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 Dominica and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1964 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Salvador and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the guitar 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 LL Cool J to the crunk 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 Marcia Griffiths. All the underground hits.
All A Flock of Seagulls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nils Olav 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Hasil Adkins record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
T. Rex,
Das Ding,
Nick Fraelich,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Ronnie Foster,
Nas,
Nico,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Gladiators,
Sandy B,
The Motions,
Harmonia,
Zapp,
The Dead C,
Marine Girls,
Malaria!,
Nik Kershaw,
the Germs,
Deepchord,
Echospace,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Boredoms,
The Black Dice,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Accadde A,
Vladislav Delay,
Vainqueur,
The Doors,
Jawbox,
Terry Callier,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Jerry's Kids,
New Age Steppers,
Arcadia,
Urselle,
Tears for Fears,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Star Department,
The Count Five,
Tomorrow,
Monolake,
Lee Hazlewood,
Yusef Lateef,
H. Thieme,
Johnny Clarke,
Ornette Coleman,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Blackbyrds,
Fear,
Simply Red,
Skaos,
Hasil Adkins,
Max Romeo,
Bill Near,
Yellowson,
Rod Modell,
Tres Demented,
Susan Cadogan,
The Dave Clark Five,
Erykah Badu,
Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh, Popol Vuh.
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.