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 Suriname and from New York.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Portland.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Tokyo 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 1979 at the first Second Layer practice in a loft in South London.
I was working on the güiro 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 Peter & Gordon to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Troubador.
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 Tubeway Army. All the underground hits.
All Pagans tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every New Age Steppers 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 snare and a synthesizer and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Bobby Hutcherson record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a linndrum.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Patti Smith,
Graham Central Station,
Minny Pops,
Sixth Finger,
Skaos,
Das Ding,
Chris & Cosey,
June of 44,
The Trojans,
X-101,
L. Decosne,
The Velvet Underground,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Mr. Review,
China Crisis,
Stetsasonic,
Altered Images,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Selecter,
Motorama,
Donald Byrd,
Gang Gang Dance,
Interpol,
The Pop Group,
Make Up,
Jimmy McGriff,
Black Bananas,
Fad Gadget,
Rekid,
Crooked Eye,
Eve St. Jones,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Judy Mowatt,
Kool Moe Dee,
Barclay James Harvest,
H. Thieme,
Kayak,
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap,
EPMD,
Scott Walker + Sunn O))),
Hashim,
Can,
Mars,
Sparks,
The Detroit Cobras,
Neu!,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
Skarface,
Nick Fraelich,
The Human League,
Tres Demented,
The Slits,
Trumans Water,
Deakin,
Amon Düül II,
Jesper Dahlbäck,
The Motions,
U.S. Maple,
The Monochrome Set,
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow.
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.