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 Poland and from Portland.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Lagos.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Hong Kong 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 mellotron 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 Crispy Ambulance to the rap 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 John Foxx. All the underground hits.
All Cameo tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Quadrant 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Lafayette Afro Rock Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joey Negro,
Roxette,
Cameo,
Barrington Levy,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Robert Wyatt,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
The Techniques,
The Birthday Party,
Sandy B,
Sun Ra,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Ken Boothe,
Kerrie Biddell,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Roy Ayers,
Alton Ellis,
The Invisible,
Jeff Lynne,
The Cosmic Jokers,
X-102,
Blossom Toes,
Audionom,
Colin Newman,
Harpers Bizarre,
Pere Ubu,
Bizarre Inc.,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Skatalites,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Evens,
Thee Headcoats,
Grey Daturas,
The Human League,
Absolute Body Control,
Piero Umiliani,
Blake Baxter,
Dawn Penn,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
The Moody Blues,
Matthew Bourne,
Lindisfarne,
Jacob Miller,
CMW,
The Saints,
Boogie Down Productions,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
The Vogues,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Lightning Bolt,
The Fortunes,
The Durutti Column,
Pulsallama,
Oblivians,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Eddi Front,
Nick Fraelich,
The Searchers,
Slick Rick,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Trojans, The Trojans, The Trojans, The Trojans.
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.