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 Guinea-Bissau and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1968 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Radiopuhelimet to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Bush Tetras. All the underground hits.
All The Slackers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nik Kershaw record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mantronix record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Cure,
Alton Ellis,
Pantaleimon,
Kayak,
New York Dolls,
MDC,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Litter,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Bauhaus,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Barrington Levy,
kango's stein massive,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Blackbyrds,
Hashim,
The Toasters,
Lou Christie,
Nik Kershaw,
the Slits,
Nas,
Danielle Patucci,
Ultravox,
Wire,
Sexual Harrassment,
Eden Ahbez,
Gil Scott Heron,
H. Thieme,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Terrestrial Tones,
Stereo Dub,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Pylon,
Laurel Aitken,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Mummies,
Flipper,
The Last Poets,
Main Source,
In Retrospect,
Organ,
Television Personalities,
Johnny Osbourne,
Jerry's Kids,
Surgeon,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Al Stewart,
Intrusion,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Whodini,
Motorama,
Duran Duran,
The Doors,
Goldenarms,
Jeru the Damaja,
D'Angelo,
The Birthday Party,
Andrew Hill,
the Sonics,
The Leaves,
Unrelated Segments,
the Swans, the Swans, the Swans, the Swans.
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.