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 Burundi and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1962 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Pussy Galore to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 The Blackbyrds. All the underground hits.
All Moebius tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Monks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a marimba 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 mellotron and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Technova,
Josef K,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Todd Terry,
Monks,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Minutemen,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Minny Pops,
The Golliwogs,
The Walker Brothers,
Tomorrow,
Drexciya,
David Axelrod,
Liliput,
Jeff Lynne,
Unwound,
Pole,
Ludus,
Dave Gahan,
T. Rex,
Ultravox,
Cymande,
Brass Construction,
Eden Ahbez,
Eli Mardock,
The Leaves,
Gil Scott Heron,
Crooked Eye,
Chris Corsano,
Anthony Braxton,
Grauzone,
Roger Hodgson,
Franke,
Neil Young,
Zapp,
Byron Stingily,
Mantronix,
Lalann,
New Order,
Tres Demented,
Connie Case,
Barclay James Harvest,
Organ,
Amon Düül,
Kevin Saunderson,
Ronan,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Kerrie Biddell,
Rosa Yemen,
Ralphi Rosario,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Dark Day,
Al Stewart,
Quando Quango,
The Index,
June of 44,
Audionom,
Howard Jones,
Sonic Youth, Sonic Youth, Sonic Youth, Sonic Youth.
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.