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 Uzbekistan and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1987.
I was there at the first Nirvana show in Seattle.
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 1961 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Eddi Front to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Harmonia. All the underground hits.
All Yaz tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Black Dice record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 theremin and a sitar 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 theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Detroit Cobras,
PIL,
Khruangbin,
Parry Music,
Scientists,
Sarah Menescal,
David Bowie,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Fuzztones,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Derrick May,
Television Personalities,
the Soft Cell,
Tommy Roe,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Sound,
Index,
ABBA,
Lightning Bolt,
Shuggie Otis,
Lou Christie,
Arthur Verocai,
Gil Scott Heron,
Matthew Bourne,
Masters at Work,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Amon Düül II,
Youth Brigade,
Dorothy Ashby,
John Coltrane,
the Human League,
Eric Copeland,
Yellowson,
The Alarm Clocks,
Technova,
The Cure,
Anakelly,
Faraquet,
MDC,
Fad Gadget,
Flamin' Groovies,
Panda Bear,
The Fortunes,
The Happenings,
Carl Craig,
DJ Sneak,
Blake Baxter,
Davy DMX,
Tim Buckley,
Shoche,
Camouflage,
Thompson Twins,
Eden Ahbez,
Lindisfarne,
Qualms,
Soul Sonic Force,
Zero Boys,
Trumans Water,
Man Parrish,
X-101,
The Evens,
Grauzone, Grauzone, Grauzone, Grauzone.
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.