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 Colombia and from Lagos.
But I was there.
I was there in 1977.
I was there at the first Zapp show in Hamilton.
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 1967 to 1970.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Philadelphia and Bremen.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Manila 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 synthesizer sounds with much patience.
I was there when Michael McDonald 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 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark to the techno 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 Fifty Foot Hose. All the underground hits.
All Manfred Mann's Earth Band tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Derrick May record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '70s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a sitar and an oboe and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Patti Smith record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your marimba and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a marimba.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Colin Newman,
China Crisis,
The Velvet Underground,
Au Pairs,
Gastr Del Sol,
Joyce Sims,
Cymande,
The Music Machine,
The Moleskins,
Model 500,
Harry Pussy,
Reagan Youth,
Mr. Review,
Lafayette Afro Rock Band,
Jesper Dahlback,
Bluetip,
Heavy D & The Boyz,
Anthony Braxton,
The Seeds,
Andrew Ashong & Theo Parrish,
Marc Almond,
Neil Young & Crazy Horse,
It's A Beautiful Day,
Terry Callier,
New York Dolls,
The Saints,
Brand Nubian,
The Alarm Clocks,
Isaac Hayes,
Supertramp,
Sight & Sound,
Pet Shop Boys,
the Swans,
Panda Bear,
Unwound,
Grey Daturas,
Inner City,
Kurtis Blow,
Index,
MDC,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Adolescents,
Spoonie Gee,
T.S.O.L.,
Kayak,
Stetsasonic,
Heaven 17,
John Lydon,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Traffic Nightmare,
Radiohead,
AZ,
Rhythm & Sound,
Franke,
The Remains,
UT,
Roger Hodgson,
Buzzcocks,
Country Joe & The Fish,
New Order, New Order, New Order, New Order.
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.