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 Guinea-Bissau and from Lagos.
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 1968 to 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Madrid and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tehran 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
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 The Martian to the techno kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Johnny Osbourne. All the underground hits.
All MC5 tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Con Funk Shun record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Girls At Our Best! record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Birthday Party,
New York Dolls,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Boredoms,
The Litter,
Sun Ra,
PIL,
Saccharine Trust,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Cowsills,
Jandek,
Vainqueur,
Newcleus,
Moss Icon,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Brand Nubian,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Fortunes,
Shoche,
Grey Daturas,
Be Bop Deluxe,
The Saints,
Sixth Finger,
Donny Hathaway,
The American Breed,
Ludus,
Henry Cow,
Sonic Youth,
Bronski Beat,
Zapp,
Cluster,
Wire,
The Leaves,
Cybotron,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Josef K,
Slave,
Scott Walker,
D'Angelo,
Second Layer,
Ten City,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
The Techniques,
Joe Finger,
The New Christs,
Mr. Review,
Outsiders,
Tim Buckley,
The Fire Engines,
T. Rex,
The Gories,
Terry Callier,
Babytalk,
The Count Five,
The Cure,
the Association,
the Fania All-Stars,
Black Moon,
Bootsy Collins,
Marcia Griffiths,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Prince Buster, Prince Buster, Prince Buster, Prince Buster.
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.