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 Vanuatu and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 rap kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Magma. All the underground hits.
All The Black Dice tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Slave record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gong record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Theoretical Girls,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Shuggie Otis,
Alphaville,
The Knickerbockers,
Anthony Braxton,
Marshall Jefferson,
The Slackers,
Barry Ungar,
The Residents,
Hardrive,
Sällskapet,
the Swans,
Electric Prunes,
Television,
Supertramp,
Michelle Simonal,
Sun Ra,
Big Daddy Kane,
New York Dolls,
The Birthday Party,
The Raincoats,
Moebius,
Thee Headcoats,
Isaac Hayes,
Nirvana,
Nation of Ulysses,
Jimmy McGriff,
Television Personalities,
Godley & Creme,
Panda Bear,
Donald Byrd,
The Dead C,
Arthur Verocai,
Grandmaster Flash,
the Human League,
Bang On A Can,
Steve Hackett,
Max Romeo,
The Trojans,
Public Image Ltd.,
Con Funk Shun,
Basic Channel,
Drexciya,
Pierre Henry,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Grey Daturas,
Cecil Taylor,
Smog,
Flash Fearless,
Urselle,
Dark Day,
Junior Murvin,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Interpol,
Camouflage,
LL Cool J,
Pulsallama,
Ponytail,
The Skatalites,
Rod Modell,
Eden Ahbez,
Blake Baxter, Blake Baxter, Blake Baxter, Blake Baxter.
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.