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 Afghanistan and from Lille.
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 1961 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Jakarta and Philadelphia.
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 1979 at the first Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the arpeggiator 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 These Immortal Souls to the punk 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 A Certain Ratio. All the underground hits.
All Bang On A Can tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Section 25 record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a linndrum and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Can record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bill Wells,
The Stooges,
Toni Rubio,
Magazine,
The United States of America,
Piero Umiliani,
Gichy Dan,
Blake Baxter,
Eli Mardock,
Dave Gahan,
The J.B.'s,
Spoonie Gee,
Soft Cell,
The Mojo Men,
Mad Mike,
Camouflage,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Stockholm Monsters,
Flipper,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Kerrie Biddell,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Skatalites,
Desert Stars,
Icehouse,
Sixth Finger,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Ultimate Spinach,
Robert Hood,
Youth Brigade,
T. Rex,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Jesper Dahlback,
Yaz,
Thompson Twins,
Basic Channel,
Kevin Saunderson,
Smog,
The Slits,
The Walker Brothers,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Faust,
Barrington Levy,
Mary Jane Girls,
Grey Daturas,
Scan 7,
Electric Prunes,
Roger Hodgson,
Skarface,
Franke,
Dorothy Ashby,
Blossom Toes,
Johnny Osbourne,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Litter,
Mo-Dettes,
Sugar Minott,
Sarah Menescal,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
The Zeros,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy McGriff.
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.