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 Kyrgyzstan and from Calgary.
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 1969 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Taipei.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manchester 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 clarinet sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Hardrive to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Astoria.
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 Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch. All the underground hits.
All Mad Mike tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Livin' Joy 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 '70s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a chamberlin and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Swell Maps record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a synthesizer.
I hear that you and your band have sold your synthesizer and bought an oboe.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Rites of Spring,
Josef K,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
The Walker Brothers,
Suburban Knight,
Stockholm Monsters,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Throbbing Gristle,
Angels of Light & Akron/Family,
The Residents,
Quantec,
Blossom Toes,
Fatback Band,
Aaron Thompson,
Andrew Hill,
Organ,
Goldenarms,
Aloha Tigers,
Groovy Waters,
Main Source,
K-Klass,
Danielle Patucci,
Depeche Mode,
the Soft Cell,
Todd Rundgren,
Amazonics,
Pylon,
Derrick Morgan,
Yellowson,
Jeru the Damaja,
Neu!,
Fluxion,
Jacques Brel,
Outsiders,
Althea and Donna,
Rhythm & Sound,
Selector Dub Narcotic,
the Human League,
Alphaville,
the Swans,
Yazoo,
The Searchers,
Slick Rick,
Nas,
Wally Richardson,
Saccharine Trust,
Terror Squad Feat. Camron,
Duran Duran,
Bootsy's Rubber Band,
Warren Ellis,
Tears for Fears,
Cal Tjader,
Amon Düül,
Alton Ellis,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Colin Newman,
Nick Fraelich,
Television Personalities,
Iggy Pop,
Mr. Review,
Loose Ends,
The Stooges,
Motorama, Motorama, Motorama, Motorama.
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.