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 Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Throbbing Gristle show in London.
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 1963 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the oboe 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 Hasil Adkins to the funk 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 De La Soul & Jungle Brothers. All the underground hits.
All London Community Gospel Choir tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gang Gang Dance record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 sitar and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soul II Soul record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Cale,
cv313,
Gregory Isaacs,
Zapp,
Peter and Kerry,
Harmonia,
Royal Trux,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Faraquet,
Max Romeo,
the Germs,
The Detroit Cobras,
Guru Guru,
Magazine,
The Zeros,
Gabor Szabo,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Bronski Beat,
Ice-T,
Scientists,
Symarip,
The Dirtbombs,
Scratch Acid,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Tubeway Army,
Sarah Menescal,
Chrome,
Unrelated Segments,
Technova,
Flamin' Groovies,
Lower 48,
Derrick May,
Sparks,
James White and The Blacks,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Danielle Patucci,
Stockholm Monsters,
Minny Pops,
Kayak,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Freddie Wadling,
The Names,
Bobby Byrd,
Neil Young,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Maurizio,
Suburban Knight,
Derrick Morgan,
Youth Brigade,
Cheater Slicks,
The Moleskins,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Index,
Todd Rundgren,
Marine Girls,
The Leaves,
LL Cool J,
Ultra Naté,
Byron Stingily,
Zero Boys,
The Associates,
AZ, AZ, AZ, AZ.
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.