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 Burkina and from Beijing.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Winnipeg.
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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Kenny Larkin to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Barbara Tucker. All the underground hits.
All New Order tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Public Image Ltd. record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ossler record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
Radiopuhelimet,
Aloha Tigers,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Delta 5,
Wasted Youth,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Names,
Kerrie Biddell,
Cluster,
Minnie Riperton,
Urselle,
Nik Kershaw,
Soul II Soul,
Young Marble Giants,
Yaz,
New York Dolls,
Mantronix,
Juan Atkins,
B.T. Express,
Supertramp,
Jeru the Damaja,
Cal Tjader,
Gang Starr,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Yazoo,
Sparks,
The Victims,
Stereo Dub,
Mo-Dettes,
The Wake,
Moebius,
OOIOO,
Country Teasers,
Pantytec,
Surgeon,
Frankie Knuckles,
Mission of Burma,
Erasure,
The Pop Group,
Byron Stingily,
KRS-One,
Massinfluence,
June of 44,
Desert Stars,
Marc Almond,
Johnny Osbourne,
Newcleus,
Slick Rick,
X-102,
Visage,
Johnny Clarke,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
A Certain Ratio,
Nirvana,
Agent Orange,
Tears for Fears,
Public Image Ltd.,
Bad Manners, Bad Manners, Bad Manners, Bad Manners.
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.