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 Madagascar and from Hong Kong.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Seoul.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Dorothy Ashby to the funk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Bootsy's Rubber Band. All the underground hits.
All The Divine Comedy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Magma 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ken Boothe record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Black Bananas,
Laurel Aitken,
the Soft Cell,
Metal Thangz,
Joyce Sims,
Black Sheep,
a-ha,
Bill Near,
The Detroit Cobras,
Al Stewart,
Godley & Creme,
the Sonics,
Tom Boy,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Junior Murvin,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Toasters,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Aaron Thompson,
Mandrill,
Zero Boys,
The Divine Comedy,
Sam Rivers,
Subhumans,
Section 25,
Amon Düül,
Dennis Brown,
Hot Snakes,
June of 44,
Boredoms,
Khruangbin,
These Immortal Souls,
Colin Newman,
Lungfish,
Alice Coltrane,
Make Up,
The Durutti Column,
Babytalk,
Hashim,
Reagan Youth,
Fugazi,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Brick,
Moby Grape,
Brass Construction,
Glenn Branca,
Crispy Ambulance,
Tomorrow,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Ossler,
Maleditus Sound,
Altered Images,
Ultra Naté,
Alton Ellis,
Jeru the Damaja,
Rufus Thomas,
Nirvana,
FM Einheit,
Sixth Finger,
Unwound,
The Raincoats,
Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Hayes.
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.