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 Jamaica and from Manchester.
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 1967 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Ten City to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Doors. All the underground hits.
All Ituana tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Anakelly 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 '80s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a sitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Iggy Pop,
Slick Rick,
Main Source,
Kool Moe Dee,
The Mummies,
Ronan,
Lalann,
Ornette Coleman,
The Shadows of Knight,
Monks,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Nils Olav,
Minutemen,
Oblivians,
Moebius,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Lower 48,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Liliput,
Bluetip,
Boogie Down Productions,
The Knickerbockers,
The Gories,
Camberwell Now,
Bobby Sherman,
Das Ding,
Sandy B,
Joey Negro,
Delon & Dalcan,
Wasted Youth,
Electric Prunes,
Pet Shop Boys,
One Last Wish,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Lungfish,
DJ Style,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Fortunes,
Marcia Griffiths,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
8 Eyed Spy,
Loose Ends,
Idris Muhammad,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Joe Finger,
Yusef Lateef,
Warren Ellis,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Sun Ra,
Nas,
Tears for Fears,
Gabor Szabo,
Dead Boys,
ABC,
Shoche,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Janne Schatter,
Radio Birdman,
Aswad,
Juan Atkins,
Morten Harket, Morten Harket, Morten Harket, Morten Harket.
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.