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 Dominican Republic and from Tehran.
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 1965 to 1978.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mumbai and Jakarta.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school New York 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 Josef K practice in a loft in Edinburgh.
I was working on the synthesizer 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 Von Mondo to the grime kids.
I played it at the Roxy.
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 Soul Sonic Force. All the underground hits.
All Monolake tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Techniques record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal rock 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 linndrum and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Sisters of Mercy record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your clarinet and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a clarinet.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Cowsills,
La Düsseldorf,
The Offenders,
Idris Muhammad,
Guru Guru,
The Mojo Men,
Sun City Girls,
Rhythm & Sound,
E-Dancer,
Clear Light,
New Age Steppers,
Manfred Mann's Earth Band,
Gang Green,
Leonard Cohen,
Zapp,
Sly & The Family Stone,
The Count Five,
Marine Girls,
These Immortal Souls,
Cameo,
Erasure,
Sixth Finger,
The Toasters,
Andrew Hill,
Agitation Free,
Pantytec,
Sex Pistols,
The Electric Prunes,
Oblivians,
Hashim,
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx,
Bush Tetras,
Soft Cell,
The Selecter,
Bluetip,
Amon Düül,
Davy DMX,
Frankie Knuckles,
ABBA,
Neil Young,
Gerry Rafferty,
Radiopuhelimet,
The Pop Group,
Kings Of Tomorrow,
Cecil Taylor,
Roxette,
K-Klass,
Cluster,
Camberwell Now,
Drive Like Jehu,
Suicide,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
PIL,
Simply Red,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Nils Olav,
Michelle Simonal,
Rapeman,
Ralphi Rosario,
The Beau Brummels, The Beau Brummels, The Beau Brummels, The Beau Brummels.
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.