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 Iraq and from Milan.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and Delhi.
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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Brothers Johnson to the grunge kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Eden Ahbez. All the underground hits.
All Maleditus Sound tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every ABC record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Ohio Players 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?
DJ Style,
Crooked Eye,
Black Pus,
the Human League,
the Association,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Dave Clark Five,
Fugazi,
Howard Jones,
Bluetip,
the Slits,
Fluxion,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Moss Icon,
Fad Gadget,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Wolf Eyes,
The Moody Blues,
Intrusion,
Radiohead,
Malaria!,
The Buckinghams,
Sunsets and Hearts,
The Index,
The Saints,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Dennis Brown,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Zeros,
Lou Reed,
Schoolly D,
Faust,
Amon Düül,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Drexciya,
The Doors,
Blossom Toes,
Skriet,
Excepter,
Skaos,
The Wake,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Moby Grape,
Mary Jane Girls,
Mantronix,
Technova,
Au Pairs,
Godley & Creme,
Deepchord,
Davy DMX,
Nation of Ulysses,
Grey Daturas,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Sun City Girls,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Mojo Men,
The Five Americans,
Pussy Galore,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Barclay James Harvest,
Spandau Ballet,
Can,
Heaven 17, Heaven 17, Heaven 17, Heaven 17.
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.