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 Morocco and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 Taipei and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Dave Clark Five 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 Sun Ra. All the underground hits.
All Black Moon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lower 48 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Black Pus,
Jeff Mills,
Iggy Pop,
The Angels of Light,
The Invisible,
The Names,
Saccharine Trust,
Angry Samoans,
Amon Düül II,
Moby Grape,
Brick,
Alison Limerick,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Joey Negro,
Marmalade,
Idris Muhammad,
The Walker Brothers,
Yazoo,
Robert Wyatt,
Cameo,
Crispian St. Peters,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Traffic Nightmare,
David Bowie,
Mo-Dettes,
MC5,
Surgeon,
Monolake,
Jawbox,
Laurel Aitken,
Q and Not U,
Ice-T,
Fela Kuti,
T. Rex,
Grey Daturas,
Youth Brigade,
Dennis Brown,
Avey Tare,
The United States of America,
Aswad,
Big Daddy Kane,
Black Bananas,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Jeru the Damaja,
Minnie Riperton,
Aaron Thompson,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
UT,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Skaos,
the Fania All-Stars,
Agitation Free,
The Neon Judgement,
D'Angelo,
E-Dancer,
The Last Poets,
Parry Music,
Terrestrial Tones,
Crime,
The Saints,
Soft Cell, Soft Cell, Soft Cell, Soft Cell.
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.