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 Dominican Republic and from Philadelphia.
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 1969 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Winnipeg 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 clarinet 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 Barry Ungar to the grime 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 Q and Not U. All the underground hits.
All Country Teasers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Young Rascals 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Magazine record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
June of 44,
Sexual Harrassment,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Doors,
The Golliwogs,
Warsaw,
Nils Olav,
Bobby Womack,
Bizarre Inc.,
Eric Dolphy,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Scan 7,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
The Fugs,
Kas Product,
Loose Ends,
Dennis Brown,
The J.B.'s,
Piero Umiliani,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
the Swans,
Rites of Spring,
Bill Near,
The Pop Group,
Pere Ubu,
Monolake,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Nico,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Wally Richardson,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Heaven 17,
Black Bananas,
Lou Christie,
Infiniti,
The Music Machine,
Harmonia,
Pylon,
Dorothy Ashby,
Black Sheep,
Babytalk,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Blues Magoos,
Kayak,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
Lebanon Hanover,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Au Pairs,
Con Funk Shun,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Roxette,
Eric Copeland,
Eve St. Jones,
Bang On A Can,
The Motions,
The Cure,
Boz Scaggs,
Fad Gadget,
Gang of Four,
Ossler, Ossler, Ossler, Ossler.
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.