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 Dominica and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the sitar 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 Desert Stars to the crunk 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 Alice Coltrane. All the underground hits.
All Bluetip tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Shuggie Otis record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 spring reverb and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Sisters of Mercy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Oblivians,
Schoolly D,
MC5,
Sonic Youth,
Wire,
Jeru the Damaja,
Roger Hodgson,
Derrick May,
Dennis Brown,
Ralphi Rosario,
Black Pus,
James White and The Blacks,
Donald Byrd,
ABC,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Mark Hollis,
Roxy Music,
Ultimate Spinach,
Laurel Aitken,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Gories,
Wings,
Bush Tetras,
Delon & Dalcan,
Amon Düül II,
The American Breed,
The Divine Comedy,
Curtis Mayfield,
Cal Tjader,
Spandau Ballet,
Pantytec,
Basic Channel,
The Happenings,
Kenny Larkin,
Eddi Front,
a-ha,
Rod Modell,
Skaos,
Outsiders,
Lou Reed,
The Five Americans,
Kayak,
Zapp,
Mandrill,
These Immortal Souls,
The Blackbyrds,
cv313,
Bobby Hutcherson,
John Foxx,
AZ,
Jimmy McGriff,
Simply Red,
Bad Manners,
La Düsseldorf,
Nico,
The Gladiators,
Sex Pistols,
Organ,
Metal Thangz,
Qualms,
Vladislav Delay,
Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn.
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.