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 Bangladesh and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 Portland and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the 808 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 Jeru the Damaja to the rap 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 Mission of Burma. All the underground hits.
All Con Funk Shun tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Talk Talk record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 marimba and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Junior Murvin record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lightning Bolt,
Marmalade,
Shuggie Otis,
Bauhaus,
The Associates,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Radiopuhelimet,
Desert Stars,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Detroit Cobras,
Au Pairs,
The Star Department,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Eurythmics,
Ludus,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Monks,
The Fuzztones,
Bill Wells,
Youth Brigade,
Bush Tetras,
Gang Starr,
Massinfluence,
Gichy Dan,
Soft Machine,
Panda Bear,
Maurizio,
Quantec,
Derrick May,
Radio Birdman,
Negative Approach,
Duran Duran,
Joe Smooth,
Eddi Front,
The Mojo Men,
The Blues Magoos,
Suburban Knight,
Erasure,
Davy DMX,
Black Pus,
Lakeside,
the Association,
Pole,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Spoonie Gee,
Wally Richardson,
Jeff Mills,
Schoolly D,
Gong,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Skaos,
the Germs,
T.S.O.L.,
Sparks,
Roger Hodgson,
Rekid,
Nick Fraelich,
Blancmange,
Public Enemy,
Suicide,
Qualms, Qualms, Qualms, Qualms.
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.