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 Swaziland and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Move to the crunk 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 Juan Atkins. All the underground hits.
All Underground Resistance tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Maurizio record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 spring reverb and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pagans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jeru the Damaja,
Hardrive,
Robert Wyatt,
Stetsasonic,
Donny Hathaway,
Frankie Knuckles,
Liliput,
UT,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Faust,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Metal Thangz,
Q65,
Easy Going,
48th St. Collective,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Letta Mbulu,
Matthew Halsall,
Reagan Youth,
The Searchers,
The Invisible,
The Techniques,
Depeche Mode,
The Alarm Clocks,
Q and Not U,
Public Enemy,
Subhumans,
Magma,
Chris & Cosey,
Thee Headcoats,
Eli Mardock,
Mary Jane Girls,
Gabor Szabo,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Massinfluence,
Interpol,
The Dead C,
Lakeside,
The Five Americans,
Make Up,
JFA,
Swans,
The Smiths,
Absolute Body Control,
Toni Rubio,
Juan Atkins,
Jerry's Kids,
MC5,
Rod Modell,
Ponytail,
The Happenings,
Cheater Slicks,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Man Parrish,
Lyres,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Icehouse,
Idris Muhammad,
Max Romeo,
Colin Newman,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
David Bowie, David Bowie, David Bowie, David Bowie.
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.