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 Seychelles and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1960 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 The Knickerbockers to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Gap Band. All the underground hits.
All Delon & Dalcan tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nation of Ulysses 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a mellotron 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 linndrum and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Yaz,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The Buckinghams,
The Blues Magoos,
The Sisters of Mercy,
The Seeds,
Gang Gang Dance,
Nico,
The Human League,
Minor Threat,
The Music Machine,
The Angels of Light,
Chris & Cosey,
the Swans,
John Foxx,
Mad Mike,
Gregory Isaacs,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Stooges,
Das Ding,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Masters at Work,
Brothers Johnson,
Pole,
Matthew Halsall,
Swans,
Sparks,
Quadrant,
Basic Channel,
Judy Mowatt,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Audionom,
Freddie Wadling,
Clear Light,
New York Dolls,
Prince Buster,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Black Bananas,
Black Flag,
Hardrive,
Jawbox,
Rufus Thomas,
Outsiders,
Grauzone,
Thompson Twins,
Sight & Sound,
Crime,
Bobby Byrd,
LL Cool J,
Faraquet,
Lebanon Hanover,
Sun Ra,
Depeche Mode,
The Birthday Party,
Simply Red,
Brick,
Dawn Penn,
Television Personalities,
Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music.
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.