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 Ghana and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the theremin 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 The Fugs to the rock 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 Bang on a Can All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All Neil Young tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Erasure record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a ABC record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Mighty Diamonds,
The Fire Engines,
Graham Central Station,
Desert Stars,
Crispy Ambulance,
The Selecter,
Blake Baxter,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Gang Starr,
Second Layer,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Letta Mbulu,
Gabor Szabo,
Al Stewart,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Nas,
Yaz,
Minnie Riperton,
Tropical Tobacco,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Durutti Column,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
10cc,
Joe Finger,
Average White Band,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Gil Scott Heron,
Rakim,
OOIOO,
The Residents,
Scratch Acid,
Kool Moe Dee,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Eve St. Jones,
Can,
Aloha Tigers,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
the Soft Cell,
Derrick May,
Tom Boy,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Rosa Yemen,
Anakelly,
DJ Style,
U.S. Maple,
Zapp,
Subhumans,
Tomorrow,
DJ Sneak,
Michelle Simonal,
Sam Rivers,
The Leaves,
Qualms,
Rapeman,
The Gap Band,
Flipper,
Don Cherry, Don Cherry, Don Cherry, Don Cherry.
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.