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 Iran and from Manchester.
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 1961 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Taipei 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 1975 at the first Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the clarinet 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 Nik Kershaw to the rock 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 Fad Gadget. All the underground hits.
All Bush Tetras tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Laurel Aitken 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 '70s.
I hear you're buying an organ and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Happenings record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Piero Umiliani,
Public Image Ltd.,
Index,
Massinfluence,
Masters at Work,
Blancmange,
the Normal,
The Velvet Underground,
The Young Rascals,
World's Most,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Robert Hood,
Glambeats Corp.,
Tommy Roe,
Suburban Knight,
H. Thieme,
Electric Prunes,
Pantaleimon,
Leonard Cohen,
Oblivians,
Dead Boys,
Blake Baxter,
A Certain Ratio,
the Sonics,
The Fuzztones,
June Days,
Country Teasers,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Silicon Teens,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
X-101,
Roxette,
Crime,
Echospace,
The Cure,
8 Eyed Spy,
Soul II Soul,
Con Funk Shun,
Pharoah Sanders,
The Fire Engines,
Barry Ungar,
Sight & Sound,
The Birthday Party,
New Age Steppers,
Mr. Review,
Franke,
The Flesh Eaters,
Gabor Szabo,
Stockholm Monsters,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Los Fastidios,
Skriet,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Ten City,
X-102,
Quadrant,
Wally Richardson,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Byron Stingily,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Litter, The Litter, The Litter, The Litter.
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.