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 Burkina and from Sao Paulo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Selda show in Istanbul.
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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 linndrum 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 Barclay James Harvest to the rock 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 Nico. All the underground hits.
All Colin Newman tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Amazonics record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nik Kershaw record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Cosmic Jokers,
Mantronix,
The Blues Magoos,
Lindisfarne,
E-Dancer,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
David Bowie,
Lou Reed,
Desert Stars,
Gang of Four,
Chris & Cosey,
The Invisible,
Accadde A,
Fluxion,
The Music Machine,
Fugazi,
The Black Dice,
Colin Newman,
the Soft Cell,
The Saints,
Easy Going,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Terrestrial Tones,
Anakelly,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Janne Schatter,
Toni Rubio,
Michelle Simonal,
Mo-Dettes,
Skaos,
Charles Mingus,
New Age Steppers,
Zapp,
Idris Muhammad,
The Dave Clark Five,
Frankie Knuckles,
Man Parrish,
the Swans,
Pussy Galore,
Bobby Womack,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Jacob Miller,
Electric Light Orchestra,
Cal Tjader,
The Walker Brothers,
Gil Scott Heron,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Modern Lovers,
Monolake,
Lungfish,
Minnie Riperton,
Unwound,
ABBA,
The Kinks,
Parry Music,
Fela Kuti,
Bill Near,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Sight & Sound,
Barbara Tucker,
the Fania All-Stars,
Girls At Our Best!, Girls At Our Best!, Girls At Our Best!, Girls At Our Best!.
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.