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 Turkey and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 sitar 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 Sun Ra Arkestra to the crunk kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Eurythmics. All the underground hits.
All Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Frankie Knuckles record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 a snare and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rod Modell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Searchers,
Black Moon,
Guru Guru,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
The Gories,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Reagan Youth,
Unwound,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Gastr Del Sol,
Los Fastidios,
Mantronix,
Neil Young,
The Raincoats,
Magma,
The Five Americans,
Joyce Sims,
Fear,
Infiniti,
The Modern Lovers,
Ultravox,
The Cure,
Banda Bassotti,
Tomorrow,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
U.S. Maple,
T.S.O.L.,
The Neon Judgement,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Pagans,
Magazine,
F. McDonald,
The Leaves,
Gabor Szabo,
The Count Five,
Hashim,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Con Funk Shun,
Technova,
Thompson Twins,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Groovy Waters,
The Cramps,
Warsaw,
Jeff Lynne,
Half Japanese,
Saccharine Trust,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Pantytec,
Nik Kershaw,
The Move,
Iggy Pop,
Blancmange,
Rhythm & Sound,
Stockholm Monsters,
Sarah Menescal,
The Trojans,
Crime,
Accadde A,
China Crisis,
Johnny Clarke,
Interpol,
Ten City,
Roxy Music,
Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan, Susan Cadogan.
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.