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 Slovenia and from Winnipeg.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
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 1961 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Shanghai and Lille.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Delhi 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 Wire practice in a loft in Watford.
I was working on the linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 Cybotron to the funk 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 The Birthday Party. All the underground hits.
All Minutemen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Michelle Simonal 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Oblivians record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your 808 and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a 808.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Bizarre Inc.,
Spandau Ballet,
Lindisfarne,
a-ha,
ABBA,
Hoover,
The Busters,
Nick Fraelich,
Connie Case,
Blake Baxter,
Von Mondo,
Wally Richardson,
Donny Hathaway,
Terry Callier,
Spoonie Gee,
Pere Ubu,
The Gun Club,
Lizzy Mercier Descloux,
Pantytec,
John Holt,
Pylon,
Fluxion,
A Flock of Seagulls,
Massinfluence,
Ludus,
Sällskapet,
Max Romeo,
Barbara Tucker,
Derrick May,
Michelle Simonal,
Freddie Wadling,
the Human League,
Joy Division,
The Searchers,
The Jesus and Mary Chain,
Electric Prunes,
Infiniti,
The New Christs,
Ohio Players,
Lou Reed & Metallica,
The Invisible,
Lee Hazlewood,
The Remains,
Buzzcocks,
Eric B and Rakim,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Drexciya,
Unwound,
Mo-Dettes,
Eddi Front,
Wire,
Sugar Minott,
Franke,
Public Image Ltd.,
De La Soul & Jungle Brothers,
Interpol,
Y Pants,
Nico,
John Cale,
Amazonics,
The Chocolate Watch Band,
Kevin Saunderson,
Visage, Visage, Visage, Visage.
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.