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 Guinea and from Delhi.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Bronski Beat show in Brixton.
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 1979.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Delhi.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Houston 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 oboe 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 David Bowie to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Hacienda.
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 Skriet. All the underground hits.
All Frankie Knuckles tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Velvet Underground 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 '50s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an oboe and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Sarah Menescal record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bush Tetras,
Simply Red,
Gabor Szabo,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
Subhumans,
Arthur Verocai,
Max Romeo,
The Fire Engines,
Soft Cell,
Flash Fearless,
The Skatalites,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
David Axelrod,
Blossom Toes,
Sparks,
Cameo,
Black Flag,
New Order,
Dawn Penn,
Radiohead,
Camouflage,
cv313,
Cybotron,
the Germs,
Aural Exciters,
Sex Pistols,
Patti Smith,
Masters at Work,
Sunsets and Hearts,
LL Cool J,
The Blues Magoos,
Dual Sessions,
Tropical Tobacco,
Negative Approach,
Davy DMX,
Television Personalities,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Buzzcocks,
Delon & Dalcan,
The Cosmic Jokers,
R.M.O.,
Eli Mardock,
Darondo,
Rotary Connection,
Drexciya,
Marc Almond,
The American Breed,
Glenn Branca,
Sarah Menescal,
Urselle,
Wally Richardson,
Youth Brigade,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Juan Atkins,
X-101,
Chris & Cosey,
Pylon,
F. McDonald,
The Martian,
Warsaw, Warsaw, Warsaw, Warsaw.
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.