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 Tonga and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Halifax.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the rhodes 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 Piero Umiliani to the disco 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 Cheater Slicks. All the underground hits.
All Electric Prunes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Barbara Tucker record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum 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 mellotron and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Techniques,
The Fuzztones,
June Days,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Bluetip,
Grauzone,
Monks,
A Certain Ratio,
Nils Olav,
Wally Richardson,
Cal Tjader,
Black Flag,
Joe Finger,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Chris Corsano,
Black Pus,
The Smiths,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Busters,
Reuben Wilson,
The Index,
The Residents,
The Gun Club,
the Association,
Panda Bear,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Niagra,
Sex Pistols,
DJ Style,
Brass Construction,
New York Dolls,
The Tremeloes,
Inner City,
Johnny Clarke,
Swans,
Graham Central Station,
Radiohead,
Au Pairs,
David McCallum,
Youth Brigade,
OOIOO,
The American Breed,
Todd Terry,
Nik Kershaw,
Juan Atkins,
Neil Young,
Terrestrial Tones,
Camouflage,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Cluster,
Accadde A,
Stetsasonic,
the Normal,
Sonic Youth,
Hot Snakes,
The Searchers,
The Young Rascals,
Pussy Galore,
Soul Sonic Force,
Half Japanese,
Electric Prunes,
Technova,
Ten City, Ten City, Ten City, Ten City.
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.