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 Nauru and from Portland.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 The Gap Band to the dance kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 The Cosmic Jokers. All the underground hits.
All Essential Logic tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Misunderstood record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Neil Young & Crazy Horse record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
E-Dancer,
Electric Light Orchestra,
the Association,
Barry Ungar,
Skarface,
Magma,
Essential Logic,
The Count Five,
Negative Approach,
Khruangbin,
The Modern Lovers,
Soft Cell,
These Immortal Souls,
Icehouse,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Offenders,
PIL,
OOIOO,
Joe Smooth,
The Moleskins,
The Dave Clark Five,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Marcia Griffiths,
China Crisis,
Matthew Bourne,
Jeff Lynne,
The Slits,
The Zeros,
Roger Hodgson,
Black Sheep,
The Dirtbombs,
Henry Cow,
Nico,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Victims,
The Golliwogs,
Spoonie Gee,
The Names,
Agent Orange,
The Cure,
Lightning Bolt,
Boredoms,
Cybotron,
Radiohead,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Wire,
Minny Pops,
Freddie Wadling,
The Monks,
Camberwell Now,
Bauhaus,
T. Rex,
Bang On A Can,
Kayak,
Sam Rivers,
Ossler,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Slackers,
Sight & Sound,
Rod Modell, Rod Modell, Rod Modell, Rod Modell.
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.