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 Argentina and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1980.
I was there at the first Cybotron show in Detroit.
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 1964 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Girls At Our Best! to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Soul Sonic Force. All the underground hits.
All UT tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jawbox 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Names record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Harmonia,
Tubeway Army,
Darondo,
Ossler,
Boz Scaggs,
Barrington Levy,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Groovy Waters,
Big Daddy Kane,
Unrelated Segments,
The Buckinghams,
Henry Cow,
New Age Steppers,
Barbara Tucker,
Heaven 17,
Pharoah Sanders,
The Index,
Jawbox,
Spoonie Gee,
MC5,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Maurizio,
The Fuzztones,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Sun City Girls,
Echospace,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Thompson Twins,
Mad Mike,
Lungfish,
David McCallum,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Misunderstood,
Quando Quango,
Qualms,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Boogie Down Productions,
Terry Callier,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Bill Near,
Visage,
The Residents,
Bluetip,
Young Marble Giants,
Blake Baxter,
Ludus,
Theoretical Girls,
Eric Dolphy,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Eden Ahbez,
The Moody Blues,
Monolake,
Faust,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Monks,
The Happenings,
John Foxx,
Soft Cell,
Eurythmics,
The Velvet Underground,
Tim Buckley, Tim Buckley, Tim Buckley, Tim Buckley.
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.