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 South Africa and from Winnipeg.
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 1962 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 oboe 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 Nation of Ulysses to the punk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Q65. All the underground hits.
All Laurel Aitken tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Toni Rubio 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a U.S. Maple record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Japan,
Vladislav Delay,
Faust,
The Dead C,
Moebius,
Rotary Connection,
Stereo Dub,
Bill Near,
Girls At Our Best!,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Associates,
Inner City,
Black Bananas,
Brand Nubian,
Nation of Ulysses,
Patti Smith,
Grandmaster Flash,
Skriet,
Sällskapet,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Fugs,
Sparks,
Blossom Toes,
Sister Nancy,
James Chance & The Contortions,
DNA,
the Fania All-Stars,
Anthony Braxton,
The Slackers,
Radiopuhelimet,
Bush Tetras,
Khruangbin,
Rod Modell,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Donny Hathaway,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Talk Talk,
Newcleus,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The Gap Band,
Deadbeat,
Gang of Four,
Camberwell Now,
The Pop Group,
Intrusion,
Agent Orange,
MC5,
The Doors,
The Knickerbockers,
The Blues Magoos,
The Star Department,
Tropical Tobacco,
New Order,
Harmonia,
The Fortunes,
Duran Duran, Duran Duran, Duran Duran, Duran Duran.
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.