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 Denmark and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Slackers to the crunk 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 Nirvana. All the underground hits.
All Organ tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jawbox record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 linndrum and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Gladiators record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Liliput,
Sällskapet,
Terry Callier,
Guru Guru,
Country Teasers,
Patti Smith,
Urselle,
The Alarm Clocks,
The Monochrome Set,
The Fuzztones,
Lungfish,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Alphaville,
Delta 5,
The Associates,
Warsaw,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
The Misunderstood,
FM Einheit,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Techniques,
Masters at Work,
Eden Ahbez,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Swans,
Ronan,
the Normal,
Visage,
The Music Machine,
The Monks,
Marvin Gaye,
Bluetip,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Jesper Dahlback,
The Names,
Sound Behaviour,
The Birthday Party,
Qualms,
Flipper,
Judy Mowatt,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Hot Snakes,
Albert Ayler,
Tropical Tobacco,
Jeff Lynne,
Davy DMX,
The Happenings,
Colin Newman,
The Tremeloes,
Oblivians,
Smog,
Drive Like Jehu,
Loose Ends,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Seeds,
the Swans,
Roxette,
Sexual Harrassment,
X-Ray Spex,
PIL,
Neil Young, Neil Young, Neil Young, Neil Young.
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.