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 Eritrea and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1961 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Richard Hell and the Voidoids to the grunge 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 Boogie Down Productions. All the underground hits.
All Heaven 17 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Tommy Roe record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a A Certain Ratio record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Aswad,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Chris Corsano,
Lalann,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Talk Talk,
Lou Christie,
Sister Nancy,
Bluetip,
The Associates,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Bang On A Can,
Gong,
Piero Umiliani,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
The Red Krayola,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Hashim,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Drexciya,
Organ,
Sällskapet,
Silicon Teens,
Minutemen,
Terry Callier,
Pagans,
Bobby Sherman,
Throbbing Gristle,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Magazine,
B.T. Express,
Davy DMX,
Nas,
Jeru the Damaja,
Hardrive,
Donald Byrd,
Grauzone,
Second Layer,
Reuben Wilson,
The Shadows of Knight,
Crispy Ambulance,
Quando Quango,
Radio Birdman,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Unwound,
The Gap Band,
Livin' Joy,
The Kinks,
Dark Day,
JFA,
Amon Düül,
Half Japanese,
MDC,
T.S.O.L.,
Jacques Brel,
Surgeon,
Stiv Bators,
Camouflage,
Minor Threat,
The Remains,
Barry Ungar,
Jeff Lynne,
The Doors,
The Mojo Men, The Mojo Men, The Mojo Men, The Mojo Men.
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.