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 Seychelles and from Glasgow.
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 1963 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 1976 at the first Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the harpsichord sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Moby Grape to the grime kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Supertramp. All the underground hits.
All Sex Pistols tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Mummies record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The American Breed record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
James White and The Blacks,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
Chris Corsano,
Deepchord,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Colin Newman,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Sparks,
Pet Shop Boys,
Spoonie Gee,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
John Holt,
Idris Muhammad,
Ludus,
The Cowsills,
The Busters,
L. Decosne,
Jeff Lynne,
Gang Starr,
Patti Smith,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
New Age Steppers,
Minor Threat,
The Martian,
Animal Collective,
Underground Resistance,
Monks,
Byron Stingily,
Young Marble Giants,
Wings,
The Music Machine,
Icehouse,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Hashim,
MDC,
Easy Going,
The Golliwogs,
Moss Icon,
the Slits,
Porter Ricks,
Lyres,
Scrapy,
Minny Pops,
Oneida,
Quantec,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Pagans,
Mantronix,
Camouflage,
Dead Boys,
Lungfish,
Ohio Players,
Marvin Gaye,
Arcadia,
Bill Wells,
Kevin Saunderson,
Girls At Our Best!,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims.
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.