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 Belarus and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 1973 at the first Television practice in a loft in New York.
I was working on the spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Kool Moe Dee to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Gang of Four. All the underground hits.
All Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cramps record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James White and The Blacks record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Golliwogs,
Jandek,
Spoonie Gee,
Rekid,
The Count Five,
Blossom Toes,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Freddie Wadling,
Marvin Gaye,
Gang Green,
Khruangbin,
Reuben Wilson,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Man Eating Sloth,
Mars,
The Cure,
Erykah Badu,
Girls At Our Best!,
the Sonics,
Boredoms,
Soul II Soul,
Pantaleimon,
The Angels of Light,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
The Victims,
Radiopuhelimet,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Ken Boothe,
Malaria!,
L. Decosne,
Ronnie Foster,
Deepchord,
Black Bananas,
Suburban Knight,
Mr. Review,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Darondo,
Alton Ellis,
The Dead C,
Godley & Creme,
The Gladiators,
Royal Trux,
Mad Mike,
Barrington Levy,
The Techniques,
Gang Gang Dance,
Brothers Johnson,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Todd Terry,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Nirvana,
JFA,
Smog,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
The Tremeloes,
Popol Vuh,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
The Cosmic Jokers,
FM Einheit,
A Certain Ratio,
The Fugs,
48th St. Collective,
Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo, Yazoo.
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.