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 Sierra Leone and from Portland.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the snare sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Make Up 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 Althea and Donna. All the underground hits.
All Sam Rivers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Letta Mbulu record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime 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 808 and an arpeggiator and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Drive Like Jehu record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Ultra Naté,
Morten Harket,
Todd Terry,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
The Human League,
Interpol,
Porter Ricks,
Johnny Clarke,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Hasil Adkins,
The Grass Roots,
The Litter,
Ralphi Rosario,
Banda Bassotti,
Stereo Dub,
Groovy Waters,
Nation of Ulysses,
Basic Channel,
Bronski Beat,
Guru Guru,
The Pop Group,
Faraquet,
Wings,
The Durutti Column,
Visage,
Accadde A,
Stockholm Monsters,
Jimmy McGriff,
The Cramps,
The Vogues,
Marcia Griffiths,
Rakim,
DJ Style,
The Raincoats,
Rapeman,
The J.B.'s,
Terry Callier,
Harry Pussy,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Nico,
the Human League,
Procol Harum,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Technova,
The Alarm Clocks,
Soul II Soul,
Darondo,
Black Bananas,
Warren Ellis,
Mo-Dettes,
Jesper Dahlback,
Neil Young,
Thompson Twins,
Quantec,
Barry Ungar,
Maurizio,
Trumans Water,
Panda Bear,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Faust,
The Wake,
Surgeon, Surgeon, Surgeon, Surgeon.
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.