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 Czech Republic and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 Robert Palmer 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 Flipper to the electroclash 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 The Five Americans. All the underground hits.
All Lyres tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cure record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 marimba and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Swans,
Wasted Youth,
Goldenarms,
The Fortunes,
The Gories,
Lee Hazlewood,
Young Marble Giants,
Roxy Music,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Guru Guru,
Morten Harket,
Aural Exciters,
Television Personalities,
Whodini,
Arab on Radar,
Beasts of Bourbon,
The Moleskins,
Sällskapet,
Todd Rundgren,
Man Eating Sloth,
Ludus,
June Days,
the Slits,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Joensuu 1685,
Surgeon,
Hashim,
CMW,
Wire,
Lindisfarne,
the Human League,
Jeff Mills,
Robert Wyatt,
The Pop Group,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Standells,
Jawbox,
Rosa Yemen,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Grass Roots,
World's Most,
Bang On A Can,
The Fuzztones,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The Skatalites,
Wally Richardson,
The Busters,
Bootsy Collins,
Average White Band,
Shuggie Otis,
Von Mondo,
David Bowie,
John Foxx,
Desert Stars,
Ultimate Spinach,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Donny Hathaway,
Hot Snakes,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange.
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.