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 Nigeria and from Lagos.
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 1967 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Portland 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 1975 at the first Throbbing Gristle practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the mellotron 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 Crispian St. Peters to the rap 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 Babytalk. All the underground hits.
All Saccharine Trust tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Mr. Review record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 sitar and an organ and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Japan record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a chamberlin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your chamberlin and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
LL Cool J,
FM Einheit,
Glenn Branca,
The Pop Group,
AZ,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Black Bananas,
The Busters,
Visage,
Marc Almond,
Black Moon,
Archie Shepp,
Skaos,
R.M.O.,
Sarah Menescal,
Con Funk Shun,
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson,
Sad Lovers and Giants,
The Invisible,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
The Flesh Eaters,
Tim Buckley,
Parry Music,
Grey Daturas,
Junior Murvin,
CMW,
Bang On A Can,
Quadrant,
Maurizio,
The Leaves,
Ultra Naté,
The Mighty Diamonds,
Bill Near,
Theoretical Girls,
Dennis Brown,
Niagra,
Johnny Osbourne,
Minny Pops,
The Victims,
Gang Starr,
Harmonia,
Half Japanese,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Davy DMX,
Newcleus,
Kerrie Biddell,
Lee Hazlewood,
Alison Limerick,
Cymande,
Radio Birdman,
Guru Guru,
Rhythm & Sound,
Depeche Mode,
PIL,
John Cale,
Toni Rubio,
Curtis Mayfield,
Bang on a Can All-Stars,
World's Most,
The Selecter,
Mars, Mars, Mars, Mars.
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.