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 Oman and from Spokane.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983.
I was there at the first Lewis show in Vancouver.
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 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Sao Paulo and London.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Glasgow 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 1977 at the first Human League practice in a loft in Sheffield.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay 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 Dual Sessions to the rock 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 Avey Tare. All the underground hits.
All Minutemen tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every T. Rex 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 '80s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a mellotron and a 808 and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a The Stooges record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your rhodes and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a rhodes.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Banda Bassotti,
The Move,
the Slits,
Spandau Ballet,
Bad Manners,
the Fania All-Stars,
The Slits,
the Swans,
Radio Birdman,
the Soft Cell,
Cluster,
Henry Cow,
Grey Daturas,
The Raincoats,
The J.B.'s,
Sight & Sound,
Joyce Sims,
K-Klass,
The Angels of Light,
Gong,
Pere Ubu,
The Toasters,
Jimmy McGriff,
Robert Wyatt,
Simply Red,
Adolescents,
The Gap Band,
Public Enemy,
LL Cool J,
Nick Fraelich,
The Residents,
Parry Music,
Lightning Bolt,
Pantaleimon,
The Smiths,
Sun Ra,
Barry Ungar,
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy,
Ponytail,
Kerrie Biddell,
Tropical Tobacco,
Deadbeat,
Dave Gahan,
Archie Shepp,
Soul II Soul,
Bootsy Collins,
Tres Demented,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Man Eating Sloth,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Sun City Girls,
The Human League,
Bobby Byrd,
The Mummies,
Marc Almond,
Eden Ahbez,
The Busters,
Wasted Youth,
Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke, Johnny Clarke.
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.