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 Taiwan and from Accra.
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 1963 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Ronan 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 Glambeats Corp.. All the underground hits.
All Goldenarms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Velvet Underground record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The United States of America record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Golliwogs,
Bang On A Can,
Ten City,
Fela Kuti,
Roxy Music,
Boz Scaggs,
The Gladiators,
Harry Pussy,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Bush Tetras,
Bobby Womack,
Thee Headcoats,
Mary Jane Girls,
Sexual Harrassment,
Jandek,
New Order,
Jeff Mills,
Quando Quango,
The Leaves,
Anakelly,
the Germs,
Infiniti,
Josef K,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Scrapy,
T.S.O.L.,
Moebius,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Siglo XX,
Supertramp,
New Age Steppers,
Parry Music,
Quadrant,
Public Enemy,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Gregory Isaacs,
Interpol,
48th St. Collective,
Malaria!,
China Crisis,
Roy Ayers,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Archie Shepp,
Black Pus,
The Associates,
The Martian,
Funky Four + One,
Janne Schatter,
Agitation Free,
Lou Reed,
New York Dolls,
The Vogues,
Pantaleimon,
The Cramps,
Magazine,
the Normal,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Panda Bear,
Technova,
Aural Exciters,
Ronan, Ronan, Ronan, Ronan.
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.