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 Barbados and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1966 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the mellotron 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 Nation of Ulysses to the funk 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 Smiths. All the underground hits.
All Albert Ayler tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ponytail record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Motions,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Divine Comedy,
The Offenders,
Ituana,
Rakim,
Kayak,
Sunsets and Hearts,
the Normal,
Nas,
Agent Orange,
Amazonics,
Absolute Body Control,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Evens,
the Germs,
Cluster,
Minor Threat,
Rhythm & Sound,
Nils Olav,
Gang of Four,
Jeff Lynne,
Black Sheep,
The Blackbyrds,
Accadde A,
Sam Rivers,
Jacob Miller,
Don Cherry,
Idris Muhammad,
David Bowie,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Selecter,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Skaos,
The Seeds,
Eve St. Jones,
Animal Collective,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Monochrome Set,
OOIOO,
The Martian,
Pagans,
Sixth Finger,
Chrome,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Ludus,
Rosa Yemen,
Steve Hackett,
Intrusion,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Lalo Schifrin,
LL Cool J,
Boogie Down Productions,
Underground Resistance,
Suburban Knight,
Fear,
Half Japanese,
the Human League,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Pere Ubu,
Stiv Bators,
Silicon Teens,
Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo.
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.