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 San Marino and from Taipei.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the guitar sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Donny Hathaway to the disco kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 10cc. All the underground hits.
All Shoche tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ultimate Spinach 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 '90s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Brass Construction record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Simply Red,
Malaria!,
Idris Muhammad,
The Techniques,
Inner City,
Khruangbin,
Sarah Menescal,
FM Einheit,
Quadrant,
Althea and Donna,
the Slits,
Black Moon,
Icehouse,
Max Romeo,
Grey Daturas,
Aaron Thompson,
Yaz,
Man Eating Sloth,
Public Enemy,
Derrick May,
Fifty Foot Hose,
Robert Görl,
Swans,
Kenny Larkin,
Mission of Burma,
The Pretty Things,
Toni Rubio,
R.M.O.,
The Grass Roots,
Jeff Lynne,
MC5,
The Star Department,
Barrington Levy,
Motorama,
Minutemen,
Cheater Slicks,
a-ha,
Barry Ungar,
Ten City,
Radio Birdman,
A Certain Ratio,
Ultimate Spinach,
The Associates,
Pussy Galore,
the Association,
The Moody Blues,
Archie Shepp,
Minny Pops,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Swell Maps,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Ultravox,
John Holt,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Kerrie Biddell,
Q65,
Amazonics,
Connie Case,
Symarip,
Theoretical Girls,
Babytalk,
June of 44,
Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick, Alison Limerick.
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.