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 Morocco and from Beijing.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1975.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Columbus and Johannesburg.
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 1970 at the first Onyeabor practice in a loft in Enugu.
I was working on the sitar 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 Sonic Youth to the techno 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 Franke. All the underground hits.
All Joe Smooth tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Slave record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk 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 a marimba and a guitar and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a DNA 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 Gun Club,
Q and Not U,
Funky Four + One,
Lebanon Hanover,
Silicon Teens,
Gang of Four,
Simply Red,
Essential Logic,
Lakeside,
Groovy Waters,
Joy Division,
The Music Machine,
Television Personalities,
Darondo,
Outsiders,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Cybotron,
Johnny Osbourne,
Panda Bear,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Chris & Cosey,
The Cramps,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Urselle,
Pantaleimon,
MDC,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Kayak,
Harmonia,
The Trojans,
Eric Copeland,
Aloha Tigers,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Fall,
Jeru the Damaja,
The Vogues,
Technova,
Gang Green,
Gabor Szabo,
Aaron Thompson,
Camouflage,
Sex Pistols,
The Last Poets,
Quando Quango,
Skaos,
Juan Atkins,
Sonny Sharrock,
Ken Boothe,
JFA,
The Saints,
Half Japanese,
Tim Buckley,
Heaven 17,
Hashim,
Suburban Knight,
Arab on Radar,
Flipper,
Sister Nancy,
Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux, Royal Trux.
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.