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 Taiwan and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1968 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Mexico City.
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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the organ 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 Scott Walker to the funk kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Sam Rivers. All the underground hits.
All Altered Images tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Echo & the Bunnymen 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dave Clark Five record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Funky Four + One,
Simply Red,
Maleditus Sound,
World's Most,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Blues Magoos,
Mark Hollis,
Althea and Donna,
The Doors,
Accadde A,
Bizarre Inc.,
10cc,
Sonic Youth,
Half Japanese,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Joe Finger,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Lalann,
Peter & Gordon,
Tomorrow,
The Real Kids,
Alton Ellis,
Terry Callier,
Visage,
Jesper Dahlback,
X-101,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
OOIOO,
Pantaleimon,
Goldenarms,
The Gories,
The Divine Comedy,
Young Marble Giants,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Drive Like Jehu,
Joey Negro,
Boz Scaggs,
Little Man,
Grauzone,
Alison Limerick,
The Remains,
Aaron Thompson,
Eric Dolphy,
Gang Green,
Scrapy,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Gil Scott Heron,
Pantytec,
Ornette Coleman,
Panda Bear,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Mad Mike,
Lakeside,
Gichy Dan,
Josef K,
Byron Stingily,
The Detroit Cobras,
Arcadia,
Joe Smooth,
Cymande,
Au Pairs, Au Pairs, Au Pairs, Au Pairs.
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.