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 Azerbaijan 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 1966 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Mr. Review to the crunk 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 Pantaleimon. All the underground hits.
All Ralphi Rosario tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Soulsonic Force record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Matthew Halsall record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Public Enemy,
Supertramp,
Scratch Acid,
Darondo,
Easy Going,
Kayak,
Juan Atkins,
Roy Ayers,
Pagans,
Wolf Eyes,
Delon & Dalcan,
Radio Birdman,
Flamin' Groovies,
Public Image Ltd.,
Siglo XX,
The Moleskins,
Dark Day,
The Dave Clark Five,
Arthur Verocai,
Lungfish,
Jacques Brel,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
David Axelrod,
The Smiths,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Blossom Toes,
The Divine Comedy,
Rotary Connection,
X-101,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Gap Band,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Curtis Mayfield,
Fugazi,
Ronan,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Dave Gahan,
Alphaville,
Henry Cow,
Bad Manners,
The New Christs,
The Blackbyrds,
Roger Hodgson,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
The Alarm Clocks,
Nas,
The American Breed,
Lakeside,
The Seeds,
Technova,
Das Ding,
Gerry Rafferty,
Wasted Youth,
The Searchers,
Archie Shepp,
The Skatalites,
the Association,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Birthday Party,
Boz Scaggs,
Rod Modell,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
EPMD, EPMD, EPMD, EPMD.
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.