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 Serbia and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Jakarta.
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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
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 Wasted Youth to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Au Pairs. All the underground hits.
All Index tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Al Stewart record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 808 and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Connie Case record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Knickerbockers,
the Normal,
The Sound,
Pylon,
The Kinks,
The Smoke,
The Moody Blues,
Chris Corsano,
Dead Boys,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Human League,
Rhythm & Sound,
The American Breed,
Erasure,
Gabor Szabo,
Pet Shop Boys,
Byron Stingily,
Sam Rivers,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Young Marble Giants,
Slick Rick,
Letta Mbulu,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
These Immortal Souls,
Scion,
L. Decosne,
Smog,
Television Personalities,
Robert Hood,
The Moleskins,
Fatback Band,
Basic Channel,
Tres Demented,
Jawbox,
John Foxx,
Eric Copeland,
The Stooges,
The Divine Comedy,
The Invisible,
Cal Tjader,
Judy Mowatt,
Eve St. Jones,
Bobby Sherman,
Babytalk,
Ronnie Foster,
Albert Ayler,
La Düsseldorf,
Sarah Menescal,
Symarip,
Isaac Hayes,
Freddie Wadling,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Godley & Creme,
Matthew Bourne,
Grandmaster Flash,
Dawn Penn,
the Fania All-Stars,
Mission of Burma,
Schoolly D,
Deadbeat, Deadbeat, Deadbeat, Deadbeat.
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.