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 Zimbabwe and from Madrid.
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 1960 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Woodstock and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 808 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 Pantaleimon to the punk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 The Cosmic Jokers. All the underground hits.
All Josef K tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Real Kids 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radio Birdman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Buckinghams,
Joey Negro,
Alton Ellis,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Barclay James Harvest,
Half Japanese,
The Black Dice,
The Neon Judgement,
Skarface,
In Retrospect,
Arthur Verocai,
Blossom Toes,
Ice-T,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Godley & Creme,
Pagans,
Mr. Review,
Banda Bassotti,
Wolf Eyes,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Rufus Thomas,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Second Layer,
Tim Buckley,
Wally Richardson,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Buzzcocks,
The Fall,
Glenn Branca,
Cal Tjader,
Lower 48,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
L. Decosne,
the Germs,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Main Source,
The Remains,
Hashim,
ABC,
The Knickerbockers,
Skaos,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Model 500,
Ornette Coleman,
June Days,
Sam Rivers,
B.T. Express,
The Red Krayola,
the Soft Cell,
Dual Sessions,
Wasted Youth,
Eurythmics,
Young Marble Giants,
Faraquet,
Sparks,
Bobby Byrd,
The Dave Clark Five,
Thee Headcoats,
The Dirtbombs,
Deepchord,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth, Joe Smooth.
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.