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 Botswana and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1961 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Accra.
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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Underground Resistance to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Eric Dolphy. All the underground hits.
All The Walker Brothers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang on a Can All-Stars 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar 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 mellotron and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin 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 Shadows of Knight,
Essential Logic,
the Association,
E-Dancer,
Man Parrish,
Pussy Galore,
Flipper,
David Bowie,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Gang Green,
Bootsy Collins,
Michelle Simonal,
ABC,
Joensuu 1685,
Monks,
Stockholm Monsters,
Banda Bassotti,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Qualms,
MDC,
Unrelated Segments,
Blake Baxter,
Von Mondo,
CMW,
The Cure,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Absolute Body Control,
Pierre Henry,
Skriet,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Accadde A,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Lou Reed,
Traffic Nightmare,
Jerry's Kids,
Wire,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Gladiators,
Girls At Our Best!,
Vladislav Delay,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Q65,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The Angels of Light,
Rufus Thomas,
Jacob Miller,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Quando Quango,
Radiopuhelimet,
Model 500,
LL Cool J,
48th St. Collective,
Public Enemy,
Patti Smith,
Mandrill,
Anakelly,
The Move,
The Human League,
Brand Nubian,
Barry Ungar,
Matthew Bourne,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Gang Starr, Gang Starr, Gang Starr, Gang Starr.
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.