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 Georgia and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1975 at the first Ubu practice in a loft in Cleveland.
I was working on the theremin 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 Lebanon Hanover to the punk 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 Echo & the Bunnymen. All the underground hits.
All Stereo Dub tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Divine Comedy record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Howard Jones record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Raincoats,
Curtis Mayfield,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Nico,
Jandek,
Bluetip,
Alison Limerick,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Andrew Hill,
Traffic Nightmare,
Peter & Gordon,
Agent Orange,
X-Ray Spex,
Delta 5,
Yaz,
The Residents,
Y Pants,
Kerri Chandler,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Audionom,
Grauzone,
Anakelly,
Mary Jane Girls,
Iggy Pop,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
The Skatalites,
Jeff Lynne,
Nas,
The Detroit Cobras,
kango's stein massive,
Jimmy McGriff,
Deepchord,
The Electric Prunes,
The Mummies,
Chrome,
Sun City Girls,
The Moody Blues,
Tropical Tobacco,
Pet Shop Boys,
Black Flag,
Au Pairs,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Quantec,
Barry Ungar,
The Buckinghams,
Rhythm & Sound,
Fad Gadget,
The Walker Brothers,
Roy Ayers,
Faraquet,
Johnny Clarke,
The Mojo Men,
Donny Hathaway,
New Age Steppers,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
New Order,
Sonny Sharrock,
Pantytec,
DNA,
Joensuu 1685,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Ponytail, Ponytail, Ponytail, Ponytail.
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.