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 Eritrea and from Mexico City.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 Robert Palmer 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 Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines to the grunge 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 Josef K. All the underground hits.
All Magazine tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Bang on a Can All-Stars record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rotary Connection record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Birthday Party,
Mission of Burma,
the Fania All-Stars,
Arthur Verocai,
Crooked Eye,
Skarface,
Schoolly D,
The Golliwogs,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Lalann,
Pulsallama,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
The Slackers,
Tim Buckley,
The Fire Engines,
Magma,
Stockholm Monsters,
Aloha Tigers,
Bill Wells,
U.S. Maple,
Morten Harket,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
X-101,
K-Klass,
AZ,
Popol Vuh,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
PIL,
MC5,
Tom Boy,
China Crisis,
Bronski Beat,
L. Decosne,
The Tremeloes,
The Blues Magoos,
Organ,
The Monochrome Set,
Barry Ungar,
Robert Hood,
Eve St. Jones,
Funky Four + One,
These Immortal Souls,
Cameo,
Byron Stingily,
Sight & Sound,
Reagan Youth,
The Misunderstood,
Harpers Bizarre,
Banda Bassotti,
Pylon,
Sarah Menescal,
Chris & Cosey,
Whodini,
Crime,
MDC,
Can,
Lee Hazlewood,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Spandau Ballet,
Albert Ayler, Albert Ayler, Albert Ayler, Albert Ayler.
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.