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 Kenya and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 Johannesburg and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Toronto 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the snare 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 Mantronix to the funk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Thee Headcoats. All the underground hits.
All The Men They Couldn't Hang tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every John Coltrane 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Residents record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Von Mondo,
Con Funk Shun,
Sam Rivers,
Qualms,
The J.B.'s,
Junior Murvin,
Agent Orange,
The Techniques,
Au Pairs,
The Five Americans,
Gabor Szabo,
Kenny Larkin,
Lyres,
Radio Birdman,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
June of 44,
Jerry's Kids,
Black Bananas,
X-102,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Surgeon,
10cc,
Alice Coltrane,
Fatback Band,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Judy Mowatt,
Public Enemy,
Maleditus Sound,
Tommy Roe,
Loose Ends,
Talk Talk,
Barbara Tucker,
The Saints,
Charles Mingus,
Harry Pussy,
Depeche Mode,
The United States of America,
L. Decosne,
Lightning Bolt,
Terrestrial Tones,
The Durutti Column,
Index,
Warsaw,
Clear Light,
Adolescents,
Stetsasonic,
Scion,
Public Image Ltd.,
Young Marble Giants,
Scan 7,
Ossler,
Alton Ellis,
Sugar Minott,
Trumans Water,
Inner City,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Porter Ricks,
Country Teasers,
Janne Schatter,
KRS-One,
Pantytec,
The Offenders,
Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar.
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.