When the wind is right, just as the sun is setting, the haunting melodies float down the street and across the park to the delight of passers-by.
"I didn't realise the sound carried so far. I became a cult figure on Facebook where I was being tagged so I went public," he laughed.
"The reaction has been really surprising. No complaints so far. Cars and people have been stopping and I get a wave from the cops now and then."
Marcus was inspired to learn the bagpipes to honour his father, who still plays them, and his Scottish heritage.
The bagpipe bug bit him during a trip they took to Scotland in 2019.
"We visited a school in the Highlands - it was like a Harry Potter school. We were in the old school chapel where there was an organist and a lone piper and they played the Highland Cathedral song, which was also the school song when I was in Adelaide. And I decided right then, I was going to learn."
After signing up to the City of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band (CMHPB), Marcus took to the roof when lockdowns prevented him practising with the band.
The CMHPB, which performs in events including the Midsumma Pride March and the St Kilda RSL's Anzac Day ceremony, requires its members to master a ten song repertoire.
A modest Marcus reckons he has perfected two so far. "It's a work in progress, I don't want to inflict listeners with just the same song from the roof when I practice."
At the time of writing, Marcus had gone interstate before the sixth lockdown was announced. He promises to pipe up again when he returns to St Kilda.
In the meantime, go to The Age to hear Marcus play.
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This article is featured in the August edition of Divercity.
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