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 Philippines and from Manchester.
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 1962 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 harpsichord 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 The Saints to the funk 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 Black Pus. All the underground hits.
All Pantaleimon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Dark Day record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Jawbox record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jacob Miller,
the Swans,
The Neon Judgement,
The Star Department,
Swans,
Barry Ungar,
Pere Ubu,
Flipper,
Cameo,
Scientists,
Loose Ends,
Japan,
Qualms,
kango's stein massive,
The United States of America,
Letta Mbulu,
In Retrospect,
The Blues Magoos,
The Walker Brothers,
The Dirtbombs,
Sexual Harrassment,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
The Gun Club,
Joe Finger,
Pole,
The Offenders,
Minny Pops,
Donny Hathaway,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Velvet Underground,
Jimmy McGriff,
June of 44,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Soft Cell,
Moss Icon,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Royal Trux,
Bauhaus,
Ten City,
Infiniti,
Pharoah Sanders,
Chrome,
The Doobie Brothers,
Derrick May,
Lee Hazlewood,
Lower 48,
The Sonics,
Groovy Waters,
The Alarm Clocks,
The Durutti Column,
The Vogues,
Matthew Halsall,
Ituana,
Sandy B,
Brand Nubian,
Blake Baxter,
Slick Rick,
Hot Snakes,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
The Residents, The Residents, The Residents, The Residents.
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.