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 Bangladesh and from Philadelphia.
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 1960 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 1971 at the first Big Star practice in a loft in Memphis.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Human League to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Funkadelic. All the underground hits.
All Judy Mowatt tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Warren Ellis record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Althea and Donna,
Bang On A Can,
Heaven 17,
Max Romeo,
Thompson Twins,
Con Funk Shun,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
The Golliwogs,
Bush Tetras,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Massinfluence,
Electric Prunes,
Kenny Larkin,
Funky Four + One,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Eurythmics,
Bad Manners,
Rhythm & Sound,
Brand Nubian,
Fatback Band,
The Evens,
Urselle,
Nils Olav,
Ultra Naté,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Dark Day,
Gabor Szabo,
Andrew Hill,
Public Image Ltd.,
Big Daddy Kane,
Rosa Yemen,
Matthew Halsall,
The Birthday Party,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Skaos,
Bootsy Collins,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Circle Jerks,
China Crisis,
The Fire Engines,
48th St. Collective,
Eden Ahbez,
the Sonics,
Robert Görl,
Aural Exciters,
The Dirtbombs,
Moebius,
Lightning Bolt,
Ponytail,
Bizarre Inc.,
Kool Moe Dee,
Patti Smith,
Sonny Sharrock,
Easy Going,
Pharoah Sanders,
Nas,
Procol Harum,
New York Dolls,
Unwound,
Au Pairs,
X-Ray Spex, X-Ray Spex, X-Ray Spex, X-Ray Spex.
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.