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 Syria and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1965.
I was there at the first Beefheart show in Lancaster.
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 1962 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Tehran.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna 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 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the güiro sounds with much patience.
I was there when David Bowie 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 The Buckinghams to the punk kids.
I played it at the Spitz.
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 Aural Exciters. All the underground hits.
All Sarah Menescal tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Amazonics record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a harpsichord and a mellotron and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a These Immortal Souls record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Gang of Four,
Crooked Eye,
Simply Red,
The Angels of Light,
The Residents,
Public Enemy,
The Kinks,
The Music Machine,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
The Red Krayola,
Coldchain, Rosco P., Featuring Pusha T from Clipse & Boo-Bonic,
Davy DMX,
John Foxx,
June of 44,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Jeff Mills,
The Golliwogs,
Siouxsie and the Banshees,
The Associates,
Television Personalities,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Grey Daturas,
Gian Franco Pienzio,
Roxette,
Pole,
Kurtis Blow,
The Cosmic Jokers,
The Cure,
Lonnie Liston Smith,
Second Layer,
Lucky Dragons,
James White and The Blacks,
Rakim,
Black Pus,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
The United States of America,
Spoonie Gee,
Marine Girls,
Bauhaus,
Soul II Soul,
One Last Wish,
Bad Manners,
Derrick May,
The Pretty Things,
Circle Jerks,
Alison Limerick,
Popol Vuh,
Kayak,
Dual Sessions,
The Saints,
The Mojo Men,
Joe Finger,
Scratch Acid,
Barry Ungar,
China Crisis,
Fatback Band,
Alphaville,
Masters at Work,
Main Source,
Marc Romboy vs. Booka Shade,
Cabaret Voltaire,
The Gladiators,
Bobby Byrd,
Ornette Coleman, Ornette Coleman, Ornette Coleman, Ornette Coleman.
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.