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 Tehran.
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 1962 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Spokane 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Livin' Joy to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Mission of Burma. All the underground hits.
All Marshall Jefferson tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Flamin' Groovies record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal disco 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 güiro and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Boogie Down Productions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your organ and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an organ.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Marine Girls,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Electric Light Orchestra,
The Victims,
Yaz,
Fat Boys,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
The Cramps,
The Busters,
Gang of Four,
Buzzcocks,
Negative Approach,
The United States of America,
John Cale,
Fugazi,
Ten City,
The Grass Roots,
The Wake,
Sonny Sharrock,
Flamin' Groovies,
Black Sheep,
Easy Going,
Yazoo,
David Bowie,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Saints,
Gang Gang Dance,
Ralphi Rosario,
Alison Limerick,
Michelle Simonal,
Connie Case,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
CMW,
The Pretty Things,
Cluster,
Popol Vuh,
Anthony Braxton,
Ronnie Foster,
Bobby Sherman,
Pulsallama,
Dave Gahan,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Minny Pops,
Cecil Taylor,
A Certain Ratio,
Rapeman,
New Order,
T.S.O.L.,
Public Image Ltd.,
Youth Brigade,
Barclay James Harvest,
Cal Tjader,
The Vogues,
Nick Fraelich,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Moss Icon,
F. McDonald,
Crispy Ambulance,
Alphaville,
Bill Near,
Interpol, Interpol, Interpol, Interpol.
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.