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 Honduras and from Cairo.
But I was there.
I was there in 1968.
I was there at the first Bowie show in Bromley.
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 1966 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Glasgow and Johannesburg.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 synthesizer 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 Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 to the punk kids.
I played it at Trash.
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 Godley & Creme. All the underground hits.
All Chrome tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Second Layer 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Q65,
Vainqueur,
The Raincoats,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Newcleus,
LL Cool J,
L. Decosne,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Guru Guru,
The Standells,
Rufus Thomas,
Gastr Del Sol,
Warsaw,
Alice Coltrane,
Tommy Roe,
The Searchers,
Subhumans,
Gang Gang Dance,
The Stooges,
Donny Hathaway,
Blossom Toes,
Buzzcocks,
Tears for Fears,
Gichy Dan,
PIL,
Sam Rivers,
Ash Ra Tempel,
KRS-One,
Ralphi Rosario,
Lindisfarne,
Scratch Acid,
Skarface,
Bobby Womack,
Theoretical Girls,
The Gladiators,
Eli Mardock,
Panda Bear,
10cc,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Maurizio,
Sex Pistols,
Sonny Sharrock,
Jawbox,
Anakelly,
Nirvana,
Traffic Nightmare,
The Mojo Men,
The Vogues,
John Cale,
John Lydon,
Eric Copeland,
Barrington Levy,
Zapp,
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo,
Howard Jones,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Altered Images,
Maleditus Sound,
Cal Tjader,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Marmalade,
Joy Division,
Nils Olav, Nils Olav, Nils Olav, Nils Olav.
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.