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 Albania and from Tokyo.
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 1967 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Columbus.
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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Tres Demented to the disco kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Mark Hollis. All the underground hits.
All Qualms tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Colin Newman 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Fire Engines record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Seeds,
Mantronix,
Panda Bear,
The Trojans,
Big Daddy Kane,
Tom Boy,
Ohio Players,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Alphaville,
Gichy Dan,
Jandek,
Alton Ellis,
KRS-One,
Judy Mowatt,
James White and The Blacks,
Crispian St. Peters,
Ice-T,
Grey Daturas,
Robert Görl,
Alice Coltrane,
FM Einheit,
Nik Kershaw,
Sun City Girls,
Cameo,
The Moleskins,
Sam Rivers,
Kas Product,
Grauzone,
Metal Thangz,
The Fugs,
Dorothy Ashby,
Neil Young,
Niagra,
T. Rex,
Yaz,
Guru Guru,
Accadde A,
U.S. Maple,
Jawbox,
Massinfluence,
Kevin Saunderson,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
The Gun Club,
DJ Sneak,
Davy DMX,
L. Decosne,
Joy Division,
Funky Four + One,
Pharoah Sanders,
Tres Demented,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Associates,
Erykah Badu,
Flipper,
Isaac Hayes,
Young Marble Giants,
Amon Düül II,
David McCallum,
Ituana,
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.