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 Cambodia and from Bremen.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Babytalk to the dance kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Lonnie Liston Smith. All the underground hits.
All Lalann tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every DJ Sneak record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 a snare and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Silicon Teens record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
David Axelrod,
Steve Hackett,
48th St. Collective,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Fire Engines,
8 Eyed Spy,
Adolescents,
Stetsasonic,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Man Eating Sloth,
Motorama,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Alton Ellis,
The Busters,
Black Sheep,
E-Dancer,
Rakim,
Soft Machine,
Alison Limerick,
Lindisfarne,
Gang Green,
The Modern Lovers,
Sister Nancy,
Max Romeo,
Cybotron,
ABBA,
The Blackbyrds,
Colin Newman,
Panda Bear,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Angels of Light,
Monks,
The Music Machine,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Slits,
Anakelly,
L. Decosne,
Vainqueur,
Lyres,
Joy Division,
Michelle Simonal,
K-Klass,
Gabor Szabo,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Duran Duran,
Mo-Dettes,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Loose Ends,
Slick Rick,
Gang of Four,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Cluster,
Gerry Rafferty,
Jerry's Kids,
The Velvet Underground,
Arab on Radar,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
the Sonics,
Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith.
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.