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 Ukraine and from Sao Paulo.
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 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Beijing and Manchester.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Sao Paulo 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 clarinet 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 Metal Thangz to the grunge kids.
I played it at the Crocodile.
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 Swell Maps. All the underground hits.
All The Slits tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every The Moleskins record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grime hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '50s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a clarinet 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 sitar and bought a güiro.
I hear that you and your band have sold your güiro and bought a sitar.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Erykah Badu,
Piero Umiliani,
Amon Düül,
The Fire Engines,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Minnie Riperton,
Scion,
Eric B and Rakim,
Sun Ra Arkestra,
Massinfluence,
Johnny Clarke,
Kaleidoscope,
the Normal,
Joey Negro,
Gil Scott Heron,
The Litter,
Inner City,
The Knickerbockers,
U.S. Maple,
The Alarm Clocks,
John Lydon,
Nils Olav,
Hot Snakes,
Public Image Ltd.,
Scott Walker,
Nico,
Fear,
Mantronix,
World's Most,
The Martian,
Kool Moe Dee,
Be Bop Deluxe,
Barbara Tucker,
Bronski Beat,
Soul II Soul,
Jeff Lynne,
Siglo XX,
Colin Newman,
Pharoah Sanders,
The Human League,
Eurythmics,
LL Cool J,
Stetsasonic,
The Move,
Jacques Brel,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry,
ABC,
Delta 5,
Arcadia,
Fat Boys,
Spoonie Gee,
Laurel Aitken,
The Moody Blues,
Judy Mowatt,
D'Angelo,
Radiopuhelimet,
Kevin Saunderson,
Suburban Knight,
James Chance & The Contortions,
Black Sheep,
The Sisters of Mercy,
the Fania All-Stars, the Fania All-Stars, the Fania All-Stars, the Fania All-Stars.
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.