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 Qatar and from Bologna.
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 1961 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 spring reverb 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 Age Steppers to the disco kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 48th St. Collective. All the underground hits.
All Justin Hinds & The Dominoes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Radio Birdman record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 an arpeggiator and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ultimate Spinach record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer 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?
Simply Red,
The Blackbyrds,
The Modern Lovers,
Jandek,
Scientists,
Sexual Harrassment,
Sister Nancy,
Tommy Roe,
Sound Behaviour,
The Trojans,
Qualms,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Echospace,
Icehouse,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Goldenarms,
Marmalade,
Babytalk,
Amazonics,
Piero Umiliani,
Con Funk Shun,
Banda Bassotti,
Wire,
Bob Dylan,
Minny Pops,
Groovy Waters,
Tomorrow,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Pantaleimon,
Buzzcocks,
The Slits,
Tears for Fears,
Bauhaus,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Panda Bear,
Ituana,
Tubeway Army,
Pylon,
Nico,
Peter and Kerry,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Martian,
The Raincoats,
The Associates,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Marvin Gaye,
The Human League,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Porter Ricks,
Dead Boys,
Marc Almond,
The Doobie Brothers,
Main Source,
Isaac Hayes,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Todd Rundgren,
Nick Fraelich,
The Busters,
Susan Cadogan,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Neon Judgement,
Glenn Branca,
Mad Mike,
China Crisis, China Crisis, China Crisis, China Crisis.
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.