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 Zambia and from Philadelphia.
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 1967 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Barbara Tucker to the rock 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 Q65. All the underground hits.
All Agitation Free tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Misunderstood 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dirtbombs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Henry Cow,
Amon Düül II,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Lee Hazlewood,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Section 25,
Colin Newman,
The Names,
Grandmaster Flash,
Grauzone,
H. Thieme,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Scientists,
Rotary Connection,
The Index,
Trumans Water,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
New Order,
Jandek,
The Offenders,
The Trojans,
Black Bananas,
Sun City Girls,
Robert Wyatt,
Kas Product,
Howard Jones,
Wire,
Gang Green,
Cal Tjader,
Susan Cadogan,
The Blackbyrds,
The Birthday Party,
The Human League,
Quantec,
Laurel Aitken,
Pantytec,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Banda Bassotti,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Vogues,
Rod Modell,
DJ Style,
Jawbox,
The Gories,
Deepchord,
Sixth Finger,
Urselle,
John Cale,
Eddi Front,
Ralphi Rosario,
Crash Course in Science,
B.T. Express,
The Associates,
Johnny Clarke,
Peter & Gordon,
Half Japanese,
The Moleskins,
Arthur Verocai,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Leaves, The Leaves, The Leaves, The Leaves.
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.