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 Burundi and from New York.
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 1968 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Winnipeg and Tokyo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the organ 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 Black Sheep to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 Shuggie Otis. All the underground hits.
All Angels of Light & Akron/Family tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Girls At Our Best! record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 guitar and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Robert Wyatt record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Q and Not U,
Panda Bear,
Electric Prunes,
Dorothy Ashby,
Babytalk,
The Martian,
The American Breed,
Simply Red,
The Blackbyrds,
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,
Procol Harum,
June of 44,
Grandmaster Flash,
Pylon,
Anakelly,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Kerri Chandler,
In Retrospect,
Sun Ra,
La Düsseldorf,
These Immortal Souls,
Peter and Kerry,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Parry Music,
Cymande,
Goldenarms,
Audionom,
Qualms,
Pole,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Cybotron,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Jacques Brel,
Agitation Free,
Dual Sessions,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Harmonia,
Lucky Dragons,
Alphaville,
Marshall Jefferson,
Depeche Mode,
kango's stein massive,
Fela Kuti,
The Pop Group,
Barrington Levy,
Prince Buster,
The Evens,
Arthur Verocai,
Nirvana,
The Birthday Party,
Roger Hodgson,
The Gories,
Major Organ And The Adding Machine,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
Erasure,
Hasil Adkins,
Bang On A Can,
Ultravox,
Angry Samoans,
Eve St. Jones,
The New Christs,
Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey, Chris & Cosey.
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.