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 Thailand and from Tehran.
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 1968 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Edmonton and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school London 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme 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 The Flesh Eaters. All the underground hits.
All Nico tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Soul Sonic Force record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a theremin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Qualms record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a spring reverb.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
B.T. Express,
Minnie Riperton,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
PIL,
Sugar Minott,
The Real Kids,
China Crisis,
The Red Krayola,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Bobby Womack,
Can,
Camouflage,
Icehouse,
Accadde A,
Dave Gahan,
Main Source,
La Düsseldorf,
New Order,
Animal Collective,
The Smoke,
The Young Rascals,
Joe Finger,
Drive Like Jehu,
David McCallum,
Pole,
Wighnomy Brothers & Robag Wruhme,
Ronnie Foster,
Crime,
Wire,
Sister Nancy,
Letta Mbulu,
Crispy Ambulance,
The Alarm Clocks,
Liliput,
Scott Walker,
The United States of America,
Buzzcocks,
Alice Coltrane,
Amon Düül II,
Quantec,
Boredoms,
Livin' Joy,
The Happenings,
Erykah Badu,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Von Mondo,
Ash Ra Tempel,
The Selecter,
The Fuzztones,
Eden Ahbez,
The Motions,
Sticky Fingaz feat. Raekwon,
Lindisfarne,
Desert Stars,
Sandy B,
The Litter,
Black Flag,
ABBA,
Gang Starr,
Sound Behaviour,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
Ornette Coleman, Ornette Coleman, Ornette Coleman, Ornette Coleman.
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.