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 Denmark and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 Bologna and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the chamberlin 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 Bill Wells to the rap kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Thee Headcoats. All the underground hits.
All Junior Murvin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Spoonie Gee 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a snare and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Moss Icon record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Holt,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Alphaville,
Henry Cow,
Young Marble Giants,
the Slits,
Yusef Lateef,
T.S.O.L.,
The Remains,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Gap Band,
Sound Behaviour,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Saccharine Trust,
cv313,
Faraquet,
Crash Course in Science,
Liliput,
FM Einheit,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Gang Green,
Groovy Waters,
Cecil Taylor,
Pere Ubu,
The Monochrome Set,
The New Christs,
Stetsasonic,
Pierre Henry,
Yellowson,
Desert Stars,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Fela Kuti,
Derrick May,
Dual Sessions,
The Last Poets,
The Monks,
Drive Like Jehu,
The Buckinghams,
the Sonics,
Gang of Four,
Ohio Players,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Aloha Tigers,
The Dead C,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Sun Ra,
Charles Mingus,
Little Man,
Marmalade,
X-Ray Spex,
Avey Tare,
Chris & Cosey,
Wasted Youth,
Whodini,
F. McDonald,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
the Normal,
The Dave Clark Five,
The Pretty Things,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario.
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.