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 Tunisia and from Bologna.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1965 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Youth Brigade to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Terry Callier. All the underground hits.
All Reagan Youth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Five Americans 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Model 500 record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Germs,
Y Pants,
Susan Cadogan,
The Saints,
Jeff Mills,
The Five Americans,
Brothers Johnson,
Grandmaster Flash,
Godley & Creme,
Public Enemy,
Lucky Dragons,
Television,
The Invisible,
Davy DMX,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Ken Boothe,
Crispian St. Peters,
Ronan,
The Dave Clark Five,
Howard Jones,
David Bowie,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Carl Craig,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
New York Dolls,
Popol Vuh,
Das Ding,
Sound Behaviour,
Au Pairs,
Yellowson,
Sex Pistols,
Khruangbin,
Pet Shop Boys,
The New Christs,
Roxy Music,
Isaac Hayes,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Evens,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Iggy Pop,
Niagra,
Shoche,
Crooked Eye,
Bobby Byrd,
Saccharine Trust,
Amazonics,
Minny Pops,
Circle Jerks,
The Sonics,
Desert Stars,
Oblivians,
Kool Moe Dee,
Flamin' Groovies,
Quando Quango,
Qualms,
The Electric Prunes,
Nils Olav,
Johnny Osbourne,
the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics.
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.