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 Japan and from Delhi.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Index to the rap 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 Jacques Brel. All the underground hits.
All Gil Scott Heron tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sun Ra Arkestra record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Judy Mowatt record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Motorama,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Moleskins,
June Days,
The Index,
The Blackbyrds,
Sister Nancy,
Yellowson,
Duran Duran,
DJ Style,
Joensuu 1685,
Yazoo,
Mad Mike,
Skarface,
Buzzcocks,
The Knickerbockers,
Arcadia,
The Invisible,
Dual Sessions,
Jandek,
Soul II Soul,
Average White Band,
Desert Stars,
The Raincoats,
Barrington Levy,
Livin' Joy,
The Vogues,
48th St. Collective,
Crispian St. Peters,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Todd Rundgren,
The Sonics,
Joy Division,
Wasted Youth,
Eric B and Rakim,
These Immortal Souls,
Tres Demented,
Yaz,
Country Joe & The Fish,
the Fania All-Stars,
the Association,
Judy Mowatt,
Dennis Brown,
Royal Trux,
Flamin' Groovies,
Easy Going,
Pet Shop Boys,
Magazine,
The Techniques,
Ultimate Spinach,
Infiniti,
Amon Düül II,
The Velvet Underground,
Bobby Byrd,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Eric Dolphy,
Porter Ricks,
Sugar Minott,
Lyres,
Pole,
Vainqueur, Vainqueur, Vainqueur, Vainqueur.
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.