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 Peru and from Cairo.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Al Stewart to the jazz 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 Bad Manners. All the underground hits.
All The Beau Brummels tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Freddie Wadling record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
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 DJ Style record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Brothers Johnson,
Unrelated Segments,
Swans,
Eli Mardock,
Laurel Aitken,
Ludus,
Rufus Thomas,
Traffic Nightmare,
Crispian St. Peters,
Soul Sonic Force,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
LL Cool J,
Dorothy Ashby,
Mad Mike,
The Trojans,
Liliput,
Scan 7,
The Smoke,
Lalann,
Circle Jerks,
Drive Like Jehu,
Icehouse,
The Beau Brummels,
Lyres,
Radiohead,
Fatback Band,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Soul II Soul,
Vainqueur,
X-Ray Spex,
the Normal,
Cameo,
Rites of Spring,
Skarface,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Lakeside,
David Bowie,
Bluetip,
The Five Americans,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
David McCallum,
Fugazi,
Simply Red,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Gang Starr,
Ultimate Spinach,
Kenny Larkin,
Tom Boy,
Amon Düül II,
Gang of Four,
Alphaville,
The Selecter,
Anthony Braxton,
Sun Ra,
The Techniques,
JFA,
KRS-One,
Ralphi Rosario,
Arcadia,
Rod Modell,
Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Bang on a Can All-Stars.
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.