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 Spain and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1987.
I was there at the first Nirvana show in Seattle.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx to the rock kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Heavy D & The Boyz. All the underground hits.
All Youth Brigade tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Glenn Branca record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Groovy Waters record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron 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 Names,
Faust,
Joe Smooth,
Albert Ayler,
Grauzone,
Marvin Gaye,
Cluster,
The Stooges,
Soft Machine,
Thompson Twins,
Television,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Rufus Thomas,
The New Christs,
Grandmaster Flash,
Minutemen,
Rosa Yemen,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Joy Division,
The Slackers,
A Certain Ratio,
The Black Dice,
The Invisible,
Byron Stingily,
Parry Music,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Zapp,
Y Pants,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
DJ Style,
Sarah Menescal,
The Mummies,
Lalann,
PIL,
The Pretty Things,
The Selecter,
Agent Orange,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Curtis Mayfield,
Maurizio,
The Techniques,
Jandek,
Eric B and Rakim,
Lakeside,
Scott Walker,
the Soft Cell,
Niagra,
Talk Talk,
The Alarm Clocks,
Eli Mardock,
The Skatalites,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Star Department,
Roger Hodgson,
Flash Fearless,
Qualms,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Symarip, Symarip, Symarip, Symarip.
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.