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 Armenia and from Philadelphia.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1969 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane to the punk 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 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. All the underground hits.
All The Monks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Flipper record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James White and The Blacks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tears for Fears,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Monks,
The Litter,
The Invisible,
Juan Atkins,
OOIOO,
Gabor Szabo,
The Misunderstood,
Pantaleimon,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Frankie Knuckles,
Robert Hood,
Excepter,
Grey Daturas,
Mars,
Guru Guru,
Alton Ellis,
Yusef Lateef,
The Neon Judgement,
Soft Cell,
Au Pairs,
Lyres,
The Remains,
The Golliwogs,
DJ Sneak,
Sight & Sound,
The Shadows of Knight,
Kurtis Blow,
The Techniques,
U.S. Maple,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Bobby Sherman,
the Germs,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Gladiators,
Sex Pistols,
CMW,
Quantec,
The Slackers,
Tropical Tobacco,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Brothers Johnson,
The Smoke,
LL Cool J,
Kerrie Biddell,
Niagra,
Rites of Spring,
Barbara Tucker,
Japan,
Theoretical Girls,
Kaleidoscope,
Outsiders,
Los Fastidios,
The Smiths,
Gang Starr,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Von Mondo,
Clear Light,
The Doors,
Jawbox, Jawbox, Jawbox, Jawbox.
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.