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 Syria and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the theremin 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 Faust to the electroclash 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 Brand Nubian. All the underground hits.
All Donald Byrd tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Leaves 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 '50s 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 Barbara Tucker record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gabor Szabo,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
EPMD,
Rufus Thomas,
Spandau Ballet,
Minnie Riperton,
Throbbing Gristle,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Move,
The Fire Engines,
8 Eyed Spy,
The Residents,
Nico,
The Mummies,
Gang of Four,
Pere Ubu,
The Gories,
Ronnie Foster,
The Names,
Thee Headcoats,
Harpers Bizarre,
Motorama,
The Divine Comedy,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Detroit Cobras,
Toni Rubio,
Marshall Jefferson,
Donny Hathaway,
Massinfluence,
Iggy Pop,
Jandek,
Lakeside,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Gang Gang Dance,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Dennis Brown,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
The Kinks,
The Associates,
Basic Channel,
Derrick May,
Morten Harket,
OOIOO,
Monks,
Mantronix,
Girls At Our Best!,
Infiniti,
Funky Four + One,
Gong,
Bobby Sherman,
Robert Wyatt,
Bobby Byrd,
Royal Trux,
The Doors,
Lower 48,
Franke,
Tomorrow,
Silicon Teens,
The Modern Lovers,
Drive Like Jehu,
Bush Tetras,
Icehouse, Icehouse, Icehouse, Icehouse.
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.