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 Guinea-Bissau and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Lyon.
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 2001 at the first Tiga practice in a loft in Montreal.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Gerry Rafferty to the rap 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 Siglo XX. All the underground hits.
All Eden Ahbez tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lyres 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a harpsichord 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 clarinet and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Count Five,
Fear,
Pantaleimon,
Kevin Saunderson,
Althea and Donna,
Intrusion,
Monks,
The Toasters,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Flipper,
the Sonics,
Cecil Taylor,
Soulsonic Force,
Soft Machine,
The Modern Lovers,
Danielle Patucci,
Thee Headcoats,
Neil Young,
Juan Atkins,
Whodini,
Siglo XX,
Alison Limerick,
The Misunderstood,
The Motions,
The Tremeloes,
Morten Harket,
Erasure,
The Slackers,
The Blues Magoos,
DNA,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Donny Hathaway,
Ohio Players,
Rekid,
Bauhaus,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Gun Club,
Soft Cell,
The Selecter,
The Shadows of Knight,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Sound,
Zapp,
Icehouse,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Shuggie Otis,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Boz Scaggs,
Fad Gadget,
Radiopuhelimet,
Bill Near,
The Music Machine,
Anthony Braxton,
The Residents,
Sun Ra,
The Mighty Diamonds,
New Age Steppers,
The Monochrome Set,
Throbbing Gristle,
Jawbox, Jawbox, Jawbox, Jawbox.
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.