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 Dominica and from Jakarta.
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 1969 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Toronto and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Jerry's Kids to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Mandrill. All the underground hits.
All Lonnie Liston Smith tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Wire record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Clear Light record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
John Cale,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Dawn Penn,
Pierre Henry,
The Associates,
Chrome,
Iggy Pop,
New Order,
Pet Shop Boys,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Hardrive,
the Association,
Cymande,
The Victims,
Carl Craig,
Bronski Beat,
Sister Nancy,
John Lydon,
Heaven 17,
The Blackbyrds,
The Dead C,
Eurythmics,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Radio Birdman,
The Smiths,
Audionom,
China Crisis,
A Flock of Seagulls,
MC5,
Pole,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Gerry Rafferty,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Angels of Light,
The Cure,
Livin' Joy,
Con Funk Shun,
Blossom Toes,
Todd Rundgren,
Amon Düül II,
The Litter,
Electric Prunes,
Section 25,
Colin Newman,
The Stooges,
This Heat,
John Foxx,
Rufus Thomas,
Lyres,
Jacques Brel,
Grandmaster Flash,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
June Days,
Liliput,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Sight & Sound,
These Immortal Souls,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Delta 5,
Siglo XX,
The Birthday Party,
Roy Ayers,
Can, Can, Can, Can.
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.