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 Philippines and from Lagos.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the linndrum 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 Robert Wyatt to the dance kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Basic Channel. All the underground hits.
All Niagra tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Little Man 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Hasil Adkins,
JFA,
Ronnie Foster,
Terry Callier,
Motorama,
The Leaves,
Neil Young,
Loose Ends,
Pierre Henry,
David Axelrod,
This Heat,
Alphaville,
John Lydon,
Q65,
The Angels of Light,
The Doors,
Lyres,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Ten City,
Kayak,
Simply Red,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Flipper,
Boredoms,
MC5,
Joyce Sims,
The Saints,
June of 44,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Nation of Ulysses,
Camouflage,
Y Pants,
Sound Behaviour,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Gladiators,
Magazine,
Robert Görl,
Barbara Tucker,
The Tremeloes,
Inner City,
Rosa Yemen,
The Neon Judgement,
Prince Buster,
Dorothy Ashby,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Sound,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Gun Club,
The Five Americans,
Circle Jerks,
The Seeds,
The Happenings,
Peter and Kerry,
The Beau Brummels,
Althea and Donna,
Grauzone,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Banda Bassotti,
LL Cool J,
Bill Near, Bill Near, Bill Near, Bill Near.
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.