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 Spain and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Throbbing Gristle show in London.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Mantronix to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Shuggie Otis. All the underground hits.
All Sister Nancy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Newcleus 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 harpsichord and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Birthday Party record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Robert Hood,
Thee Headcoats,
Johnny Osbourne,
Little Man,
Easy Going,
Black Sheep,
John Cale,
A Certain Ratio,
Soul II Soul,
Piero Umiliani,
Darondo,
Neil Young,
UT,
Siglo XX,
Suburban Knight,
Blancmange,
Index,
The Misunderstood,
Funky Four + One,
T. Rex,
Eric B and Rakim,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Grauzone,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Music Machine,
Dual Sessions,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Fela Kuti,
Ponytail,
Quadrant,
Avey Tare,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Schoolly D,
Moss Icon,
Kenny Larkin,
The Busters,
Echospace,
Suicide,
Bill Wells,
Oneida,
Reagan Youth,
Tears for Fears,
Grey Daturas,
Glambeats Corp.,
Roxy Music,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Rotary Connection,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Soul Sonic Force,
Lyres,
Marine Girls,
Janne Schatter,
Joyce Sims,
The Blues Magoos,
Todd Terry,
Colin Newman,
Peter and Kerry,
Television Personalities,
OOIOO,
the Association,
Delon & Dalcan,
Icehouse,
ABC, ABC, ABC, ABC.
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.