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 the UAE and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Throbbing Gristle show in 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 1964 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 rhodes 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 Aswad to the rock 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 UT. All the underground hits.
All June Days tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Grauzone 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Drive Like Jehu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Patti Smith,
Pagans,
Marc Almond,
Deepchord,
Boz Scaggs,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
the Human League,
Gang Starr,
Tears for Fears,
Von Mondo,
The Fire Engines,
Deakin,
Pantytec,
John Holt,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Camberwell Now,
Lower 48,
Icehouse,
Au Pairs,
The Names,
Brothers Johnson,
Sandy B,
Sister Nancy,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Parry Music,
ABBA,
The Black Dice,
Q and Not U,
Rotary Connection,
The Birthday Party,
Nik Kershaw,
Spandau Ballet,
The Alarm Clocks,
Jawbox,
Cluster,
Joe Smooth,
Public Image Ltd.,
The Associates,
Half Japanese,
Yellowson,
Vainqueur,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Matthew Bourne,
Popol Vuh,
Section 25,
Isaac Hayes,
Guru Guru,
Todd Terry,
The Red Krayola,
Sugar Minott,
The J.B.'s,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Goldenarms,
The Fugs,
Sällskapet,
Schoolly D,
The New Christs,
Dead Boys,
Banda Bassotti,
Simply Red,
Mantronix, Mantronix, Mantronix, Mantronix.
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.