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 Syria and from Tokyo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1963 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Manchester and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Brand Nubian to the dance kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Patti Smith. All the underground hits.
All David Axelrod tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Severed Heads record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 harpsichord and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Clear Light record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Royal Trux,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Rhythm & Sound,
Ultra Naté,
Curtis Mayfield,
D'Angelo,
Motorama,
8 Eyed Spy,
Eli Mardock,
Piero Umiliani,
The Sisters of Mercy,
The New Christs,
Johnny Clarke,
Andrew Hill,
Accadde A,
Porter Ricks,
Minutemen,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Joensuu 1685,
Crispy Ambulance,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Rites of Spring,
Eurythmics,
The Blues Magoos,
Unwound,
The Golliwogs,
Roxy Music,
MDC,
The Skatalites,
Nick Fraelich,
A Certain Ratio,
Sonny Sharrock,
Electric Prunes,
Television,
Fugazi,
Sun City Girls,
Bobby Sherman,
Joy Division,
The United States of America,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Slits,
Frankie Knuckles,
Young Marble Giants,
Parry Music,
Lee Hazlewood,
Brass Construction,
KRS-One,
Mad Mike,
Zero Boys,
Janne Schatter,
Johnny Osbourne,
Godley & Creme,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Whodini,
The Red Krayola,
Lucky Dragons,
Scratch Acid,
The Leaves,
Negative Approach,
Joe Finger,
Scott Walker, Scott Walker, Scott Walker, Scott Walker.
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.