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 Djibouti and from Madrid.
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 1961 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 Fad Gadget to the punk 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 Ossler. All the underground hits.
All Amon Düül II tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Kinks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Zeros record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Smoke,
Slick Rick,
The Victims,
Kool Moe Dee,
Joyce Sims,
ABBA,
Skaos,
The Tremeloes,
The Sound,
Robert Görl,
The Fall,
Lou Reed,
Flash Fearless,
Banda Bassotti,
Porter Ricks,
Terry Callier,
Grey Daturas,
X-101,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
the Germs,
Khruangbin,
Susan Cadogan,
The American Breed,
Joe Finger,
Pharoah Sanders,
the Normal,
Grauzone,
Mission of Burma,
Barrington Levy,
T. Rex,
Jimmy McGriff,
X-102,
Sonic Youth,
Sight & Sound,
Iggy Pop,
Gastr Del Sol,
Tres Demented,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Litter,
Excepter,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Marshall Jefferson,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
John Lydon,
This Heat,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Crash Course in Science,
R.M.O.,
Lindisfarne,
Kayak,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Desert Stars,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Con Funk Shun,
Cecil Taylor,
Amazonics,
Connie Case,
Terrestrial Tones,
DNA,
Procol Harum,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Divine Comedy,
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
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.