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 Kuwait and from Portland.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Leonard Cohen to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 New Age Steppers. All the underground hits.
All Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every D'Angelo 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 '70s.
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 Fad Gadget record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Hot Snakes,
Quadrant,
Newcleus,
Johnny Clarke,
Pussy Galore,
Bauhaus,
the Swans,
The Music Machine,
Bobby Byrd,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
the Slits,
Camouflage,
Goldenarms,
Oblivians,
the Association,
Maurizio,
Clear Light,
The Buckinghams,
Von Mondo,
The Angels of Light,
Mission of Burma,
Leonard Cohen,
John Lydon,
Boredoms,
Yusef Lateef,
Wings,
Crispian St. Peters,
Mantronix,
The Moody Blues,
Quantec,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Barry Ungar,
The Human League,
Don Cherry,
Ponytail,
In Retrospect,
Stiv Bators,
Lalo Schifrin,
Eddi Front,
The Gap Band,
Thompson Twins,
Trumans Water,
It's A Beautiful Day,
David Bowie,
The Mojo Men,
Unwound,
Cameo,
Ten City,
The Invisible,
Subhumans,
The Blackbyrds,
Ken Boothe,
Rapeman,
Erykah Badu,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Reuben Wilson,
Jeff Lynne,
Drive Like Jehu,
Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman.
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.