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 Bhutan and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1977 at the first Mistral practice in a loft in Amsterdam.
I was working on the mellotron 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 Kerri Chandler to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Arab on Radar. All the underground hits.
All Albert Ayler tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Beau Brummels record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Desert Stars record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Anthony Braxton,
Gerry Rafferty,
Aaron Thompson,
Kool Moe Dee,
Mandrill,
Bad Manners,
Suburban Knight,
The Neon Judgement,
Marine Girls,
Ultravox,
Terrestrial Tones,
Scan 7,
the Slits,
Hoover,
Kas Product,
The Gories,
The Associates,
Radiohead,
Patti Smith,
Funkadelic,
Barrington Levy,
Pantaleimon,
The Move,
Roxette,
Terry Callier,
Agent Orange,
Avey Tare,
Rakim,
Vladislav Delay,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Soul II Soul,
Sarah Menescal,
Arab on Radar,
Clear Light,
X-102,
The Divine Comedy,
Peter & Gordon,
John Lydon,
Marvin Gaye,
The Motions,
Sonny Sharrock,
The Young Rascals,
Bauhaus,
Blossom Toes,
Audionom,
Marc Almond,
Prince Buster,
Interpol,
Depeche Mode,
the Association,
Motorama,
Kevin Saunderson,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Das Ding,
Donald Byrd,
U.S. Maple,
Schoolly D,
Thee Headcoats,
Qualms,
Gichy Dan, Gichy Dan, Gichy Dan, Gichy Dan.
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.