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 Ivory Coast and from Copenhagen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Beijing.
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 1976 at the first Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
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 Ronnie Foster to the rap kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Glenn Branca. All the underground hits.
All Isaac Hayes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Chris & Cosey record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a spring reverb 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 harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Soft Cell,
LL Cool J,
The United States of America,
Section 25,
Skarface,
Spoonie Gee,
The Trojans,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Procol Harum,
Simply Red,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Crispian St. Peters,
China Crisis,
Neu!,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Malaria!,
Don Cherry,
The Durutti Column,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Gang of Four,
The Slits,
Grey Daturas,
Pantaleimon,
Zapp,
Groovy Waters,
Flash Fearless,
Hashim,
Marshall Jefferson,
Sam Rivers,
the Swans,
Sugar Minott,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Lou Reed,
Livin' Joy,
Matthew Halsall,
The Last Poets,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Arthur Verocai,
The Selecter,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Althea and Donna,
Suburban Knight,
the Association,
Goldenarms,
Easy Going,
Oblivians,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Delta 5,
The Black Dice,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Nik Kershaw,
The Tremeloes,
Infiniti,
Japan,
The Music Machine,
the Normal,
Average White Band,
The Divine Comedy,
The Seeds, The Seeds, The Seeds, The Seeds.
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.