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 Sri Lanka and from Tokyo.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Archie Shepp to the disco kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 American Breed. All the underground hits.
All The United States of America tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Donny Hathaway record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare 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 chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
Black Moon,
Roy Ayers,
The Dead C,
Hoover,
The Sound,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Fuzztones,
The Barracudas,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The Fortunes,
Fela Kuti,
Groovy Waters,
Wally Richardson,
Gerry Rafferty,
Frankie Knuckles,
Blake Baxter,
Yellowson,
Circle Jerks,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Amazonics,
Kool Moe Dee,
Audionom,
Interpol,
Cameo,
Amon Düül II,
Barry Ungar,
Minutemen,
DJ Sneak,
Bush Tetras,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Slave,
Country Teasers,
Rapeman,
Kaleidoscope,
Junior Murvin,
Eric Copeland,
Q65,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Bobby Byrd,
Shuggie Otis,
Black Flag,
The Selecter,
Ossler,
the Bar-Kays,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
June of 44,
Peter & Gordon,
Heaven 17,
Liliput,
The Martian,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Rod Modell,
Outsiders,
Brass Construction,
Ronan,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Lee Hazlewood,
Gang of Four,
Juan Atkins,
Josef K, Josef K, Josef K, Josef K.
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.