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 Bremen.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Josef K show in Edinburgh.
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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Mexico City.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1971 at the first Selda practice in a loft in Istanbul.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Subhumans to the rap kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Jesper Dahlback. All the underground hits.
All Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Red Lorry Yellow Lorry 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rites of Spring record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Heaven 17,
Sound Behaviour,
Dawn Penn,
Blossom Toes,
Althea and Donna,
Silicon Teens,
Jeff Lynne,
The Monks,
The Motions,
Sister Nancy,
Pantytec,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Birthday Party,
ABBA,
Arcadia,
Bad Manners,
Cameo,
Ronnie Foster,
Blancmange,
Make Up,
Public Image Ltd.,
Hashim,
Pantaleimon,
AZ,
Tom Boy,
Mary Jane Girls,
Main Source,
Albert Ayler,
Funky Four + One,
Pylon,
Robert Hood,
Neil Young,
The Selecter,
the Swans,
Television Personalities,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Chris & Cosey,
the Association,
Brothers Johnson,
Marine Girls,
The Offenders,
The Shadows of Knight,
John Coltrane,
Sugar Minott,
Flipper,
The Fuzztones,
Wasted Youth,
The Residents,
The Grass Roots,
Niagra,
the Human League,
Grandmaster Flash,
Sandy B,
Black Pus,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Porter Ricks,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Kerrie Biddell,
ABC,
Gregory Isaacs,
Janne Schatter,
Gastr Del Sol,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman, Colin Newman.
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.