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 Guinea-Bissau and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 oboe 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 The Fortunes to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Max Romeo. All the underground hits.
All Slick Rick tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sandy B 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Black Sheep,
New York Dolls,
Pantytec,
Reagan Youth,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Rufus Thomas,
Ten City,
Magma,
Andrew Hill,
Alton Ellis,
Lucky Dragons,
Tres Demented,
Connie Case,
Lou Reed,
Sun City Girls,
Interpol,
Dead Boys,
Pussy Galore,
Thompson Twins,
The Walker Brothers,
The Count Five,
Brand Nubian,
New Order,
The Fire Engines,
Sister Nancy,
Nico,
The Smiths,
Pierre Henry,
Jimmy McGriff,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Barracudas,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Young Marble Giants,
The Cure,
Patti Smith,
Gichy Dan,
Main Source,
Crispian St. Peters,
Kurtis Blow,
Erasure,
Monolake,
Steve Hackett,
Harry Pussy,
Aural Exciters,
T.S.O.L.,
Glambeats Corp.,
Yaz,
Mantronix,
Sixth Finger,
Davy DMX,
Surgeon,
Bill Near,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Black Moon,
Japan,
JFA,
The Star Department,
Ohio Players,
Sam Rivers,
Fluxion, Fluxion, Fluxion, Fluxion.
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.