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 India and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the mellotron 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 Fugazi to the rap kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 MC5. All the underground hits.
All the Human League tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Index record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 chamberlin and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Gun Club,
Michelle Simonal,
Sonic Youth,
Darondo,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Underground Resistance,
The Star Department,
Absolute Body Control,
Johnny Clarke,
Cluster,
Kayak,
The Motions,
Bobby Womack,
Lucky Dragons,
Swell Maps,
The Angels of Light,
Reuben Wilson,
Lee Hazlewood,
Hashim,
Das Ding,
Vladislav Delay,
Alton Ellis,
Dual Sessions,
Drive Like Jehu,
Jandek,
Youth Brigade,
The Move,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Mummies,
John Lydon,
Stereo Dub,
Severed Heads,
Kas Product,
Television Personalities,
The Techniques,
Eddi Front,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Animal Collective,
Lindisfarne,
Livin' Joy,
Rekid,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Model 500,
Althea and Donna,
Goldenarms,
The Zeros,
Yaz,
The Gladiators,
The Trojans,
Nick Fraelich,
The Electric Prunes,
Josef K,
Minnie Riperton,
The Five Americans,
Liliput,
Minutemen,
Crispy Ambulance,
the Sonics,
Wally Richardson,
Bronski Beat,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Laurel Aitken,
The Flesh Eaters, The Flesh Eaters, The Flesh Eaters, The Flesh Eaters.
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.