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 Azerbaijan and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Fire Engines to the grime 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 Jimmy McGriff. All the underground hits.
All The Detroit Cobras tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Darondo 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 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 sitar and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Junior Murvin,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
X-101,
Fela Kuti,
The Dave Clark Five,
Second Layer,
Joyce Sims,
Fugazi,
The Cramps,
Swans,
Gang of Four,
Electric Prunes,
Lou Reed,
Joe Finger,
Connie Case,
Mantronix,
Man Parrish,
Quantec,
Jeff Lynne,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Fugs,
The Velvet Underground,
Camberwell Now,
Kevin Saunderson,
Dawn Penn,
Talk Talk,
Roger Hodgson,
Cluster,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
T.S.O.L.,
Ultravox,
Minnie Riperton,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Cal Tjader,
Make Up,
Grey Daturas,
Bob Dylan,
The Human League,
X-Ray Spex,
Grauzone,
Lungfish,
Skaos,
The Remains,
Altered Images,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Stooges,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Liliput,
Ralphi Rosario,
Yellowson,
Tropical Tobacco,
Sixth Finger,
Eve St. Jones,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Gabor Szabo,
The Names,
Pantaleimon, Pantaleimon, Pantaleimon, Pantaleimon.
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.