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 Burkina and from Philadelphia.
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 1961 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Houston and Hong Kong.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Seoul 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 guitar 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 Anakelly to the dance 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 Angels of Light & Akron/Family. All the underground hits.
All James Chance & The Contortions tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Danielle Patucci record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal jazz hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a clarinet and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Urselle record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
A Flock of Seagulls,
EPMD,
Bill Near,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Yazoo,
cv313,
Porter Ricks,
Bobby Womack,
The Blackbyrds,
The Fuzztones,
Fugazi,
Average White Band,
Isaac Hayes,
Hashim,
The Searchers,
Skaos,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Dual Sessions,
Teenage Jesus and the Jerks,
The Detroit Cobras,
Aaron Thompson,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
Scrapy,
The Divine Comedy,
Smog,
The Barracudas,
The Doors,
Glambeats Corp.,
Ponytail,
John Lydon,
Oneida,
Television Personalities,
Soul Sonic Force,
La Düsseldorf,
Susan Cadogan,
Bluetip,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Nik Kershaw,
Kauko Röyhkä ja Narttu,
Public Enemy,
June of 44,
Beasts of Bourbon,
Pole,
Morten Harket,
Gregory Isaacs,
Buzzcocks,
The Skatalites,
Nirvana,
Jandek,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
the Sonics,
Banda Bassotti,
Darondo,
The Moleskins,
B.T. Express,
Camberwell Now,
Marvin Gaye,
Aural Exciters,
The J.B.'s,
Barbara Tucker,
Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones, Terrestrial Tones.
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.