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 Paraguay and from Philadelphia.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx to the techno 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 Moss Icon. All the underground hits.
All Patti Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Janne Schatter 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mantronix record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Procol Harum,
The Vogues,
Tears for Fears,
Fugazi,
Yaz,
Severed Heads,
Mark Hollis,
the Soft Cell,
Country Teasers,
Quantec,
Thee Headcoats,
Charles Mingus,
Minutemen,
The Star Department,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Happenings,
Pierre Henry,
Reagan Youth,
John Holt,
Radio Birdman,
Harmonia,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Sexual Harrassment,
John Coltrane,
Freddie Wadling,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Smiths,
Minny Pops,
K-Klass,
Bobby Sherman,
The Durutti Column,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Minor Threat,
Sonic Youth,
DJ Style,
Scion,
Cal Tjader,
Essential Logic,
The Monochrome Set,
John Lydon,
Basic Channel,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Martian,
The Seeds,
Schoolly D,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Tres Demented,
Sister Nancy,
OOIOO,
Grey Daturas,
Byron Stingily,
Nico,
Glambeats Corp.,
The Motions,
Blossom Toes,
Gregory Isaacs,
Gong,
ABC,
Peter & Gordon,
Godley & Creme,
Scratch Acid,
Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu.
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.