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 Tonga and from Paris.
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 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Winnipeg.
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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Gong to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Masters at Work. All the underground hits.
All Lou Christie tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Wings record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Rapeman record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
LL Cool J,
Erykah Badu,
the Human League,
Grandmaster Flash,
The Walker Brothers,
Quando Quango,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Black Flag,
Crooked Eye,
The United States of America,
Hot Snakes,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Niagra,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Buckinghams,
The Five Americans,
Susan Cadogan,
Sam Rivers,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Moss Icon,
Archie Shepp,
Warsaw,
The Moody Blues,
Amon Düül II,
Barry Ungar,
Bauhaus,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Excepter,
Soul II Soul,
Deepchord,
Lebanon Hanover,
Charles Mingus,
Cheater Slicks,
Underground Resistance,
Metal Thangz,
Crime,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Agent Orange,
Tom Boy,
Althea and Donna,
Michelle Simonal,
Sex Pistols,
Flipper,
Gregory Isaacs,
Crispian St. Peters,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
a-ha,
Juan Atkins,
Scrapy,
Joey Negro,
the Fania All-Stars,
Malaria!,
The Fire Engines,
Scratch Acid,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
New Age Steppers,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Mojo Men,
Gichy Dan,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Drive Like Jehu, Drive Like Jehu, Drive Like Jehu, Drive Like Jehu.
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.