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 Barbados and from Lagos.
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 Johannesburg and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 arpeggiator 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 The Mummies to the grunge kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Scott Walker. All the underground hits.
All The Mighty Diamonds tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Tremeloes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rufus Thomas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scion,
Lindisfarne,
Lakeside,
Prince Buster,
The Misunderstood,
Zapp,
Blake Baxter,
The Saints,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Magma,
Pere Ubu,
Mary Jane Girls,
Q and Not U,
Donny Hathaway,
John Lydon,
Half Japanese,
Scrapy,
The J.B.'s,
Ten City,
The Pop Group,
Minutemen,
Mr. Review,
Donald Byrd,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Radiohead,
the Germs,
Accadde A,
The Last Poets,
The Star Department,
DJ Style,
Sugar Minott,
Jandek,
Inner City,
Average White Band,
Traffic Nightmare,
The Gun Club,
Kevin Saunderson,
Isaac Hayes,
DJ Sneak,
The Motions,
Boredoms,
Darondo,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
X-Ray Spex,
FM Einheit,
Avey Tare,
Arthur Verocai,
the Sonics,
The Vogues,
AZ,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Index,
Metal Thangz,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
China Crisis,
Ultra Naté,
Newcleus,
Swans,
Slave,
Hashim,
Icehouse,
Robert Wyatt,
Niagra, Niagra, Niagra, Niagra.
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.