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 Maldives and from Accra.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Buzzcocks show in Bolton.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Mumbai.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Madrid 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 808 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 The Sonics to the crunk kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Birthday Party. All the underground hits.
All Gian Franco Pienzio tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Supertramp 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 snare and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sun Ra Arkestra record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Birthday Party,
Nation of Ulysses,
T. Rex,
Cheater Slicks,
Frankie Knuckles,
Leonard Cohen,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
EPMD,
Chris Corsano,
Skriet,
Hardrive,
The Fire Engines,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Von Mondo,
ABC,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Q and Not U,
Sound Behaviour,
Monolake,
Black Pus,
Deakin,
The Vogues,
Sparks,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
the Swans,
Mad Mike,
Masters at Work,
The Fortunes,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Boogie Down Productions,
Junior Murvin,
The Young Rascals,
Lakeside,
Mandrill,
Can,
Piero Umiliani,
Dave Gahan,
Mission of Burma,
Vladislav Delay,
Section 25,
Franke,
Scott Walker,
Quando Quango,
Girls At Our Best!,
Amon Düül II,
The Standells,
Funkadelic,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Chris & Cosey,
Schoolly D,
The Tremeloes,
Joy Division,
Swans,
Quantec,
Ituana,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Magazine,
Minny Pops,
New York Dolls,
David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod, David Axelrod.
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.