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 Cape Verde and from Beijing.
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 1968 to 1973.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Spokane and Halifax.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Lagos 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 1976 at the first Buzzcocks practice in a loft in Bolton.
I was working on the synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Nile Rodgers 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 Soul II Soul to the rap kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 James Chance & The Contortions. All the underground hits.
All Electric Prunes tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Magma record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal techno hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying an arpeggiator and a theremin and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a A Certain Ratio record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a rhodes.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought a guitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Tim Buckley,
Qualms,
Con Funk Shun,
The Associates,
Idris Muhammad,
The Flesh Eaters,
Eyeless In Gaza,
Bob Dylan,
Jeff Lynne,
Curtis Mayfield,
Pharaoh Sanders and the Fire Engines,
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes,
The Electric Prunes,
Hasil Adkins,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
Johnny Clarke,
The United States of America,
Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane,
Nation of Ulysses,
Peter and Kerry,
Gang Starr,
Visage,
Man Eating Sloth,
Faraquet,
Jerry Gold Smith,
Erykah Badu,
Vainqueur,
The Black Dice,
Brand Nubian,
Ten City,
Arab on Radar,
Negative Approach,
Technova,
Throbbing Gristle,
Desert Stars,
Roy Ayers,
Ronan,
Pet Shop Boys,
Fela Kuti,
Cybotron,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
The Mummies,
Rapeman,
Anakelly,
The Blues Magoos,
Patti Smith,
John Foxx,
Albert Ayler,
Bobbi Humphrey,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Bang On A Can,
Dennis Brown,
The Standells,
The Shadows of Knight,
The Dead C,
Porter Ricks,
Freddie Wadling,
Ossler,
Ultravox,
Rowland S Howard / Lydia Lunch,
Jawbox,
Jeru the Damaja, Jeru the Damaja, Jeru the Damaja, Jeru the Damaja.
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.