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 Georgia and from Accra.
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 1965 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Gun Club to the punk kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Barry Ungar. All the underground hits.
All Laurel Aitken tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Von Mondo record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 snare and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Human League record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Sonics,
Moss Icon,
Janne Schatter,
Marvin Gaye,
Lucky Dragons,
The Trojans,
The Gories,
The Young Rascals,
the Slits,
Suicide,
the Germs,
Grandmaster Flash,
Barrington Levy,
The Leaves,
Joyce Sims,
Ralphi Rosario,
Erasure,
The Move,
Pantytec,
Don Cherry,
The Dead C,
Popol Vuh,
Wasted Youth,
D'Angelo,
Donny Hathaway,
Brick,
Brand Nubian,
Tubeway Army,
Todd Terry,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
T.S.O.L.,
Archie Shepp,
Crispy Ambulance,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
La Düsseldorf,
Fat Boys,
Clear Light,
Pantaleimon,
Black Pus,
Bush Tetras,
Kaleidoscope,
Ronan,
Bronski Beat,
Arthur Verocai,
New York Dolls,
Rhythm & Sound,
Von Mondo,
Aaron Thompson,
Young Marble Giants,
Radiopuhelimet,
Bluetip,
Jesper Dahlback,
John Foxx,
Sonny Sharrock,
Warsaw,
Y Pants,
The Names,
The Fire Engines,
Throbbing Gristle,
Gerry Rafferty,
Ludus,
The Moody Blues,
Fad Gadget,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282.
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.