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 Chad and from Taipei.
But I was there.
I was there in 1978.
I was there at the first Visage show in London.
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 1964 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1984 at the first Arcadia practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the rhodes 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 a-ha to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Invisible. All the underground hits.
All The Durutti Column tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Can record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rakim record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Boogie Down Productions,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Mojo Men,
Cecil Taylor,
Cybotron,
Mandrill,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Liliput,
Monks,
Juan Atkins,
The Litter,
Fad Gadget,
Outsiders,
Visionaries,LMNO, T- Love & Iriscience,
MC5,
Stereo Dub,
Dark Day,
The Pop Group,
The Fall,
Judy Mowatt,
Circle Jerks,
John Cale,
ABC,
Deepchord,
Patti Smith,
Amon Düül,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Soft Machine,
Das Ding,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Deakin,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Lower 48,
Camberwell Now,
Johnny Clarke,
Aswad,
David McCallum,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Davy DMX,
Altered Images,
Sarah Menescal,
Lalann,
Fela Kuti,
The United States of America,
The J.B.'s,
Thee Headcoats,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
the Normal,
The Velvet Underground,
Smog,
Albert Ayler,
Erykah Badu,
Stetsasonic,
Bill Wells,
Silicon Teens,
Joyce Sims,
Supertramp,
Barry Ungar,
Mary Jane Girls,
Bad Manners,
The Invisible,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Guru Guru, Guru Guru, Guru Guru, Guru Guru.
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.