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 Mali and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Bologna.
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 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Slave to the punk 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 Dark Day. All the underground hits.
All Michelle Simonal tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Babytalk record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rapeman,
D'Angelo,
Sarah Menescal,
Intrusion,
Glambeats Corp.,
Wally Richardson,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Scratch Acid,
Babytalk,
the Normal,
Mantronix,
Gang Starr,
Soulsonic Force,
Bush Tetras,
Subhumans,
Spoonie Gee,
Terry Callier,
Rufus Thomas,
La Düsseldorf,
Eric Copeland,
Ronan,
Gang Green,
Charles Mingus,
Scientists,
Fela Kuti,
John Cale,
These Immortal Souls,
Gastr Del Sol,
Tears for Fears,
B.T. Express,
Kevin Saunderson,
Public Enemy,
The Doobie Brothers,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
the Slits,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Ultimate Spinach,
OOIOO,
Jerry's Kids,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Sex Pistols,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Black Pus,
The United States of America,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Tubeway Army,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Jeff Mills,
Lyres,
Janne Schatter,
Harry Pussy,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Quadrant,
Wasted Youth,
Maleditus Sound,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Niagra,
Colin Newman,
Ronnie Foster,
The Kinks,
James White and The Blacks,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims.
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.