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 Guyana and from Houston.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Manila.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 808 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 Colin Newman to the grunge kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. All the underground hits.
All Kings Of Tomorrow tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Major Organ And The Adding Machine record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 clarinet and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joey Negro,
Tubeway Army,
Albert Ayler,
Minor Threat,
Monks,
Cheater Slicks,
Q65,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Mojo Men,
Chris & Cosey,
Masters at Work,
Ossler,
Unwound,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Juan Atkins,
Sight & Sound,
Sun Ra,
Gerry Rafferty,
Porter Ricks,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Black Moon,
Tommy Roe,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Freddie Wadling,
the Human League,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Bobby Sherman,
Tears for Fears,
Dawn Penn,
Kayak,
Wasted Youth,
The Victims,
H. Thieme,
the Slits,
Fatback Band,
Wire,
Davy DMX,
Jerry's Kids,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Erykah Badu,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Cecil Taylor,
Agent Orange,
Dark Day,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Bobby Hutcherson,
The Human League,
The Detroit Cobras,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Red Krayola,
48th St. Collective,
Camouflage,
Sexual Harrassment,
Talk Talk,
Amon Düül,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The Real Kids,
Lebanon Hanover,
Minny Pops,
Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy, Livin' Joy.
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.