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 Tuvalu and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia show in London.
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 1969 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 chamberlin 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 A Flock of Seagulls to the rock 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 Beasts of Bourbon. All the underground hits.
All Godley & Creme tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gang Green record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jandek record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Grey Daturas,
Goldenarms,
Ludus,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Jawbox,
The American Breed,
The Stooges,
Chris Corsano,
Royal Trux,
Agitation Free,
Johnny Osbourne,
Gregory Isaacs,
EPMD,
Liliput,
Jeru the Damaja,
Thee Headcoats,
Gang Gang Dance,
Eden Ahbez,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Khruangbin,
Magazine,
PIL,
The Victims,
the Bar-Kays,
Amon Düül,
Eli Mardock,
The Gun Club,
Eric Copeland,
Joyce Sims,
Anakelly,
Charles Mingus,
Public Enemy,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Pop Group,
Q and Not U,
Joe Finger,
Gichy Dan,
Radio Birdman,
Spoonie Gee,
Sexual Harrassment,
Barclay James Harvest,
Deepchord,
Talk Talk,
Howard Jones,
The Trojans,
X-102,
The Slits,
X-Ray Spex,
Public Image Ltd.,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Mission of Burma,
Altered Images,
Duran Duran,
48th St. Collective,
Jeff Mills,
Soul II Soul,
Livin' Joy,
Hardrive,
Au Pairs,
The Skatalites,
Gang Green, Gang Green, Gang Green, Gang Green.
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.