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 Zambia and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 clarinet 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 Fear to the grime kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Can. All the underground hits.
All The Pop Group tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Richard Hell and the Voidoids 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Misunderstood record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Hardrive,
Gong,
The Motions,
Symarip,
Ituana,
Alton Ellis,
Malaria!,
Essential Logic,
One Last Wish,
Spoonie Gee,
Hoover,
The Grass Roots,
Los Fastidios,
Warsaw,
Pere Ubu,
Eric B and Rakim,
Bronski Beat,
Dark Day,
The Residents,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Sexual Harrassment,
Bob Dylan,
Organ,
Basic Channel,
Wally Richardson,
The Doobie Brothers,
Frankie Knuckles,
Bootsy Collins,
The Young Rascals,
The Music Machine,
Alice Coltrane,
Alison Limerick,
a-ha,
Blossom Toes,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Yazoo,
The Fuzztones,
The Gap Band,
Reagan Youth,
The Raincoats,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Main Source,
The Angels of Light,
Mr. Review,
Johnny Clarke,
Scion,
Tropical Tobacco,
Neil Young,
Eden Ahbez,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Japan,
Lakeside,
Surgeon,
Yaz,
Black Flag,
The Victims,
Cameo,
Buzzcocks,
Cal Tjader,
Man Parrish,
Josef K,
Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton, Minnie Riperton.
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.