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 Equatorial Guinea and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the chamberlin 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 Mission of Burma to the punk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Make Up. All the underground hits.
All Sparks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Deepchord record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Interpol record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
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,
Khruangbin,
Arab on Radar,
Faraquet,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Cheater Slicks,
The Red Krayola,
Country Joe & The Fish,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Associates,
Gong,
The Zeros,
Intrusion,
The Barracudas,
Sight & Sound,
Organ,
The Standells,
Desert Stars,
Slick Rick,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Eddi Front,
MC5,
Suicide,
Radio Birdman,
The Neon Judgement,
Rakim,
Bluetip,
Outsiders,
Metal Thangz,
The Cramps,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Walker Brothers,
Lindisfarne,
Pere Ubu,
Rapeman,
Marine Girls,
Stereo Dub,
Public Enemy,
Bush Tetras,
Nik Kershaw,
Avey Tare,
The Fall,
Byron Stingily,
Patti Smith,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Swell Maps,
Flipper,
Rites of Spring,
Bobby Byrd,
Sonny Sharrock,
Accadde A,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
LL Cool J,
Albert Ayler,
David Bowie,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Electric Prunes,
Motorama,
Fela Kuti,
John Cale,
Young Marble Giants,
Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now.
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.