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 Chile and from Bremen.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the güiro 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 The Martian to the rock kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 the Slits. All the underground hits.
All Radiohead tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every F. McDonald 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Barry Ungar record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Association,
Jawbox,
UT,
Suicide,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
A Certain Ratio,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Avey Tare,
Arthur Verocai,
Albert Ayler,
Oneida,
E-Dancer,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
MC5,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Johnny Osbourne,
Lou Reed,
Kerri Chandler,
Pere Ubu,
Ronnie Foster,
Terry Callier,
Harpers Bizarre,
Jandek,
Simply Red,
Quando Quango,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Gun Club,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Gabor Szabo,
LL Cool J,
Harry Pussy,
Fad Gadget,
The Stooges,
Cluster,
Wally Richardson,
Soulsonic Force,
Pierre Henry,
Connie Case,
The Kinks,
Rhythm & Sound,
Rod Modell,
The Blackbyrds,
Scratch Acid,
Lightning Bolt,
ABC,
Sällskapet,
Reagan Youth,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Model 500,
Main Source,
Funky Four + One,
Jeff Mills,
Stetsasonic,
Amazonics,
Sarah Menescal,
Black Moon,
Cheater Slicks,
The Offenders,
Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis.
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.