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 Kiribati and from Toronto.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1962 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Bologna.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 Chic practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the güiro 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 Prince Buster to the funk 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 Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. All the underground hits.
All Hot Snakes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Avey Tare record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Second Layer record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Henry Cow,
Don Cherry,
The Gories,
June Days,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Toasters,
Blake Baxter,
Sonny Sharrock,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Alton Ellis,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Excepter,
Cymande,
Pylon,
Sight & Sound,
The Dirtbombs,
Monolake,
Max Romeo,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Alice Coltrane,
Oblivians,
Joensuu 1685,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Lyres,
Television,
Dorothy Ashby,
Flipper,
Yaz,
T. Rex,
Accadde A,
Anthony Braxton,
Scratch Acid,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The J.B.'s,
Masters at Work,
Outsiders,
H. Thieme,
The Techniques,
Kas Product,
Lalann,
Freddie Wadling,
Funkadelic,
a-ha,
Grey Daturas,
Connie Case,
Chris Corsano,
Pussy Galore,
T.S.O.L.,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
the Association,
Gil Scott Heron,
Icehouse,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Sound,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Cluster,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
The Detroit Cobras,
Bad Manners,
Scott Walker,
Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music, Roxy Music.
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.