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 Jamaica and from Tehran.
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 1960 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 Soft Boys practice in a loft in Cambridge.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Dark Day to the rock 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 Skarface. All the underground hits.
All Thompson Twins tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Lou Reed & John Cale 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Pussy Galore record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Gladiators,
Underground Resistance,
Little Man,
Gang Green,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Radiopuhelimet,
Jeff Lynne,
Curtis Mayfield,
Surgeon,
Massinfluence,
The Human League,
The Evens,
Ken Boothe,
the Fania All-Stars,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
The Monochrome Set,
The Blues Magoos,
Pharoah Sanders,
Soul Sonic Force,
The Velvet Underground,
Big Daddy Kane,
Jacques Brel,
Lindisfarne,
Average White Band,
kango's stein massive,
New York Dolls,
Symarip,
James White and The Blacks,
Oblivians,
Circle Jerks,
Frankie Knuckles,
John Cale,
Vladislav Delay,
Chris & Cosey,
Morten Harket,
The Saints,
Popol Vuh,
Mr. Review,
Fifty Foot Hose,
The Fall,
Crime,
Pierre Henry,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
The Pop Group,
The Blackbyrds,
Eve St. Jones,
The Fuzztones,
Bronski Beat,
Television Personalities,
Pantytec,
Trumans Water,
Rekid,
Junior Murvin,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Aloha Tigers,
Rakim,
The Trojans,
The Flesh Eaters,
Cybotron,
The Residents,
The Shadows of Knight,
Mary Jane Girls, Mary Jane Girls, Mary Jane Girls, Mary Jane Girls.
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.