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 Comoros and from Paris.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Glasgow.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Fear to the funk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Ohio Players. All the underground hits.
All Echo & the Bunnymen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Half Japanese 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Drive Like Jehu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Boredoms,
Procol Harum,
The Pretty Things,
Nik Kershaw,
Glenn Branca,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Mission of Burma,
Loose Ends,
T.S.O.L.,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
John Cale,
Radio Birdman,
Blancmange,
Derrick Morgan,
Yusef Lateef,
Dawn Penn,
Electric Prunes,
Rufus Thomas,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Joensuu 1685,
Fatback Band,
The Real Kids,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Angry Samoans,
Skaos,
The Beau Brummels,
U.S. Maple,
David McCallum,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Silicon Teens,
Drexciya,
Underground Resistance,
The Trojans,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Gong,
Agitation Free,
Saccharine Trust,
Josef K,
Soul Sonic Force,
Mr. Review,
Hardrive,
the Sonics,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
MDC,
Public Enemy,
Todd Terry,
Bob Dylan,
Mad Mike,
Bluetip,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Soul II Soul,
The Dirtbombs,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Roxette,
Cymande,
T. Rex,
Main Source,
Glambeats Corp.,
Bronski Beat,
E-Dancer,
Marc Almond,
John Lydon, John Lydon, John Lydon, John Lydon.
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.