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 Namibia and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1984.
I was there at the first Arcadia 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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Cairo and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Reuben Wilson to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Junior Murvin. All the underground hits.
All Slick Rick tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gabor Szabo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Litter record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bluetip,
Scientists,
Sixth Finger,
Idris Muhammad,
David Axelrod,
Second Layer,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Minor Threat,
Zero Boys,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Rod Modell,
8 Eyed Spy,
Davy DMX,
Black Flag,
Patti Smith,
Basic Channel,
the Swans,
Babytalk,
Fugazi,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Searchers,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
F. McDonald,
The Birthday Party,
Deadbeat,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Rites of Spring,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Interpol,
Angry Samoans,
Alton Ellis,
R.M.O.,
Saccharine Trust,
Yellowson,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Joyce Sims,
Outsiders,
Black Pus,
Pylon,
Vainqueur,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
a-ha,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Masters at Work,
Inner City,
Chrome,
Lungfish,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The United States of America,
The Trojans,
Eric B and Rakim,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Invisible,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Audionom,
Jeff Lynne,
Freddie Wadling,
Hoover,
Aswad,
The Motions,
Lakeside,
The Selecter, The Selecter, The Selecter, The Selecter.
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.