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 Niger and from Portland.
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 1968 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Columbus.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Columbus 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Ornette Coleman to the dance kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 The Index. All the underground hits.
All Barry Ungar tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every F. McDonald 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Junior Murvin record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought an organ.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Fugazi,
Roxette,
Kool Moe Dee,
Matthew Halsall,
PIL,
Michelle Simonal,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Saints,
Massinfluence,
Tears for Fears,
Marshall Jefferson,
John Cale,
The Move,
John Holt,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Sarah Menescal,
Mr. Review,
Hardrive,
The Beau Brummels,
The Fortunes,
Joey Negro,
Dead Boys,
Scan 7,
Thompson Twins,
The Busters,
Rapeman,
Gabor Szabo,
The Pretty Things,
Das Ding,
The Star Department,
Ornette Coleman,
New York Dolls,
the Swans,
Steve Hackett,
Harry Pussy,
Danielle Patucci,
Barclay James Harvest,
Crime,
Scratch Acid,
Chris & Cosey,
Minor Threat,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
D'Angelo,
Procol Harum,
Marvin Gaye,
Sonic Youth,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
the Slits,
The Divine Comedy,
the Human League,
Second Layer,
The Slackers,
Tres Demented,
The Standells,
Jeff Lynne,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Leonard Cohen,
Eurythmics,
Jandek,
Groovy Waters,
X-Ray Spex,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Icehouse, Icehouse, Icehouse, Icehouse.
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.