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 Dominica and from Milan.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1960 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 Sparks to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Martian. All the underground hits.
All Art Ensemble Of Chicago tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Judy Mowatt 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Andrew Hill record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
Das Ding,
Joensuu 1685,
Drive Like Jehu,
Joey Negro,
Sly & The Family Stone,
World's Most,
Pole,
Graham Central Station,
London Community Gospel Choir,
the Fania All-Stars,
a-ha,
The United States of America,
Alton Ellis,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Motions,
Black Moon,
Pylon,
Ronnie Foster,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Todd Terry,
Peter & Gordon,
Nico,
Mantronix,
The Star Department,
Desert Stars,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Black Dice,
John Coltrane,
The American Breed,
Eric B and Rakim,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Ornette Coleman,
Yazoo,
Rotary Connection,
Outsiders,
Davy DMX,
the Human League,
Patti Smith,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Monks,
Gregory Isaacs,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
JFA,
Hashim,
Harry Pussy,
Scratch Acid,
Funky Four + One,
The Index,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Searchers,
The Seeds,
Byron Stingily,
CMW,
Average White Band,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Mojo Men,
Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions, Boogie Down Productions.
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.