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 Cyprus and from Halifax.
But I was there.
I was there in 1987.
I was there at the first Nirvana show in Seattle.
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 1965 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the 808 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 The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band 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 Soul II Soul tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gang Gang Dance record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 808 and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Teenage Jesus and the Jerks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Arthur Verocai,
Alphaville,
Skarface,
The Techniques,
F. McDonald,
Swans,
Guru Guru,
Curtis Mayfield,
PIL,
The Names,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Sexual Harrassment,
Lalann,
Tom Boy,
Talk Talk,
Ponytail,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Fuzztones,
The Human League,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Hardrive,
The Gun Club,
Robert Wyatt,
DJ Sneak,
Pharoah Sanders,
June of 44,
Jeff Lynne,
Davy DMX,
Althea and Donna,
Isaac Hayes,
Mr. Review,
The Monochrome Set,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Quando Quango,
Khruangbin,
The Flesh Eaters,
Chrome,
Joe Smooth,
Panda Bear,
FM Einheit,
Bizarre Inc.,
Drive Like Jehu,
Quantec,
Leonard Cohen,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Q65,
Nick Fraelich,
Average White Band,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
David Axelrod,
The Golliwogs,
Delta 5,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Slits,
Monks,
Radiohead,
The Doors,
Funkadelic,
Boogie Down Productions,
Fatback Band,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Dead C,
Tim Buckley,
Ten City, Ten City, Ten City, Ten City.
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.