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 Uzbekistan and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1965 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the linndrum 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 Skatalites to the rap kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Minutemen. All the underground hits.
All Scott Walker + Sunn O))) tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Joe Smooth record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a New Age Steppers record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Dirtbombs,
Flamin' Groovies,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Magazine,
The Pop Group,
Cheater Slicks,
The J.B.'s,
Black Moon,
Idris Muhammad,
Dead Boys,
Jeru the Damaja,
Monks,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
the Human League,
Harmonia,
Cybotron,
Al Stewart,
World's Most,
Eric Dolphy,
Jacques Brel,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Fat Boys,
Mark Hollis,
DJ Style,
Niagra,
Fela Kuti,
Rapeman,
Lakeside,
Pulsallama,
Von Mondo,
The Misunderstood,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Tremeloes,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Monks,
Ultimate Spinach,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Youth Brigade,
Harpers Bizarre,
Fear,
Television,
Henry Cow,
Masters at Work,
Barry Ungar,
Wasted Youth,
Zero Boys,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Monolake,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Pantaleimon,
John Cale,
Main Source,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Graham Central Station,
Pole,
Minutemen,
Sister Nancy,
Bobby Sherman,
The Pretty Things,
Sun City Girls,
The Names,
Mad Mike, Mad Mike, Mad Mike, Mad Mike.
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.