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 Switzerland and from Manchester.
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 1960 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the snare 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 Arab on Radar to the electroclash 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 Flipper. All the underground hits.
All Joey Negro tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Teenage Jesus and the Jerks record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 mellotron and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bobby Hutcherson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Das Ding,
The Modern Lovers,
The Residents,
The Searchers,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
OOIOO,
Sugar Minott,
Joensuu 1685,
Jawbox,
Terry Callier,
Sexual Harrassment,
Drive Like Jehu,
Crispy Ambulance,
Index,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Theoretical Girls,
The Beau Brummels,
Heaven 17,
Nation of Ulysses,
Lee Hazlewood,
Amon Düül II,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Radiopuhelimet,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Alton Ellis,
X-101,
Stereo Dub,
Scion,
Davy DMX,
The Slits,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Gang of Four,
Junior Murvin,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Pussy Galore,
Groovy Waters,
Matthew Bourne,
Soul Sonic Force,
Faust,
The Saints,
Amazonics,
The Birthday Party,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Marc Almond,
Sex Pistols,
Isaac Hayes,
The Blackbyrds,
Nik Kershaw,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Peter and Kerry,
Cheater Slicks,
LL Cool J,
Lucky Dragons,
A Certain Ratio,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
8 Eyed Spy,
Marcia Griffiths,
Scan 7,
China Crisis,
Tres Demented,
Gong,
Second Layer, Second Layer, Second Layer, Second Layer.
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.