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 Bangladesh and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Winnipeg.
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 1977 at the first Zapp practice in a loft in Hamilton.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Monolake to the dance kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Rahsaan Roland Kirk. All the underground hits.
All Colin Newman tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sun City Girls record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Smoke record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joy Division,
the Slits,
The Cure,
Maurizio,
8 Eyed Spy,
Flash Fearless,
Wire,
Bill Wells,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Make Up,
MDC,
La Düsseldorf,
Nation of Ulysses,
The New Christs,
Marine Girls,
Sight & Sound,
48th St. Collective,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Crooked Eye,
Alton Ellis,
The Move,
E-Dancer,
Public Image Ltd.,
Big Daddy Kane,
Nico,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Gerry Rafferty,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Colin Newman,
Harpers Bizarre,
Jeff Mills,
The Red Krayola,
The Music Machine,
Sister Nancy,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Sonny Sharrock,
Peter and Kerry,
Jawbox,
The Alarm Clocks,
Black Sheep,
Lightning Bolt,
the Normal,
Jeff Lynne,
Dorothy Ashby,
Bobby Womack,
Glambeats Corp.,
One Last Wish,
Unwound,
Bizarre Inc.,
Mars,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Grey Daturas,
Wings,
EPMD,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Theoretical Girls,
Kurtis Blow,
Letta Mbulu,
Ludus,
Clear Light, Clear Light, Clear Light, Clear Light.
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.