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 Colombia and from Philadelphia.
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 1968 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in London and Madrid.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Halifax 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 Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the organ sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Scientists to the punk kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Drive Like Jehu. All the underground hits.
All Strawberry Alarm Clock tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Groovy Waters 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oneida record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Saccharine Trust,
Motorama,
Unrelated Segments,
Gabor Szabo,
Public Enemy,
Cluster,
The United States of America,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Mark Hollis,
Cymande,
Nik Kershaw,
Oblivians,
The Techniques,
Livin' Joy,
Cybotron,
The Beau Brummels,
Lucky Dragons,
Gang of Four,
The Sisters of Mercy,
the Association,
Joey Negro,
Au Pairs,
The Martian,
Half Japanese,
Lou Reed,
Cameo,
Lou Christie,
The Velvet Underground,
The Gories,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
Rhythm & Sound,
Procol Harum,
James White and The Blacks,
Negative Approach,
Howard Jones,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Roger Hodgson,
Al Stewart,
Roy Ayers,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Neu!,
Chrome,
The Invisible,
FM Einheit,
These Immortal Souls,
Cal Tjader,
The Cosmic Jokers,
T. Rex,
Drive Like Jehu,
Tom Boy,
The Mojo Men,
Junior Murvin,
DJ Style,
The Star Department,
Sister Nancy,
Qualms,
Basic Channel,
Scrapy,
Camouflage,
Tears for Fears,
The Red Krayola, The Red Krayola, The Red Krayola, The Red Krayola.
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.