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 Bosnia Herzegovina and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 Nile Rodgers 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 Derrick May to the electroclash 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 Adolescents. All the underground hits.
All Oneida tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Buzzcocks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Art Ensemble Of Chicago record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Monks,
Grey Daturas,
Severed Heads,
Thompson Twins,
In Retrospect,
Pantaleimon,
Boredoms,
The Fortunes,
Gang Green,
the Sonics,
The Smoke,
Traffic Nightmare,
La Düsseldorf,
Scientists,
DNA,
Hasil Adkins,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Barrington Levy,
Gregory Isaacs,
the Slits,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Nico,
Mantronix,
Sex Pistols,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Bang On A Can,
Japan,
David Axelrod,
Desert Stars,
Dave Gahan,
Masters at Work,
The Moody Blues,
Motorama,
Peter & Gordon,
Ponytail,
Sugar Minott,
Rites of Spring,
Sonny Sharrock,
Absolute Body Control,
Moss Icon,
Patti Smith,
Circle Jerks,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
The Modern Lovers,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Camouflage,
Eric Copeland,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Music Machine,
Ken Boothe,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Barry Ungar,
Sister Nancy,
The Litter,
Heaven 17,
The United States of America,
Ituana,
Wire,
Ultravox,
Brand Nubian,
Connie Case, Connie Case, Connie Case, Connie Case.
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.