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 Laos and from Lille.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Rhythim Is Rhythim to the funk 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 Terror Squad Feat. Camron. All the underground hits.
All Eyeless In Gaza tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Grass Roots record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 clarinet and a linndrum 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 an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Arcadia,
Yellowson,
Al Stewart,
Dual Sessions,
Trumans Water,
Country Teasers,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Misunderstood,
The Vogues,
Barbara Tucker,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
a-ha,
The Dead C,
KRS-One,
Aswad,
The Leaves,
Television Personalities,
David Axelrod,
Mad Mike,
The Fugs,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Saints,
The Cramps,
Adolescents,
Flamin' Groovies,
Franke,
Animal Collective,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Rod Modell,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Lucky Dragons,
Boz Scaggs,
Boogie Down Productions,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
The Barracudas,
Arab on Radar,
Thee Headcoats,
Dorothy Ashby,
Quadrant,
Brand Nubian,
Kurtis Blow,
Hardrive,
The Music Machine,
Danielle Patucci,
LL Cool J,
The Sonics,
Roger Hodgson,
Faust,
Ohio Players,
Silicon Teens,
Bauhaus,
The Walker Brothers,
Pantaleimon,
Absolute Body Control,
Agitation Free,
One Last Wish,
Eurythmics,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Robert Hood,
the Human League,
Yusef Lateef, Yusef Lateef, Yusef Lateef, Yusef Lateef.
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.