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 Philippines and from Accra.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Accra 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 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 The Wake to the grime 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 Bobby Hutcherson. All the underground hits.
All The Shadows of Knight tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ice-T record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rap hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sight & Sound record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Leaves,
The Sonics,
Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud,
The Beau Brummels,
Cecil Taylor,
Amon Düül,
LL Cool J,
Connie Case,
The Shadows of Knight,
Q and Not U,
Wally Richardson,
Crooked Eye,
Mantronix,
Blancmange,
Bizarre Inc.,
Television Personalities,
New Age Steppers,
MC5,
Con Funk Shun,
Nation of Ulysses,
Oppenheimer Analysis,
Goldenarms,
Patti Smith,
Model 500,
Peter and Kerry,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Zapp,
Don Cherry,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Darondo,
The Pretty Things,
Suicide,
Big Daddy Kane,
The Pop Group,
Soul Sonic Force,
Chris Corsano,
The Raincoats,
Bobby Sherman,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Flesh Eaters,
The Gories,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Lucky Dragons,
Glenn Branca,
Leonard Cohen,
Blake Baxter,
a-ha,
Scion,
Harmonia,
Quadrant,
Sex Pistols,
Isaac Hayes,
The Sound,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Warren Ellis,
The Vogues,
Country Teasers,
Ultra Naté,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Bush Tetras,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Anakelly,
It's A Beautiful Day, It's A Beautiful Day, It's A Beautiful Day, It's A Beautiful Day.
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.