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 Bulgaria and from Johannesburg.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mumbai 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Half Japanese to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Peter & Gordon. All the underground hits.
All Patti Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kaleidoscope record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a spring reverb and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a the Germs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Lalann,
Intrusion,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Smiths,
Stereo Dub,
Black Bananas,
Ohio Players,
The Saints,
Scratch Acid,
the Sonics,
Brass Construction,
Bizarre Inc.,
Nik Kershaw,
Groovy Waters,
Deakin,
Gastr Del Sol,
Theoretical Girls,
Connie Case,
Idris Muhammad,
Malaria!,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
The Searchers,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Slackers,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Buzzcocks,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Techniques,
The Gun Club,
Slick Rick,
Brothers Johnson,
Tomorrow,
Michelle Simonal,
Wire,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Harmonia,
EPMD,
Pulsallama,
The Buckinghams,
Bush Tetras,
Section 25,
Joe Smooth,
Bang On A Can,
Don Cherry,
Little Man,
Kas Product,
Iggy Pop,
Oneida,
Pet Shop Boys,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Nico,
Absolute Body Control,
World's Most,
The Toasters,
Faraquet,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Wings,
FM Einheit,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
U.S. Maple,
Ice-T,
The Star Department, The Star Department, The Star Department, The Star Department.
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.