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 Armenia and from Spokane.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Wasted Youth to the techno kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx. All the underground hits.
All Amon Düül II tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Monks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 an organ and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Albert Ayler record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Nik Kershaw,
Nils Olav,
Loose Ends,
the Sonics,
Hasil Adkins,
Erykah Badu,
The Barracudas,
The Invisible,
The Offenders,
Aswad,
Sparks,
Derrick May,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Terrestrial Tones,
Main Source,
The Sound,
Gong,
Television,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Modern Lovers,
Alison Limerick,
The Martian,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Slits,
Mantronix,
Ronan,
Bizarre Inc.,
Spoonie Gee,
Minny Pops,
Pulsallama,
Joe Smooth,
Rosa Yemen,
Unwound,
Grauzone,
Jimmy McGriff,
Massinfluence,
Interpol,
The J.B.'s,
Gastr Del Sol,
Black Moon,
Pole,
China Crisis,
Piero Umiliani,
The Blues Magoos,
Ohio Players,
Ultra Naté,
Popol Vuh,
Junior Murvin,
Michelle Simonal,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Trojans,
Rakim,
Bush Tetras,
Blossom Toes,
Ossler,
Flash Fearless,
The Durutti Column,
Lakeside,
Davy DMX, Davy DMX, Davy DMX, Davy DMX.
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.