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 Manchester.
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 1967 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Bremen.
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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Monks to the jazz 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 Shuggie Otis. All the underground hits.
All Marshall Jefferson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Knickerbockers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a H. Thieme record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ituana,
Franke,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
The Searchers,
Bobby Womack,
Adolescents,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Goldenarms,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Mad Mike,
Barbara Tucker,
Eurythmics,
Con Funk Shun,
Gang Starr,
Brass Construction,
Colin Newman,
Animal Collective,
X-102,
Tommy Roe,
Whodini,
The Fugs,
Aloha Tigers,
Morten Harket,
Eve St. Jones,
Ronan,
Gang of Four,
Tres Demented,
Radiopuhelimet,
Zapp,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
World's Most,
Ten City,
The American Breed,
The Vogues,
Al Stewart,
The Monochrome Set,
Kaleidoscope,
Scrapy,
Hasil Adkins,
Fugazi,
The Fortunes,
June Days,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Iggy Pop,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Nik Kershaw,
Marc Almond,
Cybotron,
the Sonics,
Carl Craig,
Qualms,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Robert Wyatt,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Music Machine,
Average White Band,
Fad Gadget,
Throbbing Gristle,
Barrington Levy,
Sonic Youth,
Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway, Donny Hathaway.
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.