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 Uganda and from Mumbai.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Art of Noise show in London.
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 1964 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lagos and Sao Paulo.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Copenhagen 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 oboe sounds with much patience.
I was there when Captain Beefheart 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 Black Moon to the crunk 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 Patti Smith. All the underground hits.
All The Jesus and Mary Chain tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Moby Grape record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal electroclash 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 clarinet and a rhodes and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Trojans record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your spring reverb and bought an arpeggiator.
I hear that you and your band have sold your arpeggiator and bought a spring reverb.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
ABC,
Slave,
Ornette Coleman,
Gabor Szabo,
The Durutti Column,
Lebanon Hanover,
Groovy Waters,
The Litter,
Dual Sessions,
Girls At Our Best!,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Delon & Dalcan,
Sex Pistols,
Kurtis Blow,
Marmalade,
The Dead C,
Avey Tare & Kría Brekkan,
Kango’s Stein Massive,
Eyeless In Gaza,
The Fuzztones,
Qualms,
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band,
The Dave Clark Five,
Mad Mike,
Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dog,
Von Mondo,
Kenny Larkin,
La Düsseldorf,
Tears for Fears,
Judy Mowatt,
Morten Harket,
Gong,
Sarah Menescal,
Deadbeat,
The Move,
Wally Richardson,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Prince Buster,
The Royal Family And The Poor,
Alton Ellis,
Jeff Lynne,
Rakim,
Ten City,
Arab on Radar,
London Community Gospel Choir,
The Gladiators,
Tom Boy,
Pantytec,
Bronski Beat,
Kas Product,
Gerry Rafferty,
Oneida,
DNA,
Black Moon,
Motorama,
Roy Ayers Ubiquity,
The Last Poets,
Connie Case,
The Fall,
Anakelly,
Peter & Gordon, Peter & Gordon, Peter & Gordon, Peter & Gordon.
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.