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 Palau and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1973.
I was there at the first Television 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 1961 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Lou Reed to the electroclash 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 the Swans. All the underground hits.
All Vladislav Delay tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Blossom Toes 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 theremin and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ralphi Rosario record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Martian,
Kenny Larkin,
Nation of Ulysses,
Eden Ahbez,
Echospace,
The Buckinghams,
Jacques Brel,
The Gladiators,
The New Christs,
The Offenders,
the Soft Cell,
Bush Tetras,
The Move,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Dave Gahan,
the Swans,
Talk Talk,
The Barracudas,
The Gories,
Aswad,
Moebius,
Wings,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Nick Fraelich,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Vainqueur,
the Bar-Kays,
The Residents,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Glenn Branca,
Ronnie Foster,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Rufus Thomas,
The Monks,
Quantec,
Grandmaster Flash,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Gun Club,
Arthur Verocai,
Kas Product,
Fela Kuti,
Young Marble Giants,
Qualms,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Deakin,
Al Stewart,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Ice-T,
Warren Ellis,
Gil Scott Heron,
Pantaleimon,
Negative Approach,
Pantytec,
Can,
Blossom Toes,
Radio Birdman,
A Certain Ratio,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Franke, Franke, Franke, Franke.
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.