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 St Kitts & Nevis and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1962.
I was there at the first Guess Who show in Winnipeg.
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 1965 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 marimba sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Fela Kuti to the rap 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 Gang Gang Dance. All the underground hits.
All Animal Collective tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Prince Buster record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 spring reverb and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mary Jane Girls 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?
Yusef Lateef,
Dennis Brown,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Electric Prunes,
Sonic Youth,
Pantaleimon,
Althea and Donna,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Junior Murvin,
Moebius,
Morten Harket,
Rod Modell,
Ten City,
Curtis Mayfield,
The Invisible,
Shuggie Otis,
The Human League,
Model 500,
Ultra Naté,
Bang On A Can,
The Monks,
Soul Sonic Force,
Derrick Morgan,
Fear,
Andrew Hill,
The Gladiators,
Colin Newman,
Nick Fraelich,
Henry Cow,
Dave Gahan,
Nico,
Bauhaus,
Roxy Music,
Gerry Rafferty,
Glenn Branca,
Connie Case,
The Searchers,
The Zeros,
Yaz,
Section 25,
Rotary Connection,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Lindisfarne,
Minor Threat,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Barbara Tucker,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Harpers Bizarre,
The Dead C,
Man Eating Sloth,
Skarface,
Ponytail,
Pussy Galore,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Gong,
Scott Walker,
Nik Kershaw,
KRS-One,
Ultimate Spinach,
Symarip,
Tim Buckley,
Barrington Levy,
Alton Ellis, Alton Ellis, Alton Ellis, Alton Ellis.
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.