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 Zambia and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Soft Boys show in Cambridge.
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 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Electric Light Orchestra to the crunk 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 Banda Bassotti. All the underground hits.
All UT 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 disco hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a World's Most 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?
Derrick May,
Television,
The Doors,
Soft Machine,
ABBA,
Janne Schatter,
Shuggie Otis,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Sixth Finger,
Duran Duran,
Oblivians,
La Düsseldorf,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Tom Boy,
Tears for Fears,
Grauzone,
Fatback Band,
the Human League,
The Mojo Men,
Monks,
Kenny Larkin,
Joy Division,
Skaos,
The Gun Club,
The Slits,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Robert Wyatt,
Jimmy McGriff,
Frankie Knuckles,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Leaves,
Magma,
Ultimate Spinach,
Anakelly,
Harpers Bizarre,
Bobby Womack,
The Skatalites,
Scrapy,
Deepchord,
Kevin Saunderson,
Derrick Morgan,
Yusef Lateef,
Soul Sonic Force,
Suburban Knight,
Stiv Bators,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Adolescents,
The Move,
Deakin,
Matthew Halsall,
JFA,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Drive Like Jehu,
Ice-T,
Dennis Brown,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Dave Clark Five,
Cecil Taylor,
Vladislav Delay,
Moby Grape,
Todd Rundgren,
Isaac Hayes,
The Selecter, The Selecter, The Selecter, The Selecter.
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.