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 Ukraine and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1967 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the guitar 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 The Detroit Cobras to the dance 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 Carl Craig. All the underground hits.
All Peter and Kerry tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Idris Muhammad record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 theremin and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Grandmaster Flash record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Hot Snakes,
The Move,
The Fugs,
the Fania All-Stars,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The Dirtbombs,
Bad Manners,
Idris Muhammad,
Minnie Riperton,
The Pop Group,
Main Source,
Basic Channel,
Godley & Creme,
Kurtis Blow,
James Chance & The Contortions,
ABC,
Monolake,
Avey Tare,
The Vogues,
Sandy B,
Stetsasonic,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Jesper Dahlback,
Glambeats Corp.,
Dave Gahan,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Howard Jones,
Alphaville,
Heaven 17,
Janne Schatter,
T. Rex,
PIL,
Con Funk Shun,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Minny Pops,
Dorothy Ashby,
Public Enemy,
Rapeman,
The Moleskins,
La Düsseldorf,
a-ha,
Matthew Bourne,
Wasted Youth,
Jeff Mills,
In Retrospect,
Eden Ahbez,
Underground Resistance,
Ten City,
Anthony Braxton,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Judy Mowatt,
Section 25,
Niagra,
The Birthday Party,
Deepchord,
MC5,
Y Pants,
Eddi Front,
Spoonie Gee,
Wings,
Fad Gadget,
Eric B and Rakim, Eric B and Rakim, Eric B and Rakim, Eric B and Rakim.
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.