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 Uganda and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1967 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Monochrome Set 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 Kayak. All the underground hits.
All Alison Limerick tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Magma record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dave Clark Five record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Ken Boothe,
The Selecter,
Marvin Gaye,
X-101,
Schoolly D,
Kurtis Blow,
Fluxion,
Faraquet,
Black Moon,
Flamin' Groovies,
Ohio Players,
Flipper,
Ten City,
Hot Snakes,
Shuggie Otis,
The Invisible,
Sarah Menescal,
JFA,
The Misunderstood,
Maleditus Sound,
Simply Red,
John Holt,
Intrusion,
Big Daddy Kane,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Ultravox,
Kool Moe Dee,
Lou Reed,
The Pop Group,
Ponytail,
Barclay James Harvest,
Alice Coltrane,
Cal Tjader,
Dorothy Ashby,
Pussy Galore,
The Electric Prunes,
Kerrie Biddell,
Supertramp,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Susan Cadogan,
Traffic Nightmare,
The United States of America,
Heaven 17,
Chris Corsano,
10cc,
The Litter,
Peter and Kerry,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Tim Buckley,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Suburban Knight,
Little Man,
Lakeside,
The Barracudas,
Avey Tare,
Jeff Lynne,
Fela Kuti,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Monks,
Harry Pussy,
Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton.
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.