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 Cambodia and from Johannesburg.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Accra and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lille 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 1983 at the first Lewis practice in a loft in Vancouver.
I was working on the theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Donald Fagen 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 Das Ding to the punk 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 Peter & Gordon. All the underground hits.
All Arcadia tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Soft Machine 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and a güiro and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Nik Kershaw record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought a synthesizer.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Q65,
Scratch Acid,
Kaleidoscope,
The Names,
Ajijia Myrayebe,
Marine Girls,
Lindisfarne,
The Fugs,
Pantytec,
The Tremeloes,
Lou Reed,
Terry Callier,
Crispy Ambulance,
Urselle,
A Certain Ratio,
Sällskapet,
Iggy Pop,
Hashim,
Gang Green,
UT,
Eric B and Rakim,
The Black Dice,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Los Fastidios,
Hoover,
Junior Murvin,
the Human League,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Quando Quango,
The Wake,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Traffic Nightmare,
The American Breed,
Flamin' Groovies,
Ash Ra Tempel,
Sister Nancy,
Con Funk Shun,
The Velvet Underground,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Colin Newman,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Black Sheep,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
Babytalk,
Barry Ungar,
New Age Steppers,
Marvin Gaye,
Model 500,
Marmalade,
10cc,
Blossom Toes,
The Beau Brummels,
Warren Ellis,
The Grass Roots,
Gang of Four,
The Moody Blues,
Radio Birdman,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
Johnny Osbourne,
Moebius,
Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith, Patti Smith.
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.