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 Kyrgyzstan and from Toronto.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Accra.
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 1983 at the first Bronski Beat practice in a loft in Brixton.
I was working on the linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Black Bananas to the dance kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 The Slackers. All the underground hits.
All Dorothy Ashby tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Doobie Brothers record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Raincoats record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Andrew Hill,
Rakim,
Girls At Our Best!,
Tim Buckley,
Brick,
Half Japanese,
E-Dancer,
Roy Ayers,
Scott Walker,
The Remains,
Niagra,
Tomorrow,
Deepchord,
Sam Rivers,
The Dave Clark Five,
Radio Birdman,
Boredoms,
Terry Callier,
Scion,
Ludus,
Thee Headcoats,
Patti Smith,
Kerrie Biddell,
Grey Daturas,
June of 44,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Boogie Down Productions,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Aloha Tigers,
Clear Light,
Crispian St. Peters,
Porter Ricks,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
The Vogues,
The Martian,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
The Gories,
Severed Heads,
The Wake,
Don Cherry,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
David McCallum,
Wolf Eyes,
Section 25,
Loose Ends,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Jimmy McGriff,
Mr. Review,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Count Five,
Michelle Simonal,
Prince Buster,
Khruangbin,
Aswad,
Agitation Free,
Marshall Jefferson,
Bad Manners,
Gerry Rafferty,
Grauzone,
Wasted Youth,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Graham Central Station,
AZ,
Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick.
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.