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 Senegal and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1966 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 Cymande to the electroclash 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 Slave. All the underground hits.
All Sex Pistols tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Men They Couldn't Hang record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an organ and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Boogie Down Productions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
JFA,
Malaria!,
Byron Stingily,
Brick,
Lebanon Hanover,
Wasted Youth,
Chris Corsano,
Nico,
Crime,
Donny Hathaway,
The New Christs,
Sight & Sound,
Sam Rivers,
Section 25,
Aaron Thompson,
The Fire Engines,
Slave,
Darondo,
Eric Copeland,
Peter and Kerry,
Country Teasers,
Spoonie Gee,
Infiniti,
Drexciya,
The Beau Brummels,
The Fugs,
The Golliwogs,
Mark Hollis,
Roger Hodgson,
The Offenders,
Man Eating Sloth,
The United States of America,
Niagra,
Juan Atkins,
Glambeats Corp.,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
X-102,
Angry Samoans,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Minor Threat,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Schoolly D,
Brand Nubian,
Banda Bassotti,
Bobby Womack,
Bizarre Inc.,
Au Pairs,
The Gladiators,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Michelle Simonal,
A Certain Ratio,
Barclay James Harvest,
Aural Exciters,
Prince Buster,
Hashim,
Ten City,
The Birthday Party,
Henry Cow,
Radiopuhelimet,
Mo-Dettes,
Tomorrow,
Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange, Agent Orange.
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.