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 Papua New Guinea and from Columbus.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1969 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Edmonton.
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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Soul Sonic Force to the funk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Drexciya. All the underground hits.
All Sun City Girls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The American Breed 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jeff Lynne record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Soul II Soul,
Tom Boy,
Todd Terry,
Organ,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Martian,
PIL,
Lalann,
Wally Richardson,
The Slackers,
The Detroit Cobras,
Gang Gang Dance,
Clear Light,
Yaz,
Hardrive,
Curtis Mayfield,
Ornette Coleman,
Crispy Ambulance,
Sparks,
Sun Ra,
Intrusion,
Fela Kuti,
La Düsseldorf,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Funky Four + One,
Robert Hood,
Bauhaus,
Icehouse,
Gichy Dan,
Eden Ahbez,
Black Moon,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
The Gun Club,
Goldenarms,
Hot Snakes,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
the Germs,
Davy DMX,
Avey Tare,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Au Pairs,
The Fire Engines,
Thompson Twins,
Bill Wells,
Brick,
Barry Ungar,
Malaria!,
Brand Nubian,
Cheater Slicks,
Lebanon Hanover,
Popol Vuh,
Pere Ubu,
Tropical Tobacco,
Maleditus Sound,
The Electric Prunes,
Depeche Mode,
Graham Central Station,
Symarip,
Grauzone,
The Last Poets,
Warren Ellis, Warren Ellis, Warren Ellis, Warren 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.