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 Uganda and from Manchester.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Feelies show in Haledon.
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 1967 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
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 Goldenarms to the rock kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Sparks. All the underground hits.
All Isaac Hayes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Yaz 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a In Retrospect record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Marcia Griffiths,
Black Pus,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Ludus,
Hardrive,
Scrapy,
Lalo Schifrin,
These Immortal Souls,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
E-Dancer,
Eric B and Rakim,
Warren Ellis,
The Doobie Brothers,
the Sonics,
Alice Coltrane,
James White and The Blacks,
Animal Collective,
Archie Shepp,
The Knickerbockers,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The United States of America,
In Retrospect,
Radio Birdman,
Mandrill,
Theoretical Girls,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Minny Pops,
Delon & Dalcan,
K-Klass,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Public Enemy,
Porter Ricks,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
a-ha,
The Seeds,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Country Teasers,
Ice-T,
The Vogues,
Visage,
Kayak,
Donald Byrd,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Scott Walker,
Bootsy Collins,
Darondo,
Sonic Youth,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Deadbeat,
EPMD,
Au Pairs,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Avey Tare,
Marvin Gaye,
Spandau Ballet,
Nik Kershaw,
Dead Boys,
The Dirtbombs,
Judy Mowatt,
Arcadia,
Cybotron, Cybotron, Cybotron, Cybotron.
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.