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 Swaziland and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1961 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Barracudas to the grunge 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 Soft Cell. All the underground hits.
All Tomorrow tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Remains record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 guitar and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Blake Baxter record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Scientists,
Archie Shepp,
Soul II Soul,
Zero Boys,
Terry Callier,
Deadbeat,
Blake Baxter,
Colin Newman,
X-Ray Spex,
Subhumans,
Marvin Gaye,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Gang Green,
Gang Gang Dance,
Kayak,
This Heat,
Blossom Toes,
T.S.O.L.,
Lou Christie,
Robert Hood,
Davy DMX,
Gichy Dan,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Move,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Silicon Teens,
Nils Olav,
Radiopuhelimet,
U.S. Maple,
Eric B and Rakim,
Chris & Cosey,
The Fugs,
Suicide,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Crispy Ambulance,
Khruangbin,
Marcia Griffiths,
Jandek,
the Association,
Ronnie Foster,
Public Enemy,
Easy Going,
Cybotron,
DNA,
The Music Machine,
Funky Four + One,
The Evens,
The Dead C,
Jerry's Kids,
Don Cherry,
Ohio Players,
Black Moon,
EPMD,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Bob Dylan,
Ralphi Rosario,
the Fania All-Stars,
Kaleidoscope,
Quadrant,
Frankie Knuckles, Frankie Knuckles, Frankie Knuckles, Frankie Knuckles.
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.