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 Malaysia and from Portland.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Ash Ra Tempel to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Godley & Creme. All the underground hits.
All The Associates tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Clear Light record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Eric Dolphy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin 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 Angels of Light,
the Human League,
Black Sheep,
Masters at Work,
The Gun Club,
Alton Ellis,
Ornette Coleman,
The Alarm Clocks,
Iggy Pop,
JFA,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Absolute Body Control,
The Neon Judgement,
Wings,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Malaria!,
The Durutti Column,
Lungfish,
Mad Mike,
The Young Rascals,
The Birthday Party,
Lucky Dragons,
The Zeros,
Underground Resistance,
Flamin' Groovies,
Public Image Ltd.,
Althea and Donna,
The Cure,
Lou Christie,
Traffic Nightmare,
The Selecter,
Saccharine Trust,
David McCallum,
Arab on Radar,
Faust,
Be Bop Deluxe,
K-Klass,
Max Romeo,
Heaven 17,
Bad Manners,
Sound Behaviour,
Con Funk Shun,
Brothers Johnson,
The Blackbyrds,
E-Dancer,
Livin' Joy,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Jeru the Damaja,
Ultra Naté,
T. Rex,
Public Enemy,
Model 500,
Sun Ra,
Throbbing Gristle,
The Human League,
A Certain Ratio,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Anakelly,
UT,
Eric Copeland,
Sex Pistols,
Slick Rick, Slick Rick, Slick Rick, Slick Rick.
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.