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 Cyprus and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Pere Ubu to the rock kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Q65. All the underground hits.
All The Vogues tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Derrick May 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Alphaville record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Searchers,
Gil Scott Heron,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Peter & Gordon,
Johnny Clarke,
Oblivians,
Flipper,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Warren Ellis,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Con Funk Shun,
Soft Cell,
The Velvet Underground,
Gastr Del Sol,
Von Mondo,
Mad Mike,
The Offenders,
The Motions,
Gabor Szabo,
Adolescents,
Trumans Water,
Simply Red,
Soft Machine,
Bauhaus,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
X-Ray Spex,
New York Dolls,
The Victims,
Marshall Jefferson,
Hashim,
Wings,
Colin Newman,
Nico,
The Electric Prunes,
the Germs,
Blossom Toes,
Tres Demented,
Smog,
Minny Pops,
EPMD,
Donald Byrd,
Agitation Free,
Danielle Patucci,
Faust,
Roy Ayers,
The Shadows of Knight,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Inner City,
Mo-Dettes,
Cheater Slicks,
Joy Division,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Residents,
Susan Cadogan,
Fela Kuti,
One Last Wish,
The Cure,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Camouflage,
Chris Corsano,
Mark Hollis,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic, Stetsasonic.
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.