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 the UAE and from London.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1963 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Edmonton and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Nils Olav to the punk 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 Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft. All the underground hits.
All Minutemen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Erasure record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a güiro 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 harpsichord and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Babytalk,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Barclay James Harvest,
Dennis Brown,
The Happenings,
Kas Product,
New York Dolls,
Animal Collective,
Crispy Ambulance,
Gil Scott Heron,
Barry Ungar,
New Age Steppers,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Selecter,
Barrington Levy,
Ronan,
Scientists,
Desert Stars,
Masters at Work,
Ludus,
The Moody Blues,
Matthew Bourne,
Section 25,
Slick Rick,
Lou Christie,
John Coltrane,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Derrick May,
The Offenders,
Boredoms,
Joe Smooth,
New Order,
Bobby Sherman,
Underground Resistance,
Bang On A Can,
Davy DMX,
Thee Headcoats,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Japan,
Lindisfarne,
The Slits,
The Standells,
The Residents,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Minutemen,
Con Funk Shun,
Lightning Bolt,
Ultravox,
Josef K,
The Durutti Column,
H. Thieme,
Drive Like Jehu,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Glenn Branca,
Lee Hazlewood,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Wire,
Saccharine Trust,
Man Parrish,
Stetsasonic,
Agent Orange,
The Litter,
Whodini, Whodini, Whodini, Whodini.
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.