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 Bolivia and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1971.
I was there at the first Neu! show in Düsseldorf.
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 1964 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 arpeggiator 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 Television Personalities to the jazz 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 Scan 7. All the underground hits.
All John Cale tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Max Romeo 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Doors,
Robert Görl,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Moby Grape,
Dave Gahan,
Urselle,
Dorothy Ashby,
cv313,
Warren Ellis,
Electric Prunes,
Flamin' Groovies,
Steve Hackett,
Aswad,
The Cramps,
Josef K,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Sam Rivers,
Eric B and Rakim,
Gang Green,
Tomorrow,
The Cure,
Roger Hodgson,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Section 25,
Faust,
New Order,
Harpers Bizarre,
Sex Pistols,
the Slits,
Theoretical Girls,
UT,
Wings,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Donald Byrd,
Second Layer,
Laurel Aitken,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Unwound,
The Alarm Clocks,
The Neon Judgement,
Monks,
Adolescents,
Jawbox,
Negative Approach,
The Standells,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Japan,
The Music Machine,
Glambeats Corp.,
Moebius,
Sarah Menescal,
Altered Images,
Fat Boys,
Susan Cadogan,
Joe Smooth,
The Knickerbockers,
Harry Pussy,
Goldenarms,
Moss Icon,
Angry Samoans,
The Skatalites,
The Smiths,
Bad Manners, Bad Manners, Bad Manners, Bad Manners.
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.