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 Belarus and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Bologna and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 clarinet 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 Doors to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Avey Tare. All the underground hits.
All Gang Gang Dance tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Quando Quango record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cymande record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Moby Grape,
Donald Byrd,
The Fire Engines,
Rekid,
Ken Boothe,
Roy Ayers,
Grey Daturas,
Connie Case,
Rakim,
Mandrill,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Smiths,
The Velvet Underground,
Jeru the Damaja,
Kerri Chandler,
Popol Vuh,
Kevin Saunderson,
PIL,
The Slackers,
Sparks,
Faust,
Joey Negro,
Tom Boy,
Derrick Morgan,
Circle Jerks,
The Electric Prunes,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Happenings,
Kas Product,
This Heat,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Tim Buckley,
Bobby Byrd,
Zero Boys,
Marvin Gaye,
The Modern Lovers,
The Slits,
The Doobie Brothers,
Shoche,
Flamin' Groovies,
Kenny Larkin,
Unwound,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Matthew Halsall,
Lightning Bolt,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Dead Boys,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Junior Murvin,
Yazoo,
The Young Rascals,
Scrapy,
Black Sheep,
The Mojo Men,
Slave,
Jandek,
The Birthday Party,
X-101,
The J.B.'s,
Brass Construction,
Iggy Pop,
Lou Reed,
Glambeats Corp.,
Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville, Alphaville.
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.