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 Bosnia Herzegovina and from Cairo.
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 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Accra.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Shanghai 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Lou Reed 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 Hot Snakes to the grime kids.
I played it at CBGB's.
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 Pagans. All the underground hits.
All The Trojans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Jimmy McGriff record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Archie Shepp record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your sitar and bought a marimba.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Harpers Bizarre,
Babytalk,
Porter Ricks,
The Leaves,
China Crisis,
Junior Murvin,
The Slits,
The Techniques,
Echospace,
These Immortal Souls,
Radio Birdman,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Can,
Peter & Gordon,
Nico,
The Slackers,
The Birthday Party,
Rosa Yemen,
the Sonics,
the Human League,
Altered Images,
Interpol,
Joyce Sims,
The Beau Brummels,
Sandy B,
Aloha Tigers,
Stiv Bators,
The Angels of Light,
Soul II Soul,
Marvin Gaye,
Vainqueur,
Bush Tetras,
Gil Scott Heron,
Agent Orange,
Soft Cell,
The Evens,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Pole,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Procol Harum,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
The Sisters of Mercy,
Althea and Donna,
Aswad,
The Real Kids,
Magazine,
Agitation Free,
Black Bananas,
Bizarre Inc.,
Cluster,
Fort Wilson Riot,
Easy Going,
Alton Ellis,
Mr. Review,
Brick,
Oneida,
Siglo XX,
Sunsets and Hearts,
Tubeway Army,
Pussy Galore,
Leonard Cohen,
Grandmaster Flash,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Scion, Scion, Scion, Scion.
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.