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 Czech Republic and from Lyon.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Essential Logic to the disco 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 Idris Muhammad. All the underground hits.
All These Immortal Souls tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jawbox record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a snare and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Birthday Party record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Brick,
The Busters,
The Mojo Men,
Marmalade,
Anakelly,
Grauzone,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Sonny Sharrock,
Organ,
Camberwell Now,
The Monochrome Set,
Ponytail,
The Remains,
The Martian,
T.S.O.L.,
Ohio Players,
Amon Düül II,
New York Dolls,
Tubeway Army,
Heaven 17,
Sonic Youth,
Max Romeo,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
JFA,
The Sisters of Mercy,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Smiths,
Joyce Sims,
Crispian St. Peters,
Easy Going,
Clear Light,
Byron Stingily,
Agitation Free,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Anthony Braxton,
Barclay James Harvest,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Blossom Toes,
Stetsasonic,
Marcia Griffiths,
8 Eyed Spy,
ABC,
Altered Images,
The Searchers,
Nik Kershaw,
The Mummies,
Scrapy,
48th St. Collective,
Bobby Sherman,
Eve St. Jones,
The Victims,
June of 44,
Rakim,
Alton Ellis,
Youth Brigade,
AZ,
Mo-Dettes,
Derrick May,
Black Sheep,
Kerri Chandler, Kerri Chandler, Kerri Chandler, Kerri Chandler.
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.