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 Sri Lanka and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Simply Red to the jazz kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Ronan. All the underground hits.
All Lou Reed tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every James White and The Blacks 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 rhodes and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Names record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Little Man,
Dead Boys,
Technova,
Dave Gahan,
The Seeds,
Davy DMX,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Pussy Galore,
Negative Approach,
The Stooges,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The Moody Blues,
Skaos,
Audionom,
OOIOO,
Eurythmics,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Fatback Band,
Das Ding,
Swell Maps,
The Searchers,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Martian,
Motorama,
The Buckinghams,
Terry Callier,
Organ,
Steve Hackett,
The Happenings,
Alton Ellis,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Leaves,
Aswad,
Soulsonic Force,
Letta Mbulu,
Amon Düül,
DJ Style,
Pet Shop Boys,
Grey Daturas,
the Association,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Red Krayola,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Cymande,
Fluxion,
Colin Newman,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Inner City,
Minnie Riperton,
Tres Demented,
Blancmange,
Scientists,
Intrusion,
L. Decosne,
Depeche Mode,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
MDC,
Bizarre Inc.,
Qualms,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Joyce Sims,
Siglo XX,
Kayak, Kayak, Kayak, Kayak.
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.