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 Marshall Islands and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and London.
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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the güiro 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 Red Lorry Yellow Lorry to the funk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Sam Rivers. All the underground hits.
All Tim Buckley tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sun Ra record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a marimba.
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 Sisters of Mercy,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Los Fastidios,
Lightning Bolt,
Khruangbin,
Surgeon,
The Selecter,
The United States of America,
Soulsonic Force,
Soul II Soul,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Aswad,
the Bar-Kays,
The Toasters,
Oblivians,
CMW,
Vladislav Delay,
Deadbeat,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Eric Copeland,
Swans,
Eve St. Jones,
Liliput,
Accadde A,
Drexciya,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Count Five,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Martian,
OOIOO,
Robert Wyatt,
Motorama,
Bad Manners,
Hoover,
Quantec,
Kenny Larkin,
Goldenarms,
The Young Rascals,
Dead Boys,
Peter & Gordon,
Sam Rivers,
Rekid,
Niagra,
Moby Grape,
This Heat,
Joe Smooth,
Pagans,
Mars,
Amon Düül II,
Crime,
The Music Machine,
Metal Thangz,
The Cure,
Althea and Donna,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Monks,
Camberwell Now,
Pet Shop Boys,
Sandy B,
Japan,
The Saints, The Saints, The Saints, The Saints.
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.