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 Edmonton.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1964 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Delhi.
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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the rhodes 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 Sam Rivers to the funk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu. All the underground hits.
All Lou Reed & John Cale tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Gories record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Crispy Ambulance record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James Chance & The Contortions,
The Fortunes,
JFA,
The Fall,
The Sound,
Metal Thangz,
The Alarm Clocks,
Supertramp,
Excepter,
Gil Scott Heron,
Reagan Youth,
The Cure,
Minnie Riperton,
The American Breed,
Cybotron,
New Age Steppers,
John Cale,
The Divine Comedy,
The Skatalites,
Subhumans,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Quantec,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Ossler,
Surgeon,
Fat Boys,
Chris & Cosey,
Sandy B,
the Bar-Kays,
Marcia Griffiths,
The Standells,
Soft Cell,
The Moleskins,
Barrington Levy,
Joe Smooth,
Boogie Down Productions,
Dorothy Ashby,
Niagra,
the Germs,
Maleditus Sound,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Quando Quango,
Dark Day,
Fad Gadget,
The Buckinghams,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Isaac Hayes,
cv313,
Big Daddy Kane,
UT,
Frankie Knuckles,
Crooked Eye,
Danielle Patucci,
Stetsasonic,
Kerri Chandler,
Main Source,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Vogues,
The J.B.'s,
Sarah Menescal, Sarah Menescal, Sarah Menescal, Sarah Menescal.
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.