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 Thailand and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1961 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Shanghai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Dead C to the grime kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 The Litter. All the underground hits.
All The Shadows of Knight tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Sonics 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The American Breed record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Electric Light Orchestra,
Alice Coltrane,
David McCallum,
Hasil Adkins,
The Beau Brummels,
Average White Band,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Dawn Penn,
the Normal,
Mad Mike,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Cal Tjader,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Skarface,
June of 44,
Wings,
The Raincoats,
The Busters,
Pierre Henry,
The Skatalites,
Steve Hackett,
Con Funk Shun,
L. Decosne,
OOIOO,
Avey Tare,
the Human League,
June Days,
Fela Kuti,
Drexciya,
The Leaves,
Gabor Szabo,
Bobby Byrd,
Fatback Band,
Josef K,
Flash Fearless,
New York Dolls,
The Neon Judgement,
Marvin Gaye,
The Moody Blues,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Kas Product,
Sixth Finger,
Kaleidoscope,
JFA,
The Cowsills,
The Real Kids,
Junior Murvin,
Nick Fraelich,
Roy Ayers,
Anthony Braxton,
Freddie Wadling,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Gladiators,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Letta Mbulu,
Scott Walker,
DNA,
Slave,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Fall, The Fall, The Fall, The Fall.
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.