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 Ireland and from Madrid.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Philadelphia.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Loose Ends to the electroclash 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 Second Layer. All the underground hits.
All The Mummies tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Eyeless In Gaza record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Names,
Maleditus Sound,
Pagans,
These Immortal Souls,
DJ Sneak,
Sam Rivers,
Gerry Rafferty,
Sarah Menescal,
Mission of Burma,
Soft Cell,
Rapeman,
The American Breed,
Alton Ellis,
Lakeside,
The Blues Magoos,
Joey Negro,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Seeds,
Rufus Thomas,
Girls At Our Best!,
The Misunderstood,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Dorothy Ashby,
Max Romeo,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Buckinghams,
Monolake,
Make Up,
The Zeros,
The Victims,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Warren Ellis,
the Slits,
Alison Limerick,
FM Einheit,
Procol Harum,
Blossom Toes,
Prince Buster,
Graham Central Station,
Tubeway Army,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Supertramp,
Radiopuhelimet,
Deepchord,
Bootsy Collins,
Jacob Miller,
Radio Birdman,
June of 44,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Saints,
Freddie Wadling,
The Detroit Cobras,
Duran Duran,
Marine Girls,
Pantytec,
Parry Music,
Eurythmics,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Mojo Men,
Mandrill,
Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman.
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.