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 Swaziland and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1961 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Neil Young & Crazy Horse to the grunge 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 Sun Ra Arkestra. All the underground hits.
All Ken Boothe tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bill Near record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 a marimba and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rufus Thomas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Human League,
Amazonics,
Joe Smooth,
Barclay James Harvest,
Brothers Johnson,
Oblivians,
Joensuu 1685,
Andrew Hill,
Maurizio,
Siglo XX,
Yellowson,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Trumans Water,
Albert Ayler,
Babytalk,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Barracudas,
The Human League,
Cluster,
Reagan Youth,
Dorothy Ashby,
the Germs,
Archie Shepp,
Kevin Saunderson,
Gichy Dan,
Juan Atkins,
Drexciya,
Jacques Brel,
Make Up,
Mantronix,
Cymande,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Residents,
The Doors,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
L. Decosne,
E-Dancer,
Newcleus,
Hoover,
Metal Thangz,
The Angels of Light,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Chrome,
Sexual Harrassment,
Barrington Levy,
Youth Brigade,
Swans,
Technova,
Smog,
The Litter,
Marvin Gaye,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Altered Images,
Absolute Body Control,
Eric Dolphy,
Patti Smith,
Bush Tetras,
Malaria!,
Donald Byrd, Donald Byrd, Donald Byrd, Donald Byrd.
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.