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 Guyana and from Johannesburg.
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 1960 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Lyon.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
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 Marshall Jefferson to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Tom Boy. All the underground hits.
All Joe Smooth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Crooked Eye record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Quadrant record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
A Certain Ratio,
Tommy Roe,
World's Most,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Brick,
Bill Near,
the Sonics,
John Foxx,
The Dave Clark Five,
Camberwell Now,
The Index,
Con Funk Shun,
Main Source,
Fela Kuti,
Throbbing Gristle,
Yaz,
Oneida,
Al Stewart,
Little Man,
Sparks,
Girls At Our Best!,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Davy DMX,
Connie Case,
Cluster,
Terry Callier,
Symarip,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Anthony Braxton,
FM Einheit,
Grey Daturas,
Clear Light,
ABC,
Excepter,
The Real Kids,
Kerri Chandler,
New York Dolls,
Swell Maps,
James Chance & The Contortions,
the Swans,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Gang Starr,
Pylon,
The Modern Lovers,
Wally Richardson,
Kayak,
Massinfluence,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Amon Düül II,
Nik Kershaw,
Sandy B,
Shuggie Otis,
Johnny Clarke,
Peter and Kerry,
The Associates,
Marc Almond,
The Blackbyrds,
Ultra Naté,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Nils Olav,
Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks, Cheater Slicks.
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.