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 Mali and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1962 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Sun Ra Arkestra to the rock kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Ituana. All the underground hits.
All The Angels of Light tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Techniques record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 rhodes and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Spoonie Gee record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Moody Blues,
Lebanon Hanover,
Sam Rivers,
Scratch Acid,
Eric B and Rakim,
Pharoah Sanders,
Wasted Youth,
Sister Nancy,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Colin Newman,
New York Dolls,
Davy DMX,
Marshall Jefferson,
T. Rex,
Patti Smith,
Jimmy McGriff,
Avey Tare,
Gichy Dan,
Little Man,
Oblivians,
the Fania All-Stars,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Severed Heads,
Von Mondo,
Piero Umiliani,
Toni Rubio,
The Modern Lovers,
Harmonia,
Susan Cadogan,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
The Raincoats,
Moby Grape,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Minor Threat,
Todd Rundgren,
X-101,
Jeff Mills,
Cameo,
Eddi Front,
Circle Jerks,
June of 44,
Heaven 17,
China Crisis,
The Leaves,
Mad Mike,
Flamin' Groovies,
Duran Duran,
Radio Birdman,
Judy Mowatt,
Los Fastidios,
a-ha,
Deakin,
Vainqueur,
Mars,
Nation of Ulysses,
Blake Baxter,
Man Eating Sloth,
Eli Mardock,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Audionom,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
The Smoke, The Smoke, The Smoke, The Smoke.
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.