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 Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 Houston and Manila.
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 1967 at the first Rodriguez practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Delon & Dalcan to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Kenny Larkin. All the underground hits.
All The Barracudas tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Blossom Toes record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a John Foxx record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Slits,
The Barracudas,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Brass Construction,
Soul II Soul,
The Gladiators,
Public Image Ltd.,
the Soft Cell,
New Order,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Excepter,
Brand Nubian,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Con Funk Shun,
Inner City,
Altered Images,
The Sonics,
The Skatalites,
Derrick May,
Youth Brigade,
T. Rex,
Ultimate Spinach,
Bob Dylan,
Alison Limerick,
Smog,
Skarface,
The Tremeloes,
Kevin Saunderson,
Cheater Slicks,
Lightning Bolt,
New York Dolls,
Bauhaus,
Hoover,
the Human League,
Warren Ellis,
Reagan Youth,
Arthur Verocai,
X-102,
Mad Mike,
Avey Tare,
Prince Buster,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Birthday Party,
Black Pus,
Jacob Miller,
Shoche,
Sonic Youth,
Stockholm Monsters,
Masters at Work,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Rites of Spring,
Nick Fraelich,
Flamin' Groovies,
Newcleus,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Absolute Body Control,
Slick Rick,
Ten City,
Basic Channel,
Terry Callier,
Motorama, Motorama, Motorama, Motorama.
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.