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 Colombia and from Lyon.
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 Accra and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Salvador 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 Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the linndrum 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 DeepChord presents Echospace to the grunge 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 Soul II Soul. All the underground hits.
All Bang on a Can All-Stars tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Faraquet record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 snare and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bootsy Collins record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Saints,
Sonic Youth,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Flesh Eaters,
Henry Cow,
Nation of Ulysses,
MDC,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Busters,
PIL,
Rosa Yemen,
The Barracudas,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Dark Day,
The Happenings,
Mark Hollis,
Rufus Thomas,
Porter Ricks,
Lyres,
Lindisfarne,
The Pop Group,
Bob Dylan,
Jeff Mills,
JFA,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Peter & Gordon,
Trumans Water,
Big Daddy Kane,
Echospace,
David Bowie,
Ohio Players,
the Association,
Alice Coltrane,
The Birthday Party,
Japan,
Scientists,
Isaac Hayes,
Metal Thangz,
Cymande,
Deakin,
Eric B and Rakim,
X-Ray Spex,
Juan Atkins,
Smog,
Loose Ends,
The Sonics,
Make Up,
a-ha,
Derrick Morgan,
Scott Walker,
Outsiders,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Byron Stingily,
EPMD,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Sisters of Mercy,
The Martian,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Litter,
H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme, H. Thieme.
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.