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 Nicaragua and from Sao Paulo.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Delhi.
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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 New Age Steppers to the techno kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Masters at Work. All the underground hits.
All Bobby Byrd tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every DNA 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a This Heat record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Soft Cell,
Dual Sessions,
the Slits,
Das Ding,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Toasters,
Arab on Radar,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Nick Fraelich,
Agent Orange,
Angry Samoans,
Flipper,
The Selecter,
X-102,
Colin Newman,
Kerrie Biddell,
Camouflage,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Newcleus,
Fatback Band,
The Divine Comedy,
the Germs,
The Smiths,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Music Machine,
Bill Wells,
Pantaleimon,
Camberwell Now,
Frankie Knuckles,
Jacques Brel,
Guru Guru,
the Sonics,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Ultimate Spinach,
Black Bananas,
Soul II Soul,
New Age Steppers,
Pagans,
Liliput,
Schoolly D,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Young Rascals,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Johnny Clarke,
Suicide,
Kaleidoscope,
The American Breed,
Magazine,
Fad Gadget,
World's Most,
Derrick May,
Bronski Beat,
Soulsonic Force,
Suburban Knight,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Skatalites,
Brass Construction,
Moss Icon,
Boredoms,
Gong,
Ronan,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Ponytail,
Qualms, Qualms, Qualms, Qualms.
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.