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 Madagascar and from Copenhagen.
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 1964 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Surgeon to the rock 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 Main Source. All the underground hits.
All Procol Harum tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Notorious Big And Bone Thugs record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Jandek,
Howard Jones,
Reagan Youth,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Traffic Nightmare,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Los Fastidios,
Rekid,
The Dead C,
Deakin,
The Martian,
Eddi Front,
The American Breed,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Chris Corsano,
Radio Birdman,
Tomorrow,
Groovy Waters,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
The Standells,
Motorama,
Archie Shepp,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Joyce Sims,
the Sonics,
Barry Ungar,
The Fortunes,
Cymande,
Gang Green,
A Certain Ratio,
The Dave Clark Five,
One Last Wish,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Mad Mike,
Funky Four + One,
Neil Young,
Peter & Gordon,
Patti Smith,
Icehouse,
Brand Nubian,
Sight & Sound,
Ronnie Foster,
the Bar-Kays,
Wally Richardson,
Joy Division,
the Soft Cell,
Malaria!,
Spoonie Gee,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Michelle Simonal,
Crispian St. Peters,
The Mummies,
China Crisis,
Delon & Dalcan,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Thompson Twins,
Deepchord,
Agent Orange,
The Golliwogs,
Dead Boys,
Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya, Drexciya.
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.