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 Burkina and from Stockholm.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1962 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Milan.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the harpsichord 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 Flash Fearless to the crunk kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Saints. All the underground hits.
All Echo & the Bunnymen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Rod Modell 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a snare 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 marimba and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Soul II Soul,
Juan Atkins,
Lee Hazlewood,
Arab on Radar,
X-Ray Spex,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Fortunes,
The Sound,
Junior Murvin,
Eric Copeland,
Kool Moe Dee,
Joensuu 1685,
The Fire Engines,
the Germs,
Althea and Donna,
Motorama,
The Five Americans,
Malaria!,
The Doors,
Second Layer,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
John Holt,
Lightning Bolt,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Outsiders,
The Toasters,
Yazoo,
Depeche Mode,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Richard Hell and the Voidoids,
Prince Buster,
The Motions,
The Monochrome Set,
Skarface,
Wings,
The Mojo Men,
Chrome,
The Remains,
Josef K,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Ituana,
OOIOO,
Sun City Girls,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Human League,
Vladislav Delay,
Harmonia,
Kurtis Blow,
Rites of Spring,
Panda Bear,
Henry Cow,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Moby Grape,
The Red Krayola,
Carl Craig,
Rotary Connection,
Porter Ricks,
Sam Rivers,
Grandmaster Flash,
Japan,
Echospace,
Von Mondo, Von Mondo, Von Mondo, Von Mondo.
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.