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 Seychelles and from Shanghai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
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 Technova to the funk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Justin Hinds & The Dominoes. All the underground hits.
All Aural Exciters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Young Marble Giants 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Glenn Branca record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Donny Hathaway,
Pantaleimon,
Steve Hackett,
Half Japanese,
Shuggie Otis,
Whodini,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Bluetip,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Black Dice,
Joe Smooth,
The Zeros,
Warren Ellis,
The Associates,
The Pretty Things,
Boz Scaggs,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Alarm Clocks,
Livin' Joy,
Subhumans,
Das Ding,
The Wake,
the Germs,
OOIOO,
Electric Prunes,
Nas,
Don Cherry,
Bill Wells,
Michelle Simonal,
Echospace,
Bobby Womack,
Reagan Youth,
Stereo Dub,
Sparks,
Kerri Chandler,
Ten City,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
The American Breed,
The Moleskins,
The Standells,
Aaron Thompson,
cv313,
Zapp,
Gong,
Al Stewart,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Connie Case,
The Fugs,
D'Angelo,
Funky Four + One,
Pulsallama,
the Human League,
Smog,
Public Image Ltd.,
Glenn Branca,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Pylon,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
the Sonics,
Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside, Lakeside.
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.