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 Bulgaria and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1965 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tehran and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 sitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 The Toasters to the funk 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 James Chance & The Contortions. All the underground hits.
All Henry Cow tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Make Up record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joe Smooth,
Judy Mowatt,
X-Ray Spex,
Y Pants,
Bronski Beat,
Groovy Waters,
Beasts of Bourbon,
The J.B.'s,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
The Fortunes,
Neil Young,
Gastr Del Sol,
Faraquet,
Sex Pistols,
Banda Bassotti,
Man Eating Sloth,
Joey Negro,
Lightning Bolt,
The Velvet Underground,
The Divine Comedy,
The Monochrome Set,
Hot Snakes,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Grauzone,
The Mojo Men,
The Moody Blues,
Panda Bear,
Fifty Foot Hose,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Blossom Toes,
Crispian St. Peters,
Gichy Dan,
Frankie Knuckles,
The Move,
The United States of America,
Shoche,
Pussy Galore,
Siglo XX,
Unrelated Segments,
Robert Görl,
Pantaleimon,
Bang On A Can,
Cymande,
Laurel Aitken,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Smog,
Jeru the Damaja,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Danielle Patucci,
Rhythm & Sound,
The Remains,
Lou Reed,
The Red Krayola,
Negative Approach,
The Electric Prunes,
Newcleus,
Rekid,
Skarface,
10cc,
Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn, Dawn Penn.
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.