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 Eritrea and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the clarinet 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 London Community Gospel Choir to the grunge kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 MC5. All the underground hits.
All Henry Cow tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Vogues record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ten City,
Suburban Knight,
Monolake,
The Busters,
A Flock of Seagulls,
The Shadows of Knight,
Scott Walker,
Urselle,
Morten Harket,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Traffic Nightmare,
Alphaville,
Eddi Front,
the Swans,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Harpers Bizarre,
Bad Manners,
The Barracudas,
Pere Ubu,
Public Image Ltd.,
the Slits,
Unwound,
Kevin Saunderson,
John Cale,
Scion,
Max Romeo,
The Techniques,
Minutemen,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Schoolly D,
EPMD,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Drexciya,
Glenn Branca,
Desert Stars,
The Misunderstood,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Negative Approach,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Jacques Brel,
Arcadia,
Hot Snakes,
Gang Green,
Average White Band,
Donald Byrd,
Cymande,
Liliput,
Massinfluence,
Black Moon,
Jeff Mills,
the Germs,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Blues Magoos,
Lou Christie,
Donny Hathaway,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
John Foxx,
Grauzone,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Sandy B,
Stereo Dub,
Lou Reed,
The Human League,
Cluster, Cluster, Cluster, Cluster.
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.