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 Yemen and from Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1962 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Sao Paulo.
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 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 ABC to the techno kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Unwound. All the underground hits.
All Isaac Hayes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Man Eating Sloth record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance 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 güiro and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Barracudas record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Avey Tare,
Brass Construction,
Derrick Morgan,
ABBA,
Gil Scott Heron,
Mantronix,
The Raincoats,
Thompson Twins,
Subhumans,
Fela Kuti,
The Busters,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Last Poets,
Warren Ellis,
the Association,
The Evens,
Harpers Bizarre,
Rekid,
The Real Kids,
Graham Central Station,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Guru Guru,
Radio Birdman,
Marvin Gaye,
Easy Going,
Audionom,
Barrington Levy,
The Human League,
Ultra Naté,
Ronan,
the Human League,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Interpol,
Chris & Cosey,
Fear,
Fluxion,
The Selecter,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Deakin,
The Fall,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Mo-Dettes,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Yaz,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Ohio Players,
Rotary Connection,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Ice-T,
Spandau Ballet,
The Durutti Column,
Arab on Radar,
Absolute Body Control,
Joe Smooth,
Arthur Verocai,
Livin' Joy,
Hashim,
Bush Tetras,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
David Axelrod,
Au Pairs,
Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now, Camberwell Now.
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.