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 Guatemala and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Can show in Cologne.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Lille.
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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Tom Boy to the rock 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 Eurythmics. All the underground hits.
All The Angels of Light tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sun Ra Arkestra record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Dirtbombs record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a sitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Lydon,
Lalann,
Soul II Soul,
Dorothy Ashby,
Gong,
Das Ding,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Amon Düül II,
Grauzone,
Schoolly D,
Ralphi Rosario,
Donald Byrd,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
The Neon Judgement,
Boredoms,
Metal Thangz,
Tropical Tobacco,
Average White Band,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Ronnie Foster,
Dennis Brown,
Laurel Aitken,
Johnny Osbourne,
Harmonia,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Rod Modell,
Barry Ungar,
Siglo XX,
Todd Terry,
Freddie Wadling,
Duran Duran,
the Bar-Kays,
Cymande,
Gil Scott Heron,
Basic Channel,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Buzzcocks,
Jesper Dahlback,
In Retrospect,
F. McDonald,
Crispian St. Peters,
Public Image Ltd.,
Eric B and Rakim,
Q65,
Harpers Bizarre,
Fluxion,
Lou Christie,
Henry Cow,
The Dead C,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Lungfish,
The Moody Blues,
Flamin' Groovies,
Wire,
The Busters,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
The Count Five,
The American Breed,
T.S.O.L.,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Junior Murvin,
Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims, Joyce Sims.
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.