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 Luxembourg and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South London.
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 1969 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Stockholm.
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 1965 at the first Beefheart practice in a loft in Lancaster.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Quando Quango. All the underground hits.
All Marvin Gaye tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every James White and The Blacks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Skaos record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator 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 Fugs,
Grey Daturas,
PIL,
the Swans,
Trumans Water,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Dawn Penn,
The Last Poets,
Lakeside,
Jeff Lynne,
Josef K,
The Techniques,
June of 44,
Eric Dolphy,
Skarface,
Lalann,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Gabor Szabo,
Bill Near,
Public Image Ltd.,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Swell Maps,
Vainqueur,
Dead Boys,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Can,
Scratch Acid,
Rakim,
The Misunderstood,
the Bar-Kays,
Archie Shepp,
New Age Steppers,
The Happenings,
Crispian St. Peters,
Jandek,
Mantronix,
Erasure,
Rapeman,
The Young Rascals,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Livin' Joy,
The Grass Roots,
Cal Tjader,
David Axelrod,
Duran Duran,
Isaac Hayes,
Soulsonic Force,
Yusef Lateef,
Pagans,
Slick Rick,
The Cowsills,
Kurtis Blow,
The Fuzztones,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Patti Smith,
Shuggie Otis,
The Detroit Cobras,
Charles Mingus,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Theoretical Girls,
Basic Channel,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Sister Nancy, Sister Nancy, Sister Nancy, Sister Nancy.
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.