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 Syria and from Shanghai.
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 1962 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Lightning Bolt to the crunk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Bang on a Can All-Stars. All the underground hits.
All Cameo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scrapy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Eric Dolphy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Patti Smith,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Monochrome Set,
Youth Brigade,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Blues Magoos,
Absolute Body Control,
Procol Harum,
the Bar-Kays,
Grauzone,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
The Invisible,
Amon Düül,
Camouflage,
Pierre Henry,
Kevin Saunderson,
Freddie Wadling,
Quadrant,
Zero Boys,
the Fania All-Stars,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
B.T. Express,
The Happenings,
Boz Scaggs,
Livin' Joy,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Sonic Youth,
MDC,
David Bowie,
The Angels of Light,
cv313,
Talk Talk,
The Cure,
Minny Pops,
Soft Cell,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Max Romeo,
Mad Mike,
Chrome,
Joe Finger,
Bush Tetras,
Davy DMX,
Don Cherry,
Roy Ayers,
Matthew Bourne,
Eurythmics,
The Blackbyrds,
The Slits,
Parry Music,
ABC,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
New Age Steppers,
Boogie Down Productions,
X-101,
Mantronix,
The Birthday Party,
Duran Duran,
The Young Rascals,
Johnny Osbourne,
Gong,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Gap Band,
Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes, Hot Snakes.
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.