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 Israel and from Salvador.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Stockholm and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Philadelphia 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 guitar 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 The Cramps to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 China Crisis. All the underground hits.
All Kaleidoscope tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Leonard Cohen 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swell Maps record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Ash Ra Tempel,
Clear Light,
Robert Görl,
Freddie Wadling,
Deakin,
Can,
Colin Newman,
Mantronix,
Magazine,
China Crisis,
Soul Sonic Force,
Index,
Scientists,
Minor Threat,
John Cale,
Pylon,
The Durutti Column,
June of 44,
the Association,
Roger Hodgson,
Supertramp,
Monolake,
Circle Jerks,
This Heat,
Barrington Levy,
Gerry Rafferty,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
B.T. Express,
The Shadows of Knight,
Von Mondo,
Grauzone,
Sister Nancy,
Morten Harket,
Dead Boys,
Eric B and Rakim,
Mission of Burma,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Archie Shepp,
Soft Cell,
The Birthday Party,
Pantaleimon,
Quadrant,
the Normal,
Idris Muhammad,
Al Stewart,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Walker Brothers,
The Barracudas,
Flamin' Groovies,
Tres Demented,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
The Red Krayola,
Pulsallama,
Warsaw,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Minnie Riperton,
Black Sheep,
Gang Gang Dance,
Lou Reed,
The Human League,
The Fortunes,
Mars,
the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics.
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.