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 Angola and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Minutemen to the rap 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 Be Bop Deluxe. All the underground hits.
All Masters at Work tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every This Heat 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ken Boothe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Skatalites,
Stetsasonic,
The Invisible,
Babytalk,
Juan Atkins,
Man Parrish,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Fire Engines,
Boredoms,
Sex Pistols,
Cal Tjader,
T.S.O.L.,
Hardrive,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Index,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Lucky Dragons,
the Association,
Aaron Thompson,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Toasters,
The Associates,
Josef K,
Letta Mbulu,
Cluster,
The Knickerbockers,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Amon Düül II,
Barry Ungar,
The Remains,
Donald Byrd,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
PIL,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Moby Grape,
Interpol,
Colin Newman,
Scion,
Zero Boys,
Rites of Spring,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Fela Kuti,
10cc,
Camberwell Now,
The Beau Brummels,
Panda Bear,
The Neon Judgement,
Bobby Byrd,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Terry Callier,
Rhythm & Sound,
Glenn Branca,
Marshall Jefferson,
Archie Shepp,
Sonic Youth,
Curtis Mayfield,
B.T. Express,
Frankie Knuckles,
R.M.O.,
The Birthday Party, The Birthday Party, The Birthday Party, The Birthday Party.
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.