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 Solomon Islands and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Big Star show in Memphis.
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 1962 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Woodstock.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
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 Technova to the punk 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 The Cosmic Jokers. All the underground hits.
All The Motions tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Technova 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Monochrome Set record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Clear Light,
The United States of America,
F. McDonald,
Al Stewart,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Reagan Youth,
Bush Tetras,
Parry Music,
Minnie Riperton,
The Monochrome Set,
DNA,
Index,
the Normal,
Khruangbin,
The Victims,
Howard Jones,
Flash Fearless,
Cecil Taylor,
Joy Division,
The Cramps,
Masters at Work,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Lightning Bolt,
Scion,
Radiohead,
Black Pus,
The Blues Magoos,
T. Rex,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Animal Collective,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
The Raincoats,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Curtis Mayfield,
Funky Four + One,
Cal Tjader,
Blossom Toes,
Erykah Badu,
Eve St. Jones,
Porter Ricks,
X-101,
Joey Negro,
Susan Cadogan,
The Stooges,
Gong,
48th St. Collective,
Boogie Down Productions,
Tubeway Army,
Wasted Youth,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The American Breed,
Neil Young,
Barrington Levy,
Newcleus,
Black Flag,
Mandrill,
The Trojans,
The Kinks,
Qualms,
Kurtis Blow, Kurtis Blow, Kurtis Blow, Kurtis Blow.
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.