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 Ecuador and from London.
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 1966 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manila and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 synthesizer 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 The Pop Group to the rap 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 Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu. All the underground hits.
All Johnny Osbourne tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Reagan Youth 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Duran Duran record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Evens,
Altered Images,
Soft Cell,
Joe Finger,
John Lydon,
Rufus Thomas,
Cal Tjader,
Bobby Byrd,
Tim Buckley,
Audionom,
Throbbing Gristle,
New Age Steppers,
Roy Ayers,
Marine Girls,
Hashim,
The Fugs,
Television Personalities,
Kerri Chandler,
Sly & The Family Stone,
Anakelly,
Popol Vuh,
Iggy Pop,
Au Pairs,
Eric Copeland,
Boz Scaggs,
Q65,
Motorama,
The Slackers,
KRS-One,
The Techniques,
Todd Terry,
Black Bananas,
In Retrospect,
Panda Bear,
Tres Demented,
Gastr Del Sol,
Sonic Youth,
Harmonia,
Derrick Morgan,
Todd Rundgren,
Johnny Osbourne,
Goldenarms,
Jesper Dahlback,
Ludus,
Wings,
The Wake,
Whodini,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
New Order,
The American Breed,
Lalo Schifrin,
The Index,
Donny Hathaway,
the Fania All-Stars,
OOIOO,
Jacques Brel,
Qualms,
Quando Quango,
Al Stewart,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Martian,
Michelle Simonal, Michelle Simonal, Michelle Simonal, Michelle Simonal.
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.