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 Kyrgyzstan and from Shanghai.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Cairo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Quadrant to the techno kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 June of 44. All the underground hits.
All The Last Poets tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultramagnetic MC's record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Avey Tare record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
MDC,
Kerrie Biddell,
Howard Jones,
Andrew Hill,
Negative Approach,
Minor Threat,
D'Angelo,
Fluxion,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Archie Shepp,
The Dirtbombs,
the Swans,
Black Pus,
June of 44,
Max Romeo,
Danielle Patucci,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Monolake,
Johnny Osbourne,
Loose Ends,
Second Layer,
Joyce Sims,
The Slits,
Marine Girls,
the Slits,
Terry Callier,
Flash Fearless,
Joe Finger,
Lyres,
Minny Pops,
Sight & Sound,
the Sonics,
Tropical Tobacco,
F. McDonald,
James White and The Blacks,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Gories,
Joensuu 1685,
The Mojo Men,
The Doobie Brothers,
Ultimate Spinach,
Al Stewart,
Johnny Clarke,
Don Cherry,
Sister Nancy,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Angels of Light,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Qualms,
The Barracudas,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Brass Construction,
Judy Mowatt,
Wings,
Accadde A,
Jeru the Damaja,
Flamin' Groovies,
Marc Almond,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Henry Cow,
Gabor Szabo,
Lou Reed, Lou Reed, Lou Reed, Lou Reed.
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.