to all who have subscribed – you the real MVPs. I’ll keep you posted on if I hear anything from Mac or his manager.

Mac’s moving curveball

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Turns out I wasn’t the only one…

It wasn’t long after booking the trip to the states that I upped and left my apartment for greener pastures in Perth’s northern suburbs.

The move was a significant one – just 25 kilometres in distance but providing a greater, roach-free space to work in and towards my goal of meeting Mac DeMarco in New York in October.

Planning is what I’ve been doing in my spare time since – the trip has provided something significant to look forward to and proven a welcome distraction from all my other responsibilities.

HOWEVER, all the planning in the world couldn’t have accounted for the fact that DeMarco – an adult human in his own right – would also move house between booking the flights and setting off.

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Turns out even famous people move house, and Mac’s move – a 4500-kilometre relocation from the east coast of the US to the west – probably has my move north of Perth’s surprisingly divisive Swan River covered in terms of significance.

With six weeks to go before boarding the plane to New York the move is a curveball which has left plenty to think about.

The options from here are as follows.

Option 1: Contact Mac, go to LA

Pros:

  • Could lock something ahead of time
  • Get to see another part of the US
  • Achieves what I set out to do at the start of the year
  • Would be a serious adventure
  • Generally more inclined to wear Chucks than Ballys

Cons:

  • Where do you start – I’ve sent an email?
  • Could be expensive and disruptive to the overall trip
  • Would only have a day or two to pull it off

Option 2: Make no contact, go to LA

Pros:

  • Would pretty much be the ultimate story if it came off
  • Adventure factor high
  • Get to see more of the US
  • Generally more inclined to wear Chucks than Ballys

Cons:

  • A casual 3.9 million people in LA. Wouldn’t know where to start.
  • Expensive, disruptive and pretty much impossible

Option 3: Stay in NY, visit the tenants at Mac’s old place

Pros:

  • Quirky, pretty neat if it works out
  • Fiscally responsible

Cons:

  • I have no idea who lives at the house, what if they don’t drink coffee?
  • Lack of physical Mac DeMarco
  • Generally more inclined to wear Chucks than Ballys

Option 4: Stay in New York, have a sensible holiday

Pros:

  • Fiscally responsible
  • Ample time to do self-guided Ghostbusters walking tour
  • Accommodation already locked in

Cons:

  • Significant lack of Mac DeMarco
  • Sensible
  • Still more inclined to wear Chucks than Ballys

At this stage option 1 is the preference. It was never the intention to make contact ahead of time, but the game has changed pretty significantly.

I’ll let you know.

Roaches and records

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Note: A lot of blogs I’ve read open with a cheery welcome post. Through no fault of its own this one doesn’t, but it picks up. 

It was an unbearably warm Saturday evening spent alone in a roach infested two-bedroom flat in Perth’s southern suburbs. The apartment – my apartment – had helped me back on my feet, but a lot had changed during my time there and things felt really stale.

The recent changes – a relationship breakdown, a loss of interest in my only hobby and the cancellation of my plans for the evening – added up to feel heavier than the sum of their parts, and as such, things were pretty flat.

I was moving in a few weeks time and most my stuff was packed, but instead of making new plans that evening I sat among the roaches and the boxes and tried to keep the roaches out of the boxes and honestly felt really sorry for myself. It wasn’t a great night.

Pretty much the only thing I hadn’t packed was my record player, and having spontaneously picked up a copy earlier in the day that was when I first listened to Mac DeMarco’s Another One.

I like DeMarco’s work, but I’m no fanatic by any stretch. That said, there was a moment on Another One which particularly stood out. It wasn’t even a song. At the mini-LP’s conclusion the Canadian crooner, now residing in some weird part of New York, blurted out his address and invited the listener around for a cup of coffee.

Normally an invite to anyone who cared wouldn’t elicit a second thought, but in these circumstances it did. I’d never had any motivation to travel to New York before so I slept on the idea, but within a week I’d booked my flights to JFK – initially in September by accident but eventually in October like I’d intended. And so began a plan to travel several thousand miles from the world’s most isolated city to one of its most populous and drink a cup of coffee with a complete stranger.

I’ve read that people have made the trip before, but I’ve not heard of anyone going from Perth to do so. Provided he’s home I guess I’ll know for sure in a few months’ time.