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 Ukraine and from Beijing.
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 1962 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and Toronto.
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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Radiohead to the grime kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Cheater Slicks. All the underground hits.
All Babytalk tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Gian Franco Pienzio 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a JFA 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?
Dawn Penn,
Sällskapet,
Whodini,
Yazoo,
Interpol,
Kerri Chandler,
The Standells,
The Motions,
David Bowie,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Clear Light,
Cecil Taylor,
The Smoke,
The Saints,
Ralphi Rosario,
Ponytail,
Bronski Beat,
Derrick May,
Max Romeo,
the Fania All-Stars,
New Age Steppers,
Quando Quango,
the Human League,
Slick Rick,
ABC,
Cheater Slicks,
Morten Harket,
Half Japanese,
Sparks,
Ultimate Spinach,
Eyeless In Gaza,
T. Rex,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
D'Angelo,
Jeff Lynne,
Eddi Front,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Dead Boys,
Ludus,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Godley & Creme,
The Gladiators,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Glenn Branca,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Television Personalities,
Jacques Brel,
Parry Music,
The Litter,
EPMD,
Zero Boys,
Gregory Isaacs,
Radiopuhelimet,
Angry Samoans,
The Detroit Cobras,
Peter and Kerry,
The Techniques,
48th St. Collective,
Duran Duran,
8 Eyed Spy,
Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar, Arab on Radar.
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.