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 El Salvador and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Susan Cadogan to the funk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Yaz. All the underground hits.
All Silicon Teens tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Minnie Riperton 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lou Christie,
The Divine Comedy,
Gang of Four,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Human League,
LL Cool J,
Barrington Levy,
Warren Ellis,
Bobby Womack,
Peter & Gordon,
Shoche,
Minnie Riperton,
Babytalk,
X-101,
Ponytail,
Morten Harket,
Lucky Dragons,
Big Daddy Kane,
Simply Red,
Technova,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Little Man,
Second Layer,
KRS-One,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Buzzcocks,
Brothers Johnson,
Altered Images,
Lightning Bolt,
Main Source,
Albert Ayler,
Jimmy McGriff,
June Days,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Nas,
R.M.O.,
Soul Sonic Force,
Zapp,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Make Up,
Pagans,
The Beau Brummels,
The Offenders,
Model 500,
The Gap Band,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Basic Channel,
Audionom,
Wally Richardson,
Godley & Creme,
the Bar-Kays,
Laurel Aitken,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Man Parrish,
Maleditus Sound,
Ultimate Spinach,
Johnny Osbourne,
Gang Gang Dance,
Royal Trux,
The Sound,
This Heat,
Intrusion,
The Wake, The Wake, The Wake, The Wake.
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.