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 Tajikistan and from Lille.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the güiro 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 Los Fastidios to the crunk 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 Japan. All the underground hits.
All Public Enemy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Oblivians record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a synthesizer 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 guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Soft Cell,
The Cure,
The New Christs,
Gang Starr,
Isaac Hayes,
John Coltrane,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Urselle,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Soul Sonic Force,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Moleskins,
D'Angelo,
Big Daddy Kane,
Rapeman,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Toasters,
Niagra,
Bauhaus,
Flamin' Groovies,
KRS-One,
Mission of Burma,
Gabor Szabo,
The Cramps,
Peter and Kerry,
Wolf Eyes,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Bill Wells,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Aloha Tigers,
Laurel Aitken,
Josef K,
Vainqueur,
Sällskapet,
Rekid,
EPMD,
Jesper Dahlback,
Nick Fraelich,
Popol Vuh,
The Fuzztones,
Arthur Verocai,
A Certain Ratio,
Bootsy Collins,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Black Pus,
Deadbeat,
Rod Modell,
The Fortunes,
Barrington Levy,
Lou Reed,
Ralphi Rosario,
Q and Not U,
The Fall,
Amon Düül II,
Albert Ayler,
Scan 7,
Fugazi,
Rufus Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Rufus Thomas.
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.