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 Tuvalu and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1967.
I was there at the first Rodriguez show in Detroit.
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 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Columbus.
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 güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Arcadia to the grime kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Bronski Beat. All the underground hits.
All Sexual Harrassment tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Techniques record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Durutti Column record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Wasted Youth,
Pagans,
The Fuzztones,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
New York Dolls,
The Electric Prunes,
Rites of Spring,
Eve St. Jones,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
the Sonics,
Warren Ellis,
The Real Kids,
The Smiths,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
UT,
Bobby Sherman,
Surgeon,
John Foxx,
Nas,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Panda Bear,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Robert Görl,
Brass Construction,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Altered Images,
Jeff Lynne,
Susan Cadogan,
the Association,
The Detroit Cobras,
The New Christs,
Kevin Saunderson,
Cheater Slicks,
Jandek,
Camberwell Now,
The Sonics,
Amon Düül II,
One Last Wish,
Popol Vuh,
Wally Richardson,
Gil Scott Heron,
Banda Bassotti,
Marc Almond,
Agitation Free,
Radiopuhelimet,
Scientists,
The Skatalites,
Albert Ayler,
Ultravox,
Silicon Teens,
Echospace,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Rhythm & Sound,
Basic Channel,
K-Klass,
Man Parrish,
Jeru the Damaja,
Marine Girls,
Masters at Work,
the Normal,
Wolf Eyes, Wolf Eyes, Wolf Eyes, Wolf Eyes.
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.