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 El Salvador and from Philadelphia.
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 1967 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Accra.
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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 Urselle to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Crispy Ambulance. All the underground hits.
All Manfred Mann's Earth Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rod Modell record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Terrestrial Tones record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Kool Moe Dee,
OOIOO,
Kurtis Blow,
Girls At Our Best!,
The Fire Engines,
Steve Hackett,
John Foxx,
Lebanon Hanover,
Reuben Wilson,
Mars,
Henry Cow,
The Selecter,
Monks,
The New Christs,
The Moleskins,
Newcleus,
UT,
Funky Four + One,
Fat Boys,
Sister Nancy,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Mr. Review,
Alton Ellis,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
This Heat,
Black Pus,
Deepchord,
Livin' Joy,
Gregory Isaacs,
The Saints,
X-102,
Urselle,
the Human League,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Boogie Down Productions,
Shoche,
Rekid,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Vladislav Delay,
MDC,
The American Breed,
The Standells,
Godley & Creme,
Soulsonic Force,
Ornette Coleman,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
China Crisis,
Peter and Kerry,
New Order,
H. Thieme,
Brothers Johnson,
Bobby Byrd,
Agitation Free,
Brass Construction,
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft,
Lakeside,
Tears for Fears,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Adolescents,
Y Pants,
The Skatalites,
Technova,
48th St. Collective,
Erykah Badu, Erykah Badu, Erykah Badu, Erykah Badu.
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.