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 Turkey and from Edmonton.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1969 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the chamberlin 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 Surgeon to the punk 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 Bang on a Can All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All Crispian St. Peters tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Inner City record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Country Joe & The Fish record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bluetip,
Groovy Waters,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Tomorrow,
Bootsy Collins,
Anakelly,
Neu!,
the Sonics,
Terry Callier,
The Black Dice,
Quando Quango,
Adolescents,
Echospace,
Subhumans,
Pole,
Dual Sessions,
Flipper,
Pussy Galore,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Gories,
Television Personalities,
Erykah Badu,
Joyce Sims,
The Martian,
Brand Nubian,
The Busters,
Yazoo,
The Gladiators,
Lalo Schifrin,
John Cale,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Con Funk Shun,
Alphaville,
Hardrive,
Niagra,
The Misunderstood,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Dirtbombs,
New Order,
Judy Mowatt,
Nils Olav,
Scan 7,
Kevin Saunderson,
Banda Bassotti,
Alton Ellis,
The Mojo Men,
Japan,
the Slits,
The Happenings,
The Dead C,
Half Japanese,
Delta 5,
Arcadia,
Visage,
Crooked Eye,
Icehouse,
Danielle Patucci,
Henry Cow,
EPMD,
Unwound,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
The Gap Band,
Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel.
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.