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 Sweden and from Milan.
But I was there.
I was there in 1975.
I was there at the first Ubu show in Cleveland.
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 1963 to 1974.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Copenhagen and New York.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Mexico City 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 theremin sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Blancmange to the rap kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
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 JFA. All the underground hits.
All Lalo Schifrin tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every John Cale record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal dance hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a guitar and a chamberlin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a James Chance & The Contortions record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a mellotron.
I hear that you and your band have sold your mellotron and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Last Poets,
The Mojo Men,
Blancmange,
Eli Mardock,
kango's stein massive,
DJ Sneak,
Tomorrow,
Accadde A,
Arthur Verocai,
Jeff Lynne,
The Vogues,
Infiniti,
Model 500,
Electric Prunes,
CMW,
Brass Construction,
Bobby Sherman,
Alton Ellis,
Mantronix,
Little Man,
B.T. Express,
Kevin Saunderson,
John Lydon,
Gastr Del Sol,
Excepter,
Faraquet,
Rakim,
Fatback Band,
Sparks,
Joensuu 1685,
Erasure,
Gil Scott Heron,
Nirvana,
Kerri Chandler,
The Gories,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Stooges,
New Order,
Sexual Harrassment,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Wasted Youth,
Ronan,
Marvin Gaye,
Fat Boys,
Robert Wyatt,
The Wake,
Notorious BIG live in Amsterdam,
Au Pairs,
Black Sheep,
John Cale,
Lou Reed & John Cale,
Maurizio,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
The Misunderstood,
Public Image Ltd.,
Althea and Donna,
The Slits,
The Cure,
Nas,
David Bowie,
Public Enemy, Public Enemy, Public Enemy, Public Enemy.
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.