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 Korea North and from Sao Paulo.
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 1969 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Johannesburg 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Sparks to the grunge kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Saccharine Trust. All the underground hits.
All Bauhaus tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Pus record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 mellotron and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bobby Byrd record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a harpsichord.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Reagan Youth,
Quantec,
Brothers Johnson,
Glenn Branca,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Barry Ungar,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Little Man,
Delta 5,
Scan 7,
The Slits,
Technova,
Thee Headcoats,
The Happenings,
Maleditus Sound,
Metal Thangz,
The Index,
The Residents,
The Techniques,
Rotary Connection,
H. Thieme,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
the Bar-Kays,
Pylon,
The Doobie Brothers,
The Evens,
Kevin Saunderson,
Urselle,
The Tremeloes,
Lower 48,
Quadrant,
Marmalade,
The Five Americans,
China Crisis,
Talk Talk,
Qualms,
The Victims,
Adolescents,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Boz Scaggs,
The Electric Prunes,
Grey Daturas,
Frankie Knuckles,
Prince Buster,
The Modern Lovers,
Panda Bear,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Skarface,
Harmonia,
Albert Ayler,
Blossom Toes,
Tropical Tobacco,
Sandy B,
Steve Hackett,
The Doors,
Brick,
Dennis Brown,
Young Marble Giants,
Goldenarms,
U.S. Maple,
Man Parrish,
Gil Scott Heron,
Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti, Fela Kuti.
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.