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 Denmark and from Glasgow.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Fort Wilson Riot to the funk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Slave. All the underground hits.
All Flipper tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The J.B.'s 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Archie Shepp record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Cowsills,
Technova,
China Crisis,
Rosa Yemen,
The American Breed,
Boz Scaggs,
Pantaleimon,
The Wake,
Joe Finger,
Robert Görl,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Cybotron,
Graham Central Station,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Modern Lovers,
The Offenders,
Fad Gadget,
The Stooges,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Index,
Drexciya,
James White and The Blacks,
Peter & Gordon,
Mantronix,
Dorothy Ashby,
Porter Ricks,
Judy Mowatt,
Depeche Mode,
The Monochrome Set,
Angry Samoans,
Don Cherry,
KRS-One,
MC5,
Gong,
Mo-Dettes,
Chris Corsano,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Can,
Public Image Ltd.,
Andrew Hill,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Television Personalities,
Kayak,
the Germs,
Absolute Body Control,
Gang of Four,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Music Machine,
Gang Gang Dance,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Electric Prunes,
Kerrie Biddell,
Sonic Youth,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Jesper Dahlback,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
James Chance & The Contortions,
A Certain Ratio,
Harpers Bizarre,
Negative Approach,
The Techniques, The Techniques, The Techniques, The Techniques.
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.