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 Cuba and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Edmonton and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 The Busters to the punk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Glambeats Corp.. All the underground hits.
All The Names tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nik Kershaw record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 an oboe 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 sitar and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Flesh Eaters,
Popol Vuh,
Joy Division,
Jacob Miller,
Soulsonic Force,
The Neon Judgement,
The Move,
Tears for Fears,
Youth Brigade,
Flamin' Groovies,
Von Mondo,
The Alarm Clocks,
The Saints,
Scion,
Basic Channel,
Gang Green,
Thompson Twins,
kango's stein massive,
Agitation Free,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Rhythm & Sound,
Rotary Connection,
Niagra,
48th St. Collective,
Al Stewart,
Scientists,
Ponytail,
Silicon Teens,
Soft Machine,
The Pretty Things,
Laurel Aitken,
Accadde A,
Inner City,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
The Gap Band,
a-ha,
Nik Kershaw,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Lou Reed,
Amon Düül II,
The Standells,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Loose Ends,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Colin Newman,
Alison Limerick,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Talk Talk,
Soul Sonic Force,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Yellowson,
Bill Wells,
The Raincoats,
Little Man,
T.S.O.L.,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Wally Richardson,
Mantronix,
Excepter,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Second Layer,
The Gladiators,
Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid, Scratch Acid.
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.