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 Ghana and from Copenhagen.
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 1962 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1987 at the first Nirvana practice in a loft in Seattle.
I was working on the chamberlin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Gang of Four to the rock kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 The Gladiators. All the underground hits.
All Interpol tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Deepchord 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Boredoms,
Mo-Dettes,
Gichy Dan,
Robert Wyatt,
Buzzcocks,
Tears for Fears,
Bobby Byrd,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Eddi Front,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Blues Magoos,
La Düsseldorf,
Anakelly,
Kerrie Biddell,
The Music Machine,
Bill Near,
The Last Poets,
Pylon,
The Toasters,
Joe Smooth,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Khruangbin,
Tropical Tobacco,
Panda Bear,
The Gun Club,
Spoonie Gee,
Amon Düül,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
The Moleskins,
Accadde A,
The Victims,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Tremeloes,
Guru Guru,
Lou Reed,
Grey Daturas,
Dark Day,
Wally Richardson,
Shuggie Otis,
Stockholm Monsters,
T. Rex,
Young Marble Giants,
the Bar-Kays,
Thompson Twins,
Kevin Saunderson,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Count Five,
A Certain Ratio,
Gang Gang Dance,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Fall,
Al Stewart,
The Doors,
Henry Cow,
The Neon Judgement,
Neil Young,
The Birthday Party,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis, Mark Hollis.
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.