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 Andorra and from Lille.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Jakarta 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 oboe 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 Franke to the techno 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 a-ha. All the underground hits.
All Camouflage tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every 48th St. Collective record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Stiv Bators record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Wire,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Hardrive,
The Knickerbockers,
The Slits,
Electric Prunes,
Royal Trux,
Suburban Knight,
Marc Almond,
Radio Birdman,
Nick Fraelich,
Hasil Adkins,
Sparks,
The Young Rascals,
Visage,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Althea and Donna,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Soft Machine,
Darondo,
The Blues Magoos,
Mandrill,
The Star Department,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Liliput,
Jacob Miller,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Moleskins,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Moss Icon,
The Misunderstood,
Harmonia,
Basic Channel,
Peter and Kerry,
New Age Steppers,
Sarah Menescal,
Livin' Joy,
Shuggie Otis,
Bauhaus,
Pylon,
Minor Threat,
Rod Modell,
Public Image Ltd.,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Iggy Pop,
Slick Rick,
Tom Boy,
Eric Copeland,
Kenny Larkin,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Q65,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Barracudas,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
the Swans,
Niagra,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Dave Gahan,
Black Flag, Black Flag, Black Flag, Black Flag.
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.