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 Papua New Guinea and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1966 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 The Gap Band to the punk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Jacques Brel. All the underground hits.
All R.M.O. tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Letta Mbulu 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Animal Collective record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rufus Thomas,
The Mighty Diamonds,
La Düsseldorf,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Scientists,
Danielle Patucci,
Livin' Joy,
Moby Grape,
Spoonie Gee,
Marshall Jefferson,
Youth Brigade,
Lucky Dragons,
In Retrospect,
Harmonia,
Letta Mbulu,
Reuben Wilson,
the Bar-Kays,
Dual Sessions,
Grey Daturas,
Grauzone,
Brand Nubian,
Wally Richardson,
A Certain Ratio,
Schoolly D,
Mark Hollis,
The Slits,
Jacques Brel,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Star Department,
Glambeats Corp.,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Adolescents,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Anakelly,
The Human League,
Nik Kershaw,
DJ Style,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Man Parrish,
Joey Negro,
Soul II Soul,
Cameo,
Little Man,
Bronski Beat,
Jerry's Kids,
Procol Harum,
Jimmy McGriff,
Ronnie Foster,
The Toasters,
Derrick May,
Altered Images,
the Swans,
Eddi Front,
Hardrive,
Porter Ricks,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Cal Tjader,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
The Fortunes,
Skriet,
Dorothy Ashby,
The Modern Lovers,
Zapp,
Unwound, Unwound, Unwound, Unwound.
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.