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 Cape Verde and from Woodstock.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1962 at the first Guess Who practice in a loft in Winnipeg.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Ash Ra Tempel 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 The Beau Brummels. All the underground hits.
All The Peanut Butter Conspiracy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rod Modell record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Alton Ellis,
Mr. Review,
Althea and Donna,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Ten City,
The Black Dice,
Gichy Dan,
Godley & Creme,
Tropical Tobacco,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
New Order,
The Shadows of Knight,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Gun Club,
Electric Light Orchestra,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Joy Division,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Eric B and Rakim,
OOIOO,
Organ,
Theoretical Girls,
Ituana,
10cc,
New York Dolls,
kango's stein massive,
Alphaville,
Eurythmics,
Procol Harum,
Barry Ungar,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Neil Young,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Eden Ahbez,
Saccharine Trust,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Spoonie Gee,
Soul II Soul,
Model 500,
Gabor Szabo,
The Gladiators,
Cybotron,
EPMD,
Guru Guru,
Gang Gang Dance,
Masters at Work,
Glambeats Corp.,
Motorama,
F. McDonald,
Ronan,
Scientists,
China Crisis,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The Kinks,
LL Cool J,
The Fugs,
Pierre Henry,
Camberwell Now,
The Knickerbockers,
Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen.
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.