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 Samoa and from London.
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 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Portland and Manchester.
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 organ 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 Cluster to the jazz kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 R.M.O.. All the underground hits.
All Sonny Sharrock tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Byron Stingily record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal funk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Albert Ayler record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought a linndrum.
I hear that you and your band have sold your linndrum and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Joyce Sims,
The Grass Roots,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
Newcleus,
Soul Sonic Force,
Wings,
Quadrant,
Heaven 17,
Rekid,
Eyeless In Gaza,
London Community Gospel Choir,
Brand Nubian,
New Age Steppers,
The New Christs,
Silicon Teens,
The Count Five,
the Normal,
The Index,
Magazine,
Strawberry Alarm Clock,
Aswad,
Camron Feat. Memphis Bleek And Beenie Seigel,
Juan Atkins,
Mo-Dettes,
Country Joe & The Fish,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
AZ,
Jawbox,
Lower 48,
Minutemen,
The Doobie Brothers,
Panda Bear,
Zero Boys,
Patti Smith,
Michelle Simonal,
Chris & Cosey,
The Seeds,
Soul II Soul,
Schoolly D,
Barrington Levy,
Average White Band,
Sugar Minott,
Essential Logic,
Terrestrial Tones,
Interpol,
The Fall,
Soft Machine,
Y Pants,
The Red Krayola,
F. McDonald,
Grey Daturas,
Jeru the Damaja,
Altered Images,
Robert Wyatt,
Gregory Isaacs,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Dark Day,
The Residents,
The Buckinghams,
The Skatalites,
Agent Orange,
Au Pairs, Au Pairs, Au Pairs, Au Pairs.
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.