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 Mexico City.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Chocolate Watch Band to the funk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Prince Buster. All the underground hits.
All Black Pus tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Beasts of Bourbon 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Marcia Griffiths record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Gladiators,
The Gories,
Deepchord,
Pet Shop Boys,
The Divine Comedy,
MC5,
Soft Cell,
X-102,
Wings,
Todd Rundgren,
Bobbi Humphrey,
The Pop Group,
The Slits,
Anthony Braxton,
Prince Buster,
Girls At Our Best!,
PIL,
Yusef Lateef,
Big Daddy Kane,
Peter & Gordon,
Pierre Henry,
Kerri Chandler,
Hasil Adkins,
EPMD,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
The Motions,
Bobby Byrd,
Pulsallama,
Sight & Sound,
The Birthday Party,
Howard Jones,
Gichy Dan,
Mantronix,
Jeru the Damaja,
Whodini,
the Bar-Kays,
Kurtis Blow,
The Velvet Underground,
Goldenarms,
Main Source,
Archie Shepp,
Theoretical Girls,
Ornette Coleman,
The Walker Brothers,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Index,
The Moleskins,
Ten City,
Brass Construction,
The Fuzztones,
Y Pants,
Roy Ayers,
X-101,
Alison Limerick,
Television,
The Beau Brummels,
Niagra,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Brothers Johnson,
Anakelly, Anakelly, Anakelly, Anakelly.
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.