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 Tanzania and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Lizzy Mercier Descloux to the crunk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Severed Heads. All the underground hits.
All Lucky Dragons tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 clarinet and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James White and The Blacks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nik Kershaw,
10cc,
Rapeman,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Real Kids,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Letta Mbulu,
Joensuu 1685,
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Seeds,
Jeff Lynne,
Flash Fearless,
Interpol,
The Smiths,
Gang Gang Dance,
Althea and Donna,
The Index,
Thompson Twins,
Public Image Ltd.,
Delon & Dalcan,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Donny Hathaway,
Young Marble Giants,
The Toasters,
Tropical Tobacco,
Von Mondo,
Wally Richardson,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Eric Copeland,
Niagra,
the Swans,
Yellowson,
Cymande,
The Electric Prunes,
James White and The Blacks,
X-Ray Spex,
The Kinks,
Roy Ayers,
The Leaves,
Curtis Mayfield,
Jacob Miller,
Bill Near,
Oneida,
Arthur Verocai,
Excepter,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Infiniti,
Ludus,
Radio Birdman,
Massinfluence,
The Buckinghams,
Bobby Byrd,
The Birthday Party,
The Gories,
Quadrant,
Juan Atkins,
Crime,
The Velvet Underground,
The Tremeloes,
Rhythm & Sound,
Agitation Free, Agitation Free, Agitation Free, Agitation Free.
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.