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 Benin and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1968 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 electroclash kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Soul II Soul. All the underground hits.
All Max Romeo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Donald Byrd 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Idris Muhammad record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Brothers Johnson,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Cecil Taylor,
The Blackbyrds,
The Neon Judgement,
Peter and Kerry,
Tommy Roe,
Babytalk,
Country Teasers,
Ludus,
New Age Steppers,
Tres Demented,
The Music Machine,
Sonny Sharrock,
Mars,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
John Foxx,
Kerri Chandler,
Fela Kuti,
Wolf Eyes,
Anthony Braxton,
Stereo Dub,
Talk Talk,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Standells,
Wings,
Swell Maps,
The Human League,
Goldenarms,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Anakelly,
Yazoo,
The Invisible,
the Swans,
Camberwell Now,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Althea and Donna,
New Order,
Eric Dolphy,
Prince Buster,
the Soft Cell,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
The Sonics,
Whodini,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Jesper Dahlback,
Gregory Isaacs,
David Bowie,
Fad Gadget,
Gang Green,
Grey Daturas,
Eli Mardock,
Rosa Yemen,
The Real Kids,
Thompson Twins,
Idris Muhammad,
Hashim,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Mighty Diamonds,
David McCallum,
Spoonie Gee, Spoonie Gee, Spoonie Gee, Spoonie Gee.
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.