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 Finland and from Spokane.
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 1962 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Skaos to the punk 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 The Pretty Things. All the underground hits.
All The Blues Magoos tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Sonics 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grauzone record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gang Gang Dance,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Second Layer,
The Star Department,
Danielle Patucci,
The Victims,
The Tremeloes,
Lyres,
Faraquet,
Erasure,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Intrusion,
Half Japanese,
U.S. Maple,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Donald Byrd,
Chris Corsano,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Bill Wells,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Excepter,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Eric B and Rakim,
Johnny Clarke,
Gang Green,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
In Retrospect,
Deadbeat,
Bronski Beat,
David Axelrod,
Black Flag,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
The Monks,
R.M.O.,
Peter & Gordon,
Fat Boys,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Crooked Eye,
Freddie Wadling,
Yellowson,
Tom Boy,
Spoonie Gee,
Wire,
Marine Girls,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Kinks,
Gastr Del Sol,
Goldenarms,
Lucky Dragons,
Thompson Twins,
Sex Pistols,
Smog,
La Düsseldorf,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Jeru the Damaja,
Radiohead,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Doors,
Gabor Szabo,
Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma.
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.