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 Turkmenistan and from Copenhagen.
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 1962 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 organ 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 Piero Umiliani to the grime kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Sunsets and Hearts. All the underground hits.
All Flash Fearless tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Quadrant 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Public Enemy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Red Krayola,
Mr. Review,
Rod Modell,
The Victims,
Absolute Body Control,
Sarah Menescal,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Lower 48,
Jeff Lynne,
Groovy Waters,
Wolf Eyes,
KRS-One,
Nation of Ulysses,
Spoonie Gee,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Neu!,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Frankie Knuckles,
Grey Daturas,
Stereo Dub,
The Busters,
the Swans,
The Index,
Crispy Ambulance,
The Doobie Brothers,
John Holt,
Jacques Brel,
Al Stewart,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Bootsy Collins,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Gabor Szabo,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Godley & Creme,
Marine Girls,
Joe Finger,
Guru Guru,
Robert Görl,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Mantronix,
Wire,
The American Breed,
Hot Snakes,
The Alarm Clocks,
Susan Cadogan,
Oblivians,
X-101,
Terry Callier,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Mars,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Ultravox,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Big Daddy Kane,
Boogie Down Productions,
Ohio Players,
Fear,
The Fugs,
The Vogues,
Laurel Aitken,
New Age Steppers,
Albert Ayler,
Tommy Roe,
Young Marble Giants,
U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple, U.S. Maple.
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.