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 China and from Delhi.
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 1962 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bremen and Houston.
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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Mad Mike to the techno 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 The Angels of Light. All the underground hits.
All Beasts of Bourbon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Grey Daturas record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a clarinet 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 marimba and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ornette Coleman,
The Buckinghams,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Donny Hathaway,
The Techniques,
Electric Prunes,
Kool Moe Dee,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
New Age Steppers,
Mr. Review,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Fat Boys,
The Golliwogs,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Detroit Cobras,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
X-101,
The United States of America,
Don Cherry,
Motorama,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Nas,
Scientists,
Eve St. Jones,
Rakim,
Gastr Del Sol,
Darondo,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Aloha Tigers,
Zero Boys,
The Moody Blues,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Thompson Twins,
Marcia Griffiths,
Groovy Waters,
Godley & Creme,
Althea and Donna,
Bizarre Inc.,
Aaron Thompson,
Eddi Front,
The Fugs,
Scott Walker,
Negative Approach,
The Dead C,
Todd Terry,
Oblivians,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Sister Nancy,
Scan 7,
Barbara Tucker,
The Vogues,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
D'Angelo,
Qualms,
Chrome,
Hasil Adkins,
Banda Bassotti,
Kenny Larkin,
Los Fastidios,
Television,
Minor Threat, Minor Threat, Minor Threat, Minor Threat.
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.