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 Dominica and from Lyon.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lille and Winnipeg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 synthesizer 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 Johnny Clarke to the techno 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 Surgeon. All the underground hits.
All Sly & The Family Stone tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Christie record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Blancmange record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Modern Lovers,
the Normal,
Soul II Soul,
Kerri Chandler,
The Count Five,
Dark Day,
Black Sheep,
The Cowsills,
Boredoms,
The Star Department,
Stetsasonic,
June Days,
Kevin Saunderson,
kango's stein massive,
Minnie Riperton,
8 Eyed Spy,
Ornette Coleman,
F. McDonald,
Bill Wells,
DJ Sneak,
Reagan Youth,
Reuben Wilson,
Barry Ungar,
Bobby Womack,
Arcadia,
The Skatalites,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Idris Muhammad,
Fifty Foot Hose,
ABBA,
The Real Kids,
The Divine Comedy,
Public Image Ltd.,
Nils Olav,
Kurtis Blow,
Marmalade,
ABC,
Oneida,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Eddi Front,
Scratch Acid,
Sparks,
Half Japanese,
Funky Four + One,
Eric B and Rakim,
X-Ray Spex,
Agent Orange,
Grauzone,
Trumans Water,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Eli Mardock,
Lalann,
Cybotron,
Camberwell Now,
The American Breed,
Gang Starr,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sandy B,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Rufus Thomas,
Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee, Kool Moe Dee.
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.