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 Solomon Islands and from Tokyo.
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 1966 to 1972.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Beijing 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 Feelies practice in a loft in Haledon.
I was working on the guitar 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 Fatback Band to the funk kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Surgeon. All the underground hits.
All Strawberry Alarm Clock tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Godley & Creme 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a 808.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a chamberlin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Theoretical Girls,
The Mojo Men,
Michelle Simonal,
Japan,
The Vogues,
DNA,
DJ Sneak,
Pierre Henry,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Eurythmics,
The Trojans,
Royal Trux,
Piero Umiliani,
Dawn Penn,
Au Pairs,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Marshall Jefferson,
Rekid,
Cecil Taylor,
Kaleidoscope,
Qualms,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Alphaville,
Black Sheep,
Malaria!,
The Wake,
Wire,
Sarah Menescal,
Josef K,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Marc Almond,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
The Zeros,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Mark Hollis,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
The Evens,
Fear,
The Moody Blues,
Tommy Roe,
The Misunderstood,
David Bowie,
The Blackbyrds,
Bronski Beat,
This Heat,
Agent Orange,
PIL,
The Leaves,
Cybotron,
N.O.R.E. Featuring Pharrell,
Electric Prunes,
Newcleus,
Unrelated Segments,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Archie Shepp,
Soul II Soul,
Sparks,
Oblivians,
Boz Scaggs,
Cluster,
Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel, Ash Ra Tempel.
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.