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 Haiti and from Houston.
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 1963 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in New York and Edmonton.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 1978 at the first Visage practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Livin' Joy to the rock kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Glambeats Corp.. All the underground hits.
All Lyres tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Marc Almond 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a 808 and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a A Flock of Seagulls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gil Scott Heron,
Visage,
Echospace,
Shuggie Otis,
Barclay James Harvest,
Tom Boy,
Zapp,
EPMD,
T.S.O.L.,
Radiopuhelimet,
LL Cool J,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Albert Ayler,
Rosa Yemen,
The Monks,
Monks,
Moebius,
The Fire Engines,
The Slits,
Bobby Byrd,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Alton Ellis,
Lucky Dragons,
Hot Snakes,
Delon & Dalcan,
Piero Umiliani,
The Gun Club,
Babytalk,
Mad Mike,
Adolescents,
Anakelly,
Little Man,
The Stooges,
Excepter,
Flamin' Groovies,
Bizarre Inc.,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
Jawbox,
Cameo,
The Electric Prunes,
Traffic Nightmare,
Rekid,
Sixth Finger,
Grey Daturas,
the Fania All-Stars,
Gong,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Eve St. Jones,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Rakim,
B.T. Express,
Crooked Eye,
Khruangbin,
Nico,
Kool Moe Dee,
the Human League,
Stetsasonic,
ABBA,
Byron Stingily,
Sarah Menescal,
The Music Machine,
Toni Rubio, Toni Rubio, Toni Rubio, Toni Rubio.
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.