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 Nicaragua and from Spokane.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Taipei and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Stockholm 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the theremin 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 Bootsy's Rubber Band to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Half Japanese. All the underground hits.
All Beasts of Bourbon tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Judy Mowatt record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 a clarinet and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Wolf Eyes record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bad Manners,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Tres Demented,
Thompson Twins,
Gastr Del Sol,
Agitation Free,
The Gories,
Hardrive,
In Retrospect,
U.S. Maple,
Blake Baxter,
John Lydon,
The Fuzztones,
Mr. Review,
H. Thieme,
Animal Collective,
Dual Sessions,
Eddi Front,
Sonny Sharrock,
Dave Gahan,
The Modern Lovers,
Television,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Surgeon,
Warsaw,
Duran Duran,
Mandrill,
June Days,
Fela Kuti,
Soft Cell,
Au Pairs,
The Star Department,
Lungfish,
Moby Grape,
Marvin Gaye,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Jandek,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Max Romeo,
Negative Approach,
the Normal,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Newcleus,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Susan Cadogan,
Sight & Sound,
Gerry Rafferty,
Inner City,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
Second Layer,
Royal Trux,
Country Teasers,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Spandau Ballet,
FM Einheit,
Y Pants,
Amon Düül,
Marmalade,
Laurel Aitken,
The American Breed,
the Association,
The Busters,
Amazonics,
Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones.
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.