Baxter Dury Baxter Dury had a good 12 months, going from niche
Yeah, that’s always hard. To know what’s massive, or not
concern to indie crossover with the darkly lyrical ‘Miami’.
massive, or what the fuck. You just go and make music and
Now, with a busy year of touring behind him, he’s released
try and get a good reaction from it yourself. I’m quite free
a collaborative record with Étienne De Crécy and Delilah
to do what I want I suppose. I try not to think about what
Holliday. Which is, on paper why we’re talking. In reality,
other people might think of something. What’s good about
when we get through to Baxter, 15 minutes later than
you is when you’re at your freest.
planned on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, we talk about nearly everything else. Touching on the ‘fame shift’, orchestras
We read in an article that you’d said to the label, that
and why he and his band will always be “just the same basic
they could keep the publishing for ‘Miami’ if you could
bunch of cunts”...
have strings on it?
We’ve just been sent B.E.D - which we’ve been listening
Well I wanted the strings yeah. Who did I say keep the
to a lot. Is this the next Baxter album, or an interim
publishing to, I want it back if i did? Well, I probably
thing?
maxed out the budget more than they were really expecting. I kind of weaved, ducked and dived you know, and managed
It’s just a little interim thing. I didn’t think it would even
to get those strings, and the guy was really clever that came
get released, and it did. Kind of by accident. Well, it wasn’t
and helped. It was definitely an ambitious stroke I pulled,
by accident. I obviously made some music. Someone liked
and it made it a better record. More interesting. It could be
it and put it out. And it’s gained a little bit of momentum in
just be a bloke talking. A lot of the time that’s what it boils
a nice way. It’s not meant to do too much, you know?
down to. My act is a bloke talking and that’s it, and the rest is a lot of devices built around the bloke talking to make it
How did that whole project come about?
feel more impressive.
I was just milling about Paris, as we all do, after making my
We cover a lot of new bands, and I’d say, at least in
last album. I just happened to be there a bit and I knew the
that little corner, the music scene feels healthier than it
guy Etienne, and he had a studio, and we just sort of grew
has been for a long while. Goat Girl, Shame, Idles for
from there really.
example. What do you think of that lot?
So then you took it into Heavenly and they went for it?
I like some of them. I like some of them. Some of them are mates of mine. I usually like people that like me first. Goat
They were just vibing about it. They vibe about unusual
Girl, I like them. They’re doing good things. I’m at an age
things. That’s what’s nice about them. That’s what makes
difference so I’m not totally meant to be stuck in that world.
them really good. They don’t think about much, they just
I can allow myself to be out of that. I’m not into knocking
react and are really positive. That’s what I like about them.
bands, you know what I mean. I don’t think there’s anything amazing. I shouldn’t say that but I don’t know. The Idles
It must be hard now, given the reaction. Trying to figure
thing, I’ve never seen Idles play but they’re always very
out what to do next.
nice to me..
3
Words by Rob Knaggs, illustration by Jolanda Jokinen
