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 Rwanda and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1967 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Sisters of Mercy to the grime kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Motions. All the underground hits.
All Sister Nancy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fear 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lightning Bolt record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Throbbing Gristle,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Donald Byrd,
The Slits,
Subhumans,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Soul Sonic Force,
Henry Cow,
Essential Logic,
Juan Atkins,
Barbara Tucker,
Public Image Ltd.,
Second Layer,
Brass Construction,
Hashim,
the Germs,
James White and The Blacks,
Skriet,
Scion,
Girls At Our Best!,
Bobby Byrd,
Eric Copeland,
The Dirtbombs,
Altered Images,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Monochrome Set,
Matthew Bourne,
Siglo XX,
Spandau Ballet,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Panda Bear,
Ludus,
John Coltrane,
Infiniti,
Interpol,
Minor Threat,
Main Source,
The Smoke,
The Moody Blues,
Stetsasonic,
Charles Mingus,
Babytalk,
New Age Steppers,
Television,
Rotary Connection,
Kayak,
Iggy Pop,
Cecil Taylor,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
a-ha,
Arthur Verocai,
Electric Prunes,
Icehouse,
Crispian St. Peters,
PIL,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Buckinghams,
Funky Four + One,
Minnie Riperton,
Hot Snakes,
The Smiths,
Gong, Gong, Gong, Gong.
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.