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 China and from Johannesburg.
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 1961 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Beijing.
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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the guitar 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 Hashim to the punk 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 DNA. All the underground hits.
All The Velvet Underground tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Black Moon 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Marcia Griffiths record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Stooges,
Erykah Badu,
Patti Smith,
Trumans Water,
Hardrive,
Barclay James Harvest,
Lalann,
The Sonics,
The Martian,
Jawbox,
Kas Product,
Scott Walker,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
Mission of Burma,
Stereo Dub,
Kayak,
Second Layer,
Roy Ayers,
Bizarre Inc.,
Main Source,
Chris & Cosey,
Gichy Dan,
Big Daddy Kane,
EPMD,
Archie Shepp,
Nick Fraelich,
China Crisis,
Metal Thangz,
Max Romeo,
Derrick Morgan,
The Fall,
Pantaleimon,
Dead Boys,
Terry Callier,
Deadbeat,
Grey Daturas,
MC5,
Goldenarms,
The Standells,
Todd Rundgren,
In Retrospect,
The Toasters,
The Neon Judgement,
Bauhaus,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Sex Pistols,
The Litter,
Pulsallama,
Gang Starr,
Wasted Youth,
Jimmy McGriff,
Cecil Taylor,
E-Dancer,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
X-102,
These Immortal Souls,
Bootsy Collins,
PIL,
Throbbing Gristle,
Tres Demented,
Essential Logic,
The Black Dice, The Black Dice, The Black Dice, The Black Dice.
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.