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 Sudan and from Columbus.
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 1966 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Woodstock 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 Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Hot Snakes to the funk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Last Poets. All the underground hits.
All Aswad tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Nirvana record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno 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 chamberlin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Cluster record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Niagra,
Bronski Beat,
Henry Cow,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Alison Limerick,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
New Age Steppers,
Urselle,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Byron Stingily,
Inner City,
10cc,
Alice Coltrane,
The Invisible,
the Sonics,
The Cure,
Chris & Cosey,
The New Christs,
Average White Band,
B.T. Express,
Y Pants,
Loose Ends,
New York Dolls,
Yazoo,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Drive Like Jehu,
Sound Behaviour,
Warsaw,
Visage,
Donny Hathaway,
Minny Pops,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Mission of Burma,
John Holt,
Nation of Ulysses,
Grauzone,
Arthur Verocai,
Porter Ricks,
Bobby Sherman,
Wire,
The Slackers,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Rhythm & Sound,
Lyres,
Skriet,
The Alarm Clocks,
Big Daddy Kane,
Dual Sessions,
Franke,
Davy DMX,
D'Angelo,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Lucky Dragons,
Nik Kershaw,
CMW,
Heaven 17,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
It's A Beautiful Day,
The Fuzztones,
Sandy B,
The Smiths, The Smiths, The Smiths, The Smiths.
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.