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 Bulgaria and from Lyon.
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 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Delhi and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 mellotron 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 Gastr Del Sol to the rap kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Outsiders. All the underground hits.
All Saccharine Trust tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Visage 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 '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Dennis Brown record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a snare.
I hear that you and your band have sold your snare and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Max Romeo,
The Associates,
Qualms,
The Gap Band,
Joy Division,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Red Krayola,
Don Cherry,
Harpers Bizarre,
Juan Atkins,
Gregory Isaacs,
Marc Almond,
The Birthday Party,
The Men They Couldn't Hang,
Kerrie Biddell,
Patti Smith,
The Buckinghams,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Drive Like Jehu,
Lebanon Hanover,
Barry Ungar,
PIL,
Minutemen,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
T.S.O.L.,
Hardrive,
Amazonics,
Bang On A Can,
the Association,
The Monochrome Set,
Connie Case,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Icehouse,
DJ Sneak,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Guru Guru,
Tropical Tobacco,
Schoolly D,
Country Teasers,
The Blues Magoos,
Wally Richardson,
Curtis Mayfield,
the Bar-Kays,
Monks,
Average White Band,
Byron Stingily,
Basic Channel,
Public Image Ltd.,
Carl Craig,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Altered Images,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Pylon,
Mantronix,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Dual Sessions,
Ossler,
Jeff Lynne,
Flamin' Groovies,
Arcadia,
Monolake,
Dave Gahan, Dave Gahan, Dave Gahan, Dave Gahan.
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.