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 Zambia and from Seoul.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Adolescents to the funk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Eden Ahbez. All the underground hits.
All Junior Murvin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every X-Ray Spex record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a linndrum 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 theremin and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
David Bowie,
The Leaves,
Harry Pussy,
Amon Düül,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
kango's stein massive,
Thee Headcoats,
The Pop Group,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Tubeway Army,
The Detroit Cobras,
Reuben Wilson,
Susan Cadogan,
Mandrill,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Fall,
Marine Girls,
Moebius,
Mantronix,
Moss Icon,
8 Eyed Spy,
ABBA,
Sex Pistols,
Gang Starr,
Zapp,
Organ,
Barrington Levy,
Alphaville,
Cluster,
The Evens,
Ultravox,
Black Moon,
Bizarre Inc.,
Faraquet,
Donald Byrd,
Gang Green,
Brand Nubian,
Bad Manners,
Rod Modell,
Fugazi,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Velvet Underground,
Freddie Wadling,
Derrick Morgan,
The Skatalites,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Gregory Isaacs,
Tomorrow,
The Dave Clark Five,
the Slits,
Bobby Byrd,
Girls At Our Best!,
Fat Boys,
Monolake,
The Saints,
Michelle Simonal,
Sarah Menescal,
Rosa Yemen,
Joyce Sims,
Maleditus Sound,
Dave Gahan,
The Wake,
Janne Schatter, Janne Schatter, Janne Schatter, Janne Schatter.
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.