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 Seychelles and from Portland.
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 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Toronto.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 1976 at the first Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the marimba 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 James Chance & The Contortions to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Eric Copeland. All the underground hits.
All Sparks tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mission of Burma 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a güiro and a linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Simply Red record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a mellotron.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Negative Approach,
Los Fastidios,
The Smiths,
DJ Style,
Minny Pops,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Panda Bear,
Bauhaus,
Man Parrish,
The Martian,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Porter Ricks,
Fatback Band,
The Sonics,
Mr. Review,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
Echospace,
Banda Bassotti,
Franke,
Circle Jerks,
Dead Boys,
Rapeman,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Laurel Aitken,
Prince Buster,
Matthew Bourne,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Davy DMX,
Sexual Harrassment,
Marmalade,
The Index,
X-Ray Spex,
MC5,
Gang Green,
UT,
Crime,
Marc Almond,
The Busters,
Roxette,
Don Cherry,
Young Marble Giants,
The Litter,
The Human League,
Lyres,
The Blues Magoos,
Mo-Dettes,
Warsaw,
Schoolly D,
The Monks,
Drive Like Jehu,
Jacques Brel,
Nils Olav,
Cheater Slicks,
Robert Wyatt,
Dave Gahan,
The Durutti Column,
Terry Callier,
Rufus Thomas,
Deakin,
Das Ding,
Robert Hood,
Con Funk Shun,
Gong, Gong, Gong, Gong.
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.