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 Tunisia and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 Calgary and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Cairo 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
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 Glenn Branca to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Bill Wells. All the underground hits.
All Nirvana tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Beasts of Bourbon record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Stooges record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
Arthur Verocai,
Swans,
Magma,
Anthony Braxton,
Audionom,
Brass Construction,
The Pop Group,
Peter & Gordon,
Blancmange,
ABBA,
the Bar-Kays,
Pagans,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Toasters,
Y Pants,
New York Dolls,
Piero Umiliani,
The American Breed,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Nick Fraelich,
Archie Shepp,
The Busters,
Sexual Harrassment,
OOIOO,
Laurel Aitken,
Wire,
a-ha,
Letta Mbulu,
New Age Steppers,
Talk Talk,
Iggy Pop,
Royal Trux,
The Grass Roots,
Angry Samoans,
Mars,
Sixth Finger,
K-Klass,
The Last Poets,
Dave Gahan,
Dark Day,
Absolute Body Control,
The Names,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Slits,
The Standells,
Gang of Four,
Gregory Isaacs,
Circle Jerks,
The Vogues,
Pharoah Sanders,
the Germs,
Ludus,
Goldenarms,
Sarah Menescal,
The Tremeloes,
Fat Boys,
Lou Christie,
The Angels of Light,
Tom Boy,
Tears for Fears,
Slick Rick,
DJ Style, DJ Style, DJ Style, DJ Style.
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.