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 Chad and from Seoul.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Paris and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Drive Like Jehu to the punk 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 Marcia Griffiths. All the underground hits.
All Outsiders tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Soulsonic Force record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Fall record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Red Krayola,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Jeff Lynne,
Unwound,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Arthur Verocai,
Con Funk Shun,
Liliput,
Reuben Wilson,
Tommy Roe,
Ituana,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Lucky Dragons,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Yaz,
John Cale,
cv313,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Qualms,
Interpol,
Rod Modell,
Second Layer,
New Age Steppers,
MC5,
Ice-T,
Gang of Four,
Leonard Cohen,
Mo-Dettes,
Minnie Riperton,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Gang Green,
Blancmange,
Freddie Wadling,
Shuggie Otis,
The Five Americans,
Skaos,
Johnny Clarke,
Blossom Toes,
Gang Gang Dance,
Mark Hollis,
Radiohead,
Pole,
Rekid,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Stiv Bators,
Maleditus Sound,
The Knickerbockers,
Cybotron,
Basic Channel,
Mad Mike,
R.M.O.,
Bill Near,
Depeche Mode,
Fad Gadget,
Drive Like Jehu,
World's Most,
The Offenders,
Slave,
OOIOO, OOIOO, OOIOO, OOIOO.
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.