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 Monaco and from Manila.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Seoul and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 New York Dolls to the dance kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Angels of Light & Akron/Family. All the underground hits.
All Slick Rick tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sarah Menescal record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Suicide record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Invisible,
The Five Americans,
Bauhaus,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Gang Starr,
Johnny Clarke,
Carl Craig,
The Gap Band,
The Beau Brummels,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
Blake Baxter,
the Human League,
The Offenders,
Minnie Riperton,
Fat Boys,
Fatback Band,
Youth Brigade,
Pagans,
John Foxx,
The Cramps,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Marvin Gaye,
JFA,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Bizarre Inc.,
The Busters,
Stiv Bators,
Television Personalities,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Sonny Sharrock,
Marc Almond,
T. Rex,
Marcia Griffiths,
Donald Byrd,
Symarip,
The Vogues,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Pierre Henry,
Jeff Lynne,
ABBA,
Glenn Branca,
the Normal,
The Index,
the Fania All-Stars,
Pulsallama,
The Slackers,
Crash Course in Science,
Aswad,
Freddie Wadling,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Vainqueur,
Lou Christie,
Prince Buster,
Archie Shepp,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Parry Music,
The Toasters,
Moby Grape,
Neu!,
Aaron Thompson,
Nirvana,
Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma, Mission of Burma.
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.