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 Pakistan and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Chic show in New York.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Idris Muhammad to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Gong. All the underground hits.
All Tres Demented tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Robert Görl record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a New Order record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eric B and Rakim,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Blancmange,
Young Marble Giants,
Hot Snakes,
Drive Like Jehu,
Vainqueur,
The Gun Club,
Monolake,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Move,
The Beau Brummels,
Bobby Sherman,
Ten City,
The Litter,
Barry Ungar,
Minutemen,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Rakim,
Danielle Patucci,
Donald Byrd,
the Association,
Bluetip,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Dark Day,
Michelle Simonal,
Derrick May,
Lebanon Hanover,
Public Enemy,
Donny Hathaway,
The Names,
Glenn Branca,
Tubeway Army,
Moby Grape,
Wire,
Warren Ellis,
The Birthday Party,
Fear,
Sam Rivers,
E-Dancer,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Mr. Review,
In Retrospect,
The Smoke,
Zapp,
Lalann,
Kenny Larkin,
Agent Orange,
The Offenders,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Marvin Gaye,
Organ,
the Swans,
Banda Bassotti,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Public Image Ltd.,
the Human League,
Yaz,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Divine Comedy,
The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood, The Misunderstood.
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.