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 Nauru and from New York.
But I was there.
I was there in 1979.
I was there at the first Second Layer show in South 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 1965 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Piero Umiliani to the electroclash kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 The Blackbyrds. All the underground hits.
All Talk Talk tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Skatalites record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a guitar 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 snare and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a snare.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bluetip,
AZ,
Symarip,
Young Marble Giants,
Dark Day,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Gastr Del Sol,
Livin' Joy,
MDC,
Half Japanese,
Parry Music,
Al Stewart,
Marshall Jefferson,
Cybotron,
The Saints,
Whodini,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Dennis Brown,
The Cramps,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Tomorrow,
Hot Snakes,
Rod Modell,
Barclay James Harvest,
Brand Nubian,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Ronan,
Freddie Wadling,
Charles Mingus,
Mary Jane Girls,
Glenn Branca,
Moebius,
Jesper Dahlback,
Ken Boothe,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
MC5,
Bill Near,
the Germs,
Jerry Gold Smith,
The American Breed,
Monolake,
The Star Department,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
R.M.O.,
Girls At Our Best!,
the Swans,
The Vogues,
The Modern Lovers,
The Human League,
Index,
Crooked Eye,
Jimmy McGriff,
Skriet,
Jerry's Kids,
The Dave Clark Five,
Cecil Taylor,
New York Dolls,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Metal Thangz,
Bobby Sherman,
Flamin' Groovies,
Talk Talk, Talk Talk, Talk Talk, Talk Talk.
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.