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 Congo and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Milan 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 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 The Divine Comedy to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Radiopuhelimet. All the underground hits.
All Leonard Cohen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Gories 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dirtbombs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Bobby Byrd,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Alton Ellis,
Fugazi,
Aswad,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Inner City,
Skaos,
The Divine Comedy,
The Smoke,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Easy Going,
Maleditus Sound,
Stereo Dub,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Blossom Toes,
The American Breed,
T. Rex,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Bill Near,
Flash Fearless,
Lebanon Hanover,
The Durutti Column,
Reuben Wilson,
Tomorrow,
Marcia Griffiths,
Minnie Riperton,
Fluxion,
Deadbeat,
Maurizio,
The Mummies,
kango's stein massive,
Soul Sonic Force,
Simply Red,
Rhythm & Sound,
Ossler,
The Gun Club,
Sarah Menescal,
Gastr Del Sol,
Boogie Down Productions,
Supertramp,
Black Bananas,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Hasil Adkins,
Marvin Gaye,
Nik Kershaw,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
H. Thieme,
The Fortunes,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Vladislav Delay,
Henry Cow,
Sixth Finger,
Yaz,
Liliput,
Clear Light,
Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu, Pere Ubu.
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.