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 Nauru and from Portland.
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 1966 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 808 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 Vainqueur to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Red Krayola. All the underground hits.
All Bluetip tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every E-Dancer record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 marimba and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Quadrant record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Clear Light,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Fatback Band,
Lou Christie,
the Bar-Kays,
Q65,
Minnie Riperton,
Jandek,
Cymande,
Pantytec,
John Lydon,
Dawn Penn,
Fort Wilson Riot,
The Music Machine,
Joe Finger,
Average White Band,
Tears for Fears,
The Dave Clark Five,
Cal Tjader,
Camouflage,
Q and Not U,
Urselle,
H. Thieme,
Joy Division,
The Monochrome Set,
Whodini,
PIL,
Jeff Mills,
Bootsy Collins,
Sällskapet,
JFA,
Oneida,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Mad Mike,
Icehouse,
Harry Pussy,
The American Breed,
Andrew Hill,
Heaven 17,
The Remains,
Dual Sessions,
Goldenarms,
In Retrospect,
Ohio Players,
The Evens,
Bauhaus,
Cecil Taylor,
Cheater Slicks,
Minny Pops,
China Crisis,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Crime,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Smiths,
Gang Starr,
Lucky Dragons,
Reagan Youth,
Peter and Kerry,
Country Teasers,
Japan, Japan, Japan, Japan.
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.