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 Luxembourg and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Black Flag to the rock kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Electric Prunes. All the underground hits.
All Rotary Connection tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Teenage Jesus and the Jerks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ken Boothe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Albert Ayler,
Black Bananas,
Ronnie Foster,
Camberwell Now,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Piero Umiliani,
Rufus Thomas,
Bluetip,
Althea and Donna,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Reagan Youth,
Dawn Penn,
Wolf Eyes,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Newcleus,
Electric Prunes,
The Tremeloes,
Country Teasers,
Curtis Mayfield,
The J.B.'s,
Janne Schatter,
Franke,
Faust,
Ronan,
a-ha,
X-101,
the Sonics,
Angry Samoans,
Anakelly,
cv313,
Reuben Wilson,
Ornette Coleman,
Smog,
The Trojans,
The Modern Lovers,
Ralphi Rosario,
June Days,
Amon Düül II,
Marvin Gaye,
Ice-T,
Zero Boys,
Arthur Verocai,
Babytalk,
The Selecter,
Ultimate Spinach,
Hot Snakes,
Idris Muhammad,
Brand Nubian,
Stetsasonic,
Theoretical Girls,
Au Pairs,
Colin Newman,
Aaron Thompson,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
KRS-One,
Lou Reed,
Nico,
Chris & Cosey,
Visage,
Goldenarms, Goldenarms, Goldenarms, Goldenarms.
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.