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 Australia and from Lagos.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Ronnie Foster to the techno 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 Underground Resistance. All the underground hits.
All Ultramagnetic MC's tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mantronix record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz 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 chamberlin and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Evens record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Lydon,
Audionom,
Y Pants,
The Monochrome Set,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Lungfish,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Sight & Sound,
Gabor Szabo,
Ornette Coleman,
The Knickerbockers,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Con Funk Shun,
Scion,
Fort Wilson Riot,
New Order,
Albert Ayler,
James White and The Blacks,
Japan,
Agent Orange,
ABBA,
The Toasters,
Country Joe & The Fish,
The Happenings,
Ken Boothe,
Mo-Dettes,
the Fania All-Stars,
Scientists,
Yaz,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Subhumans,
Black Bananas,
Sexual Harrassment,
Boredoms,
Suicide,
DJ Style,
The Smiths,
Danielle Patucci,
Amon Düül II,
Mr. Review,
The Monks,
The Remains,
Bush Tetras,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Rekid,
The Martian,
Pagans,
The Evens,
Aaron Thompson,
Tomorrow,
B.T. Express,
Toni Rubio,
Andrew Hill,
Darondo,
Black Pus,
Yazoo,
Pantytec,
Lightning Bolt,
MC5,
Barbara Tucker,
Archie Shepp,
Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario, Ralphi Rosario.
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.