Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Nigeria and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Ultramagnetic MC's to the punk kids.
I played it at Trash.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Arthur Verocai. All the underground hits.
All a-ha tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Goldenarms record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bill Near record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sugar Minott,
Kenny Larkin,
Anthony Braxton,
T. Rex,
Gong,
Rakim,
Steve Hackett,
Stereo Dub,
Wally Richardson,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
CMW,
Joey Negro,
Laurel Aitken,
Nirvana,
Aaron Thompson,
Bobby Sherman,
Eyeless In Gaza,
June of 44,
Spoonie Gee,
The Saints,
The Vogues,
Lyres,
Gerry Rafferty,
Rotary Connection,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Harmonia,
China Crisis,
Sexual Harrassment,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Mojo Men,
Flipper,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
The Dave Clark Five,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Star Department,
Talk Talk,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Hot Snakes,
Camouflage,
Slave,
The Remains,
Bob Dylan,
Severed Heads,
The Blues Magoos,
PIL,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Magazine,
Thompson Twins,
Eric Copeland,
Basic Channel,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Rosa Yemen,
EPMD,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Junior Murvin,
Pierre Henry,
Darondo,
The Beau Brummels,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The Index,
Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.