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 Tunisia and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the marimba 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 Jimmy McGriff to the crunk 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 La Düsseldorf. All the underground hits.
All Cecil Taylor tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Neu! 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Kool Moe Dee record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Eden Ahbez,
Swans,
Lakeside,
Carl Craig,
Sun Ra,
Kerrie Biddell,
Urselle,
Quadrant,
The Happenings,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Avey Tare,
Althea and Donna,
The Fugs,
The Searchers,
Gang of Four,
Junior Murvin,
Flipper,
Symarip,
Howard Jones,
The Blackbyrds,
The Wake,
Motorama,
Theoretical Girls,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Anthony Braxton,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Juan Atkins,
Alice Coltrane,
Quantec,
Sun City Girls,
Colin Newman,
Wolf Eyes,
Moss Icon,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Vladislav Delay,
JFA,
David Bowie,
Television Personalities,
Curtis Mayfield,
the Sonics,
U.S. Maple,
Hasil Adkins,
The Remains,
Severed Heads,
Subhumans,
Man Parrish,
Sixth Finger,
Rufus Thomas,
Lower 48,
Wire,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Wally Richardson,
Danielle Patucci,
Isaac Hayes,
Kenny Larkin,
The Sound,
Tom Boy,
Joy Division,
The Modern Lovers,
Tomorrow,
Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar, Barry Ungar.
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.