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 Macedonia and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Lou Reed & Metallica to the rap kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 The Mighty Diamonds. All the underground hits.
All Echo & the Bunnymen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every In Retrospect 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a chamberlin 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 synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Sisters of Mercy,
Jesper Dahlback,
Lalo Schifrin,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Knickerbockers,
Lee Hazlewood,
Absolute Body Control,
Darondo,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Sonics,
Skriet,
Black Sheep,
Boz Scaggs,
The Cowsills,
CMW,
June of 44,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Sex Pistols,
New Age Steppers,
Dark Day,
Idris Muhammad,
Easy Going,
Outsiders,
Banda Bassotti,
Grauzone,
Lebanon Hanover,
Pole,
Althea and Donna,
Soft Machine,
The Detroit Cobras,
Main Source,
Deepchord,
LL Cool J,
Avey Tare,
Letta Mbulu,
The Busters,
Goldenarms,
Wolf Eyes,
Harry Pussy,
Arab on Radar,
Funky Four + One,
Skaos,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Desert Stars,
Matthew Halsall,
World's Most,
Mantronix,
Quando Quango,
Scion,
Q and Not U,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Sällskapet,
Subhumans,
Hot Snakes,
New York Dolls,
This Heat,
Girls At Our Best!,
Carl Craig,
Neil Young,
Das Ding,
John Lydon,
X-102,
Stetsasonic,
Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway.
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.