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 Kiribati and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1966 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the guitar 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 Trojans to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Marvin Gaye. All the underground hits.
All Camberwell Now tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bizarre Inc. record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 an arpeggiator and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Aloha Tigers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Durutti Column,
The Blues Magoos,
Mantronix,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Au Pairs,
Severed Heads,
The Evens,
The Doors,
Oneida,
Cheater Slicks,
Kaleidoscope,
Hashim,
Jacques Brel,
Wings,
Mad Mike,
The Alarm Clocks,
The Mojo Men,
Thee Headcoats,
ABBA,
The Monks,
Sparks,
the Swans,
Kas Product,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Roxy Music,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Jacob Miller,
Josef K,
Dead Boys,
Brick,
Ralphi Rosario,
Jeru the Damaja,
Quantec,
Boredoms,
Jandek,
Fad Gadget,
the Slits,
Camberwell Now,
Metal Thangz,
David McCallum,
Boogie Down Productions,
Be Bop Deluxe,
The Count Five,
Scion,
Iggy Pop,
Main Source,
Little Man,
The Mummies,
Adolescents,
Mr. Review,
MDC,
Cal Tjader,
Lalo Schifrin,
Suburban Knight,
Sun Ra,
Maleditus Sound,
Ludus,
Pierre Henry,
Minutemen,
Slick Rick,
Jimmy McGriff,
Alphaville,
The Star Department, The Star Department, The Star Department, The Star Department.
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.