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 El Salvador and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Halifax 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 snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 David Bowie to the dance kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Mo-Dettes. All the underground hits.
All Soul Sonic Force tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Hot Snakes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Tres Demented record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Cale,
Mark Hollis,
The Gap Band,
Chris & Cosey,
The Gories,
The Pretty Things,
D'Angelo,
Juan Atkins,
Man Parrish,
Faust,
The Fugs,
Cal Tjader,
Terrestrial Tones,
Zero Boys,
Peter and Kerry,
Slave,
Malaria!,
Franke,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Mantronix,
New York Dolls,
Dark Day,
Albert Ayler,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The United States of America,
T. Rex,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
L. Decosne,
David Bowie,
Prince Buster,
Electric Prunes,
Neu!,
E-Dancer,
Rites of Spring,
David Axelrod,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Kas Product,
The Angels of Light,
Little Man,
Leonard Cohen,
The Cowsills,
Heaven 17,
Jacques Brel,
Saccharine Trust,
R.M.O.,
The Slits,
Yazoo,
Idris Muhammad,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Niagra,
Johnny Clarke,
OOIOO,
Qualms,
The Techniques,
Lebanon Hanover,
Delta 5,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Maurizio,
Man Eating Sloth,
Judy Mowatt,
Bill Wells,
Soul Sonic Force,
ABC, ABC, ABC, ABC.
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.