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 Philippines and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Halifax 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 1987 at the first Nirvana practice in a loft in Seattle.
I was working on the 808 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 New Order to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Deadbeat. All the underground hits.
All Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Reed 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mr. Review record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Sound,
New York Dolls,
Radiohead,
Kurtis Blow,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Byron Stingily,
Vladislav Delay,
Darondo,
AZ,
The Seeds,
Bill Wells,
David Axelrod,
MDC,
Sight & Sound,
Scientists,
John Holt,
China Crisis,
Scion,
Sun Ra,
Godley & Creme,
Todd Terry,
Cheater Slicks,
Unrelated Segments,
Grandmaster Flash,
Quando Quango,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Lucky Dragons,
Wings,
Andrew Hill,
Bootsy Collins,
Rotary Connection,
The Star Department,
Urselle,
Archie Shepp,
Gastr Del Sol,
Flamin' Groovies,
Rufus Thomas,
Jawbox,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Mr. Review,
Aural Exciters,
The Fuzztones,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Peter & Gordon,
Mandrill,
Rhythm & Sound,
Donny Hathaway,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Ludus,
Neu!,
Rakim,
The Knickerbockers,
The Durutti Column,
Lyres,
The Smiths,
Con Funk Shun,
Electric Prunes,
Goldenarms,
kango's stein massive,
The Names,
The Vogues, The Vogues, The Vogues, The Vogues.
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.