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 East Timor and from Calgary.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Human League show in Sheffield.
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 1969 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Johannesburg and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the spring reverb 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 Manfred Mann's Earth Band to the rock kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Al Stewart. All the underground hits.
All Kayak tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Soft Cell record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Tremeloes,
Young Marble Giants,
Mr. Review,
Alphaville,
H. Thieme,
Icehouse,
Josef K,
Franke,
Henry Cow,
Rod Modell,
Sam Rivers,
X-Ray Spex,
Connie Case,
Warren Ellis,
ABBA,
The Slackers,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Eden Ahbez,
Skaos,
Bang On A Can,
Donny Hathaway,
Gang of Four,
The Sonics,
Derrick Morgan,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Easy Going,
Quantec,
the Germs,
The Blackbyrds,
Bill Wells,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Surgeon,
Animal Collective,
The Doors,
Scott Walker,
Tres Demented,
Dorothy Ashby,
Leonard Cohen,
Make Up,
Graham Central Station,
Funky Four + One,
Sparks,
Pere Ubu,
June of 44,
The Remains,
Rotary Connection,
Rapeman,
Arthur Verocai,
The Red Krayola,
The Monochrome Set,
Deepchord,
Subhumans,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Ohio Players,
Ornette Coleman,
Lalann,
K-Klass,
Ludus,
Cal Tjader,
R.M.O.,
Zero Boys,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Grauzone, Grauzone, Grauzone, Grauzone.
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.