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 Turkmenistan and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Subhumans to the rock 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 Mantronix. All the underground hits.
All Boredoms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sun Ra Arkestra record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 güiro and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Birthday Party record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Throbbing Gristle,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Groovy Waters,
Saccharine Trust,
The Shadows of Knight,
Bizarre Inc.,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Selecter,
Dave Gahan,
Eddi Front,
Public Enemy,
The Standells,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Magma,
Visage,
Dual Sessions,
The Birthday Party,
Cal Tjader,
Lalann,
Excepter,
Roxette,
Terrestrial Tones,
Con Funk Shun,
the Swans,
Arab on Radar,
Nick Fraelich,
E-Dancer,
Robert Wyatt,
Sun Ra,
Barrington Levy,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Gastr Del Sol,
Inner City,
The Star Department,
Harpers Bizarre,
Soft Machine,
Arthur Verocai,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
The Blackbyrds,
Lakeside,
Crispian St. Peters,
Blossom Toes,
Vladislav Delay,
Minutemen,
Warsaw,
Ken Boothe,
Intrusion,
Lucky Dragons,
Massinfluence,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Vainqueur,
The Pop Group,
The Remains,
Frankie Knuckles,
the Fania All-Stars,
Radio Birdman,
Lou Christie,
Rosa Yemen,
The Real Kids,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange.
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.