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 Senegal and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the chamberlin 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 Piero Umiliani to the rap 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 the Bar-Kays. All the underground hits.
All Toni Rubio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Reuben Wilson record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 harpsichord and an arpeggiator 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 spring reverb and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Q and Not U,
Newcleus,
Lungfish,
The Cure,
The Wake,
Joe Finger,
Minnie Riperton,
Nas,
Stetsasonic,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Joe Smooth,
Derrick Morgan,
The Trojans,
Tommy Roe,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Hot Snakes,
Au Pairs,
Davy DMX,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
The Electric Prunes,
Altered Images,
Terrestrial Tones,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Jerry's Kids,
Wally Richardson,
CMW,
Can,
Soft Machine,
The Selecter,
Agent Orange,
Ronnie Foster,
The Real Kids,
Pole,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Blues Magoos,
Drive Like Jehu,
Joensuu 1685,
The Human League,
Monolake,
Michelle Simonal,
F. McDonald,
The United States of America,
The Red Krayola,
U.S. Maple,
Fatback Band,
Trumans Water,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Thompson Twins,
Lindisfarne,
The Motions,
The Fall,
T.S.O.L.,
The Pop Group,
Fugazi,
Dead Boys,
Drexciya,
the Germs,
Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons, Lucky Dragons.
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.