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 Kyrgyzstan and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1960 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the theremin 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 Sun City Girls to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Jeru the Damaja. All the underground hits.
All Man Eating Sloth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Human League record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jandek record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar 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 Smiths,
Unwound,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Saccharine Trust,
Moebius,
Byron Stingily,
Das Ding,
Bob Dylan,
Infiniti,
the Association,
The Grass Roots,
Tim Buckley,
Soft Cell,
Basic Channel,
The Slits,
Suburban Knight,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Reuben Wilson,
Porter Ricks,
Amon Düül II,
Dennis Brown,
The Fuzztones,
Goldenarms,
Bluetip,
Circle Jerks,
New Age Steppers,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
New Order,
Toni Rubio,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Dorothy Ashby,
Harmonia,
Wolf Eyes,
Tears for Fears,
OOIOO,
Los Fastidios,
DJ Sneak,
Sixth Finger,
Kenny Larkin,
David Bowie,
Derrick May,
Fat Boys,
Soul Sonic Force,
Ituana,
Gang of Four,
EPMD,
Boogie Down Productions,
Ronan,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
June of 44,
Vainqueur,
Silicon Teens,
The Dirtbombs,
Harry Pussy,
John Lydon,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Michelle Simonal,
Subhumans,
The Music Machine,
Jawbox,
Zapp, Zapp, Zapp, Zapp.
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.