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 Barbados and from Jakarta.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 1987 at the first Nirvana practice in a loft in Seattle.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Black Moon to the grime kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Goldenarms. All the underground hits.
All The Cowsills tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The New Christs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 spring reverb and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Charles Mingus record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bronski Beat,
Yazoo,
Maleditus Sound,
The Count Five,
Man Eating Sloth,
Sexual Harrassment,
Nick Fraelich,
Interpol,
Camouflage,
Babytalk,
John Holt,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Newcleus,
Swans,
The Buckinghams,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Red Krayola,
Steve Hackett,
Skarface,
The Detroit Cobras,
Buzzcocks,
Henry Cow,
The Zeros,
Whodini,
The Fortunes,
Dawn Penn,
The Kinks,
The Electric Prunes,
Public Enemy,
The Motions,
Lucky Dragons,
R.M.O.,
Lindisfarne,
Andrew Hill,
The Young Rascals,
The Fuzztones,
Wings,
Eric Dolphy,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Scratch Acid,
Brothers Johnson,
Kenny Larkin,
The Seeds,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Rosa Yemen,
Archie Shepp,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Quantec,
Bluetip,
Stetsasonic,
Eden Ahbez,
Ultimate Spinach,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Jeru the Damaja,
Livin' Joy,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
the Normal,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Mojo Men,
The Evens,
Lungfish,
Scientists,
The Toasters,
Surgeon, Surgeon, Surgeon, Surgeon.
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.