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 Vanuatu and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Mumbai.
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 clarinet 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 Robert Hood 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 John Lydon. All the underground hits.
All Crooked Eye tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Cowsills 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Warren Ellis record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a güiro.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Prince Buster,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
The Monochrome Set,
Minny Pops,
Warsaw,
The Raincoats,
The Invisible,
Excepter,
The Trojans,
Essential Logic,
Flamin' Groovies,
Rapeman,
Thee Headcoats,
Jawbox,
Aloha Tigers,
Lucky Dragons,
Swell Maps,
Alton Ellis,
Funky Four + One,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Lou Reed,
Blossom Toes,
Eli Mardock,
Lower 48,
Iggy Pop,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
The Barracudas,
Silicon Teens,
Gang of Four,
Minutemen,
Fat Boys,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Das Ding,
Royal Trux,
Morten Harket,
Max Romeo,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Litter,
Frankie Knuckles,
Cal Tjader,
Basic Channel,
The Young Rascals,
Audionom,
Gregory Isaacs,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
The Offenders,
Pylon,
Soul Sonic Force,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Barclay James Harvest,
Bill Near,
Dark Day,
These Immortal Souls,
CMW,
Camouflage,
Cameo,
Chris Corsano,
Bill Wells,
Erykah Badu,
Section 25,
Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick.
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.