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 Uzbekistan and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
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 The Velvet Underground to the rap kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Connie Case. All the underground hits.
All Ash Ra Tempel tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Vaughan Mason & Crew record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Make Up record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Matthew Bourne,
The Doors,
ABC,
Lindisfarne,
Gang Green,
The Electric Prunes,
The Evens,
The Alarm Clocks,
Chris & Cosey,
Iggy Pop,
The American Breed,
John Foxx,
Popol Vuh,
the Slits,
Negative Approach,
Shuggie Otis,
Mo-Dettes,
Can,
Fat Boys,
Angry Samoans,
Gong,
The J.B.'s,
Erykah Badu,
The Remains,
The Fortunes,
The Smiths,
Joey Negro,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
ABBA,
The Buckinghams,
Nation of Ulysses,
Don Cherry,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Lakeside,
Moss Icon,
The Gun Club,
Kas Product,
Franke,
the Germs,
Audionom,
Easy Going,
The Slackers,
Young Marble Giants,
Pulsallama,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Crime,
The Litter,
The Monochrome Set,
Brand Nubian,
Au Pairs,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
The Neon Judgement,
Bronski Beat,
Japan,
Soulsonic Force,
Rod Modell,
Johnny Osbourne,
U.S. Maple,
Crispian St. Peters,
Yaz, Yaz, Yaz, Yaz.
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.