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 Syria and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Aural Exciters to the disco 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 Von Mondo. All the underground hits.
All New York Dolls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marcia Griffiths 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Standells record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Stooges,
Skriet,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Alton Ellis,
Man Eating Sloth,
Brothers Johnson,
Bad Manners,
The Sound,
Negative Approach,
Sparks,
John Foxx,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Von Mondo,
Groovy Waters,
Derrick May,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
The Moody Blues,
Con Funk Shun,
The Grass Roots,
Yellowson,
Nik Kershaw,
Eden Ahbez,
Gong,
Erasure,
Black Moon,
Khruangbin,
Sällskapet,
Ohio Players,
the Bar-Kays,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Echospace,
The J.B.'s,
Ludus,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Jeff Lynne,
The Dave Clark Five,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Rhythm & Sound,
Siglo XX,
the Swans,
Freddie Wadling,
Sight & Sound,
Quando Quango,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Faraquet,
Gil Scott Heron,
PIL,
Morten Harket,
Spoonie Gee,
Leonard Cohen,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Associates,
David Bowie,
Malaria!,
Kool Moe Dee,
Loose Ends,
Bush Tetras,
Agitation Free,
Black Bananas,
Fear,
The Angels of Light,
Darondo, Darondo, Darondo, Darondo.
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.