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 Libya and from Columbus.
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 1960 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Copenhagen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 1980 at the first Cybotron practice in a loft in Detroit.
I was working on the oboe 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 The Moleskins 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 OOIOO. All the underground hits.
All Jandek tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Graham Central Station record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Mark Hollis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Donny Hathaway,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Smog,
Iggy Pop,
Lebanon Hanover,
Audionom,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Rosa Yemen,
Banda Bassotti,
CMW,
Joe Smooth,
The Human League,
Nick Fraelich,
Girls At Our Best!,
Black Moon,
Absolute Body Control,
Wings,
Erasure,
L. Decosne,
Alphaville,
Kas Product,
Grey Daturas,
Sound Behaviour,
Chris & Cosey,
Man Parrish,
Ohio Players,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Flamin' Groovies,
The Pop Group,
Ossler,
Altered Images,
The Blues Magoos,
Sonic Youth,
Al Stewart,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Boz Scaggs,
Black Flag,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Crispian St. Peters,
Rapeman,
Reagan Youth,
Goldenarms,
Theoretical Girls,
Fatback Band,
Unwound,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Peter & Gordon,
Thee Headcoats,
Cybotron,
Godley & Creme,
Byron Stingily,
Rakim,
Tropical Tobacco,
Japan,
The Fugs,
Young Marble Giants,
Dennis Brown,
Sandy B,
Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Osbourne.
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.