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 Belize and from Mexico City.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Kaleidoscope to the funk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Half Japanese. All the underground hits.
All Pantaleimon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Livin' Joy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 marimba and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Charles Mingus 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?
Pere Ubu,
The Trojans,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Remains,
Motorama,
Reagan Youth,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Dark Day,
the Association,
kango's stein massive,
Rekid,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Harmonia,
Idris Muhammad,
The Raincoats,
Hasil Adkins,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Todd Terry,
Monolake,
Drive Like Jehu,
Con Funk Shun,
Cluster,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Cameo,
Tears for Fears,
Deakin,
Laurel Aitken,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Erykah Badu,
Kevin Saunderson,
Negative Approach,
James White and The Blacks,
Can,
Niagra,
Lou Christie,
Joe Smooth,
Freddie Wadling,
Sandy B,
Swans,
Robert Görl,
The Five Americans,
The Skatalites,
Gastr Del Sol,
Ludus,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Bad Manners,
Fatback Band,
Cybotron,
Fat Boys,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Maleditus Sound,
The Last Poets,
Ultra Naté,
Television,
New Order,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Amon Düül,
X-102,
Wolf Eyes,
Mark Hollis,
Gregory Isaacs,
Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones, Howard Jones.
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.