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 Bulgaria and from Shanghai.
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 1960 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Calgary and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade to the grime 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 The Chocolate Watch Band. All the underground hits.
All Oppenheimer Analysis tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Sonics record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oneida record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tropical Tobacco,
The Shadows of Knight,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Ken Boothe,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Janne Schatter,
The Kinks,
The Fall,
The Moody Blues,
Patti Smith,
Althea and Donna,
The Mojo Men,
The Five Americans,
Skaos,
Black Moon,
Urselle,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Electric Prunes,
Television,
Amon Düül,
The Pop Group,
The Wake,
Dual Sessions,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Tubeway Army,
Peter and Kerry,
DJ Style,
The Durutti Column,
Visage,
Isaac Hayes,
Sight & Sound,
Arcadia,
Technova,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Dorothy Ashby,
Inner City,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
DJ Sneak,
Brand Nubian,
Crooked Eye,
Subhumans,
Q65,
Harry Pussy,
Bad Manners,
Jacques Brel,
The Index,
Jandek,
Monks,
June of 44,
The American Breed,
Yusef Lateef,
Livin' Joy,
Quadrant,
The Fire Engines,
Ultra Naté,
Dawn Penn,
Kayak,
Brothers Johnson,
Sarah Menescal,
The Dead C,
Eli Mardock,
Juan Atkins, Juan Atkins, Juan Atkins, Juan Atkins.
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.