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 El Salvador and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the chamberlin 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 Bang on a Can All-Stars to the electroclash 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 The Count Five. All the underground hits.
All Maurizio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang On A Can record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 spring reverb and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Second Layer record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Chris & Cosey,
Barbara Tucker,
June Days,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Audionom,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Skaos,
This Heat,
The Cure,
Desert Stars,
DJ Sneak,
Deadbeat,
Barry Ungar,
Jeff Mills,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Massinfluence,
Unrelated Segments,
Stetsasonic,
F. McDonald,
CMW,
The Gun Club,
Bobby Sherman,
Joensuu 1685,
Ultravox,
UT,
Sonic Youth,
Harry Pussy,
David Bowie,
10cc,
Fela Kuti,
Can,
Moebius,
Soft Machine,
Pantytec,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
New York Dolls,
Zero Boys,
Circle Jerks,
June of 44,
Inner City,
The Raincoats,
Flash Fearless,
The Young Rascals,
Oblivians,
The Blackbyrds,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Stereo Dub,
The Trojans,
Dennis Brown,
The American Breed,
Goldenarms,
Grauzone,
The Fugs,
Ituana,
Graham Central Station,
Patti Smith,
Mr. Review,
PIL,
Delon & Dalcan,
The Mojo Men, The Mojo Men, The Mojo Men, The Mojo Men.
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.