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 St Kitts & Nevis and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1961 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Lou Reed to the rock kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Bill Near. All the underground hits.
All A Flock of Seagulls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Babytalk record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap 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 clarinet and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Alton Ellis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Godley & Creme,
Minnie Riperton,
La Düsseldorf,
The Doobie Brothers,
Country Teasers,
The Vogues,
Groovy Waters,
John Lydon,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Ken Boothe,
Neil Young,
Schoolly D,
Television,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Rod Modell,
Jawbox,
Graham Central Station,
Marine Girls,
Duran Duran,
Procol Harum,
Spoonie Gee,
Wire,
Gang Gang Dance,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Modern Lovers,
Mandrill,
Camberwell Now,
Deadbeat,
Little Man,
Mary Jane Girls,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Peter & Gordon,
Nico,
Idris Muhammad,
X-101,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
JFA,
Maurizio,
Wally Richardson,
Patti Smith,
Black Flag,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Aural Exciters,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Nas,
Charles Mingus,
Erykah Badu,
The Techniques,
Con Funk Shun,
The Young Rascals,
The Associates,
Nation of Ulysses,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Jeru the Damaja,
Brothers Johnson,
Kas Product,
Clear Light,
June of 44,
Judy Mowatt,
Scrapy,
Public Enemy,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Carl Craig, Carl Craig, Carl Craig, Carl Craig.
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.