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 Maldives and from Paris.
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 1962 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lyon 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Swans to the dance 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 Crispian St. Peters. All the underground hits.
All The Last Poets tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Gladiators record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gregory Isaacs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Goldenarms,
Shoche,
New York Dolls,
Black Moon,
Deepchord,
Ituana,
Lyres,
Roger Hodgson,
Thompson Twins,
Godley & Creme,
Crispian St. Peters,
Zapp,
Quantec,
Essential Logic,
Echospace,
The Slackers,
The Searchers,
The Toasters,
Radiopuhelimet,
Funky Four + One,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Gang of Four,
Joensuu 1685,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Henry Cow,
The Star Department,
Terry Callier,
Sugar Minott,
Gastr Del Sol,
Desert Stars,
Mission of Burma,
Danielle Patucci,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
The Sound,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Tropical Tobacco,
Drive Like Jehu,
Junior Murvin,
Cheater Slicks,
Marc Almond,
The Alarm Clocks,
Main Source,
Adolescents,
Sixth Finger,
The Smiths,
Barry Ungar,
Babytalk,
Ossler,
The Modern Lovers,
Ralphi Rosario,
Pantaleimon,
Steve Hackett,
T.S.O.L.,
Guru Guru,
Black Sheep,
Tears for Fears,
DNA,
Donny Hathaway,
Urselle,
Black Pus,
Public Enemy, Public Enemy, Public Enemy, Public Enemy.
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.