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 St Kitts & Nevis and from Calgary.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Accra.
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 1975 at the first Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark to the grime 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 Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam. All the underground hits.
All Dorothy Ashby tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Fad Gadget record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 clarinet and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Half Japanese record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Angry Samoans,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Ralphi Rosario,
Rotary Connection,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Ice-T,
Half Japanese,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Radio Birdman,
The Flesh Eaters,
Black Pus,
Gregory Isaacs,
the Normal,
Gang Gang Dance,
Kaleidoscope,
The Litter,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
MC5,
Nick Fraelich,
Gang Green,
Livin' Joy,
the Swans,
Yusef Lateef,
Model 500,
Iggy Pop,
Arthur Verocai,
Black Bananas,
The Standells,
Second Layer,
Easy Going,
The Doors,
Sun Ra,
OOIOO,
Con Funk Shun,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Pantytec,
Fad Gadget,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Siglo XX,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Average White Band,
Barrington Levy,
Ponytail,
Shoche,
Alphaville,
Urselle,
The Barracudas,
The Count Five,
Sight & Sound,
Sam Rivers,
Mark Hollis,
Wally Richardson,
Kurtis Blow,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Maurizio,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Moebius,
Pet Shop Boys,
Peter & Gordon,
Davy DMX, Davy DMX, Davy DMX, Davy DMX.
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.