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 Israel and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Paris.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bremen 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the marimba 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 Joy Division to the techno 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 Reagan Youth. All the underground hits.
All The Durutti Column tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The American Breed record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge 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 linndrum and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soul Sonic Force record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Black Moon,
Gastr Del Sol,
Parry Music,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Neil Young,
X-Ray Spex,
Lower 48,
Von Mondo,
The Real Kids,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Bobby Womack,
Fela Kuti,
Ice-T,
David Bowie,
Deepchord,
Yellowson,
The Residents,
Hardrive,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Neu!,
X-102,
Robert Hood,
Mad Mike,
Scott Walker,
Oblivians,
Ultravox,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Mr. Review,
The Walker Brothers,
LL Cool J,
Kevin Saunderson,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Electric Prunes,
Kenny Larkin,
Zero Boys,
Newcleus,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Doors,
Ossler,
Nirvana,
The Dead C,
Blake Baxter,
Todd Rundgren,
DJ Sneak,
PIL,
The Index,
Adolescents,
Bluetip,
The Golliwogs,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Scratch Acid,
Camberwell Now,
Dennis Brown,
EPMD,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Average White Band,
Bill Wells,
Eli Mardock,
The Last Poets, The Last Poets, The Last Poets, The Last Poets.
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.