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 Honduras and from Philadelphia.
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 1963 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Spokane.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Pole to the techno kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Chris & Cosey. All the underground hits.
All Man Eating Sloth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sugar Minott record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 clarinet and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Colin Newman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sly & The Family Stone,
Fela Kuti,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
The Searchers,
Archie Shepp,
the Soft Cell,
Davy DMX,
Roger Hodgson,
Black Pus,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Bauhaus,
Echospace,
The Techniques,
Ohio Players,
The Birthday Party,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Brothers Johnson,
Mad Mike,
The Smiths,
Procol Harum,
Amon Düül,
Eden Ahbez,
Nick Fraelich,
The Divine Comedy,
Silicon Teens,
Robert Görl,
Wire,
Byron Stingily,
Big Daddy Kane,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Black Flag,
The Buckinghams,
Terry Callier,
Derrick Morgan,
Con Funk Shun,
These Immortal Souls,
Icehouse,
The Happenings,
D'Angelo,
Pharoah Sanders,
Kaleidoscope,
Cymande,
The Moody Blues,
Mission of Burma,
Camberwell Now,
David McCallum,
Trumans Water,
Boz Scaggs,
Camouflage,
Spoonie Gee,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Joey Negro,
The Residents,
Tubeway Army,
Second Layer,
the Association,
Sight & Sound,
PIL,
K-Klass,
Glenn Branca,
Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman.
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.