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 Turkmenistan and from Glasgow.
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 1964 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Milan and Houston.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Edmonton 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 spring reverb sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 The Slits to the grime 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 Jandek. All the underground hits.
All Stetsasonic tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Sunsets and Hearts record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a rhodes and a marimba and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Magma,
Pylon,
Piero Umiliani,
Heaven 17,
The Five Americans,
Gang Starr,
The Sonics,
Flamin' Groovies,
Spoonie Gee,
Joey Negro,
Iggy Pop,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
The Barracudas,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Arthur Verocai,
John Foxx,
Curtis Mayfield,
Barrington Levy,
Gabor Szabo,
Jesper Dahlback,
Black Pus,
Don Cherry,
Mary Jane Girls,
Bill Wells,
Sixth Finger,
Goldenarms,
Dave Gahan,
Gichy Dan,
Susan Cadogan,
Freddie Wadling,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Dennis Brown,
the Sonics,
The Move,
Gil Scott Heron,
Harpers Bizarre,
Agent Orange,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Aaron Thompson,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
MDC,
X-101,
Kevin Saunderson,
The Seeds,
T. Rex,
T.S.O.L.,
Eurythmics,
The Zeros,
Flash Fearless,
Lower 48,
Crash Course in Science,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Maurizio,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
Sarah Menescal,
Accadde A,
the Germs,
China Crisis,
Joe Smooth,
Ralphi Rosario,
Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen, Rosa Yemen.
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.