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 Equatorial Guinea and from Sao Paulo.
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 1965 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Blake Baxter to the crunk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 David Axelrod. All the underground hits.
All Rotary Connection tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lungfish 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 clarinet and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Avey Tare record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
PIL,
ABC,
The Flesh Eaters,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Lebanon Hanover,
EPMD,
Sex Pistols,
Cybotron,
Sugar Minott,
Joy Division,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Altered Images,
A Certain Ratio,
The Gladiators,
Alton Ellis,
Suicide,
Pole,
Joey Negro,
Joe Finger,
Soft Cell,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Hoover,
The Gories,
Michelle Simonal,
Bobby Byrd,
Lee Hazlewood,
Scientists,
The Offenders,
Jimmy McGriff,
the Swans,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Davy DMX,
Steve Hackett,
The Associates,
Sällskapet,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Byron Stingily,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Smoke,
Stereo Dub,
The Selecter,
Donald Byrd,
Delta 5,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Grass Roots,
The Smiths,
Jeff Lynne,
Public Image Ltd.,
Guru Guru,
Eve St. Jones,
Marcia Griffiths,
Camouflage,
New Age Steppers,
Eric Dolphy,
Lalann,
This Heat,
Sonic Youth,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Desert Stars, Desert Stars, Desert Stars, Desert Stars.
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.