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 Gambia and from London.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Hong Kong and Winnipeg.
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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the marimba 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 Ralphi Rosario to the grime 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 Judy Mowatt. All the underground hits.
All Red Lorry Yellow Lorry tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gil Scott Heron 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Smoke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Brothers Johnson,
Television,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Alphaville,
Pierre Henry,
Oblivians,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Siglo XX,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Moby Grape,
Scan 7,
The Leaves,
Moebius,
Brass Construction,
Pylon,
Slick Rick,
Eve St. Jones,
Kenny Larkin,
Porter Ricks,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Pantaleimon,
Barclay James Harvest,
Tommy Roe,
Public Image Ltd.,
Fat Boys,
Blossom Toes,
Negative Approach,
Cheater Slicks,
One Last Wish,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Ten City,
Minutemen,
Theoretical Girls,
Terry Callier,
The Velvet Underground,
The Doors,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Slits,
Mad Mike,
Josef K,
The Remains,
The Fire Engines,
Cymande,
Inner City,
Shoche,
The Wake,
The Black Dice,
Grauzone,
Monks,
The Slackers,
8 Eyed Spy,
The Star Department,
Fatback Band,
Magazine,
Tim Buckley,
Arthur Verocai,
Kerri Chandler,
Amon Düül II,
Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan.
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.