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 Slovakia and from Paris.
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 1967 to 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Paris 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 T.S.O.L. to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Parry Music. All the underground hits.
All Jandek tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Scott Walker + Sunn O))) record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk 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 an organ and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Chocolate Watch Band record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
the Swans,
Severed Heads,
Ornette Coleman,
Ken Boothe,
Gerry Rafferty,
The Associates,
The United States of America,
Eric Copeland,
Terrestrial Tones,
Au Pairs,
The J.B.'s,
T. Rex,
Outsiders,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Dual Sessions,
Jeff Lynne,
Main Source,
Archie Shepp,
Tears for Fears,
Rapeman,
Wings,
Con Funk Shun,
The Standells,
Fugazi,
Tubeway Army,
Talk Talk,
Brass Construction,
Kenny Larkin,
Mad Mike,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Mo-Dettes,
Todd Rundgren,
Piero Umiliani,
Kas Product,
Pulsallama,
Alice Coltrane,
The Dave Clark Five,
Hoover,
Schoolly D,
Desert Stars,
Anthony Braxton,
Throbbing Gristle,
Gil Scott Heron,
MC5,
Technova,
Scott Walker,
China Crisis,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
David Axelrod,
48th St. Collective,
X-102,
Henry Cow,
Lucky Dragons,
The Monks,
Liliput,
Sister Nancy,
Public Image Ltd.,
Colin Newman,
Morten Harket,
Aswad,
Matthew Bourne,
Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys, Zero Boys.
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.