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 Trinidad & Tobago and from Johannesburg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1976.
I was there at the first Wire show in Watford.
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 1960 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Beijing.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 mellotron sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Camberwell Now to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 This Heat. All the underground hits.
All The Jesus and Mary Chain tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Ituana 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 a spring reverb and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Radiohead 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?
Fatback Band,
Barbara Tucker,
Ultra Naté,
Bush Tetras,
the Human League,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Stetsasonic,
The J.B.'s,
The Divine Comedy,
Rotary Connection,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Adolescents,
Parry Music,
The Pop Group,
Jimmy McGriff,
Brick,
Nation of Ulysses,
The Electric Prunes,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Scion,
Johnny Clarke,
The Smoke,
DNA,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Nirvana,
Junior Murvin,
Dark Day,
Das Ding,
Grandmaster Flash,
Babytalk,
Al Stewart,
Q and Not U,
Pantytec,
Davy DMX,
Sly & The Family Stone,
the Soft Cell,
Faust,
Agent Orange,
Little Man,
The Monochrome Set,
Gerry Rafferty,
L. Decosne,
Circle Jerks,
Arthur Verocai,
Janne Schatter,
The Modern Lovers,
Arab on Radar,
Camron Feat. Jay Z And Juelz,
The Sound,
The Sonics,
Swans,
LL Cool J,
The Raincoats,
Alison Limerick,
Livin' Joy,
Moebius,
Spoonie Gee,
Kas Product,
Aaron Thompson,
Fugazi,
Graham Central Station,
Altered Images,
Kerrie Biddell, Kerrie Biddell, Kerrie Biddell, Kerrie Biddell.
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.