The Other Me

Album: Allbarone (2025)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "The Other Me" finds Baxter Dury dismantling the myth of Baxter Dury. Circling themes of identity and self-perception, he delivers the song in his trademark deadpan murmur that suggests he's observing himself from across the room, drink in hand.
  • The idea springs from Dury's own cartoonish alter ego, introduced on his 2017 track "Miami," where he grandly announces:

    I'm the night chef
    The eye doctor
    Mister Maserati
    I'm king of the migraines


    That version of Dury - louche, surreal, borderline mythical - has stuck rather too well. As he explained to Mojo magazine, "The Other Me" is about "the shock sometimes when people don't meet Mister Maserati."

    This means strangers regularly offering him drugs, apparently assuming he lives full time inside his lyrics. Dury says he responds by "putting on a fake guru" routine and flicking the offerings into a nearby flowerpot, rejecting temptation while maintaining an air of mystical authority.
  • The song, along with the rest of the Allbarone album, was produced by Paul Epworth (Adele, Florence & The Machine, U2) after he caught Dury's set at Glastonbury 2024. Months later, the pair set to work at Epworth's North London Church Studios with Epworth building the tracks, Dury writing into them, and then recording straight away.
  • The collaboration with Epworth nudged Dury away from his indie comfort zone and picked up where his 2021 Fred again collaboration "Baxter (These Are My Friends" left off, embracing dance rhythms. However, "The Other Me" stands apart from much of Allbarone, settling into a slower, more introspective groove, anchored by a thick, driving bass line.
  • Critics took notice: Allbarone landed on Best Albums of 2025 lists of many media outlets, including Mojo, PopMatters, Record Collector, and Uncut.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.