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 Madagascar and from Glasgow.
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 1964 to 1976.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Halifax and Stockholm.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Calgary 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 1968 at the first Bowie practice in a loft in Bromley.
I was working on the 808 sounds with much patience.
I was there when Robert Palmer 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 Public Image Ltd. to the grime kids.
I played it at the 40 Watt.
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 Moby Grape. All the underground hits.
All Sister Nancy tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Guru Guru record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal crunk 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 an arpeggiator and a spring reverb and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a guitar.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitar and bought a harpsichord.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
The Saints,
Eddi Front,
Sun Ra,
Procol Harum,
The Mojo Men,
Ultimate Spinach,
Hoover,
K-Klass,
Radiopuhelimet,
Black Pus,
Ituana,
Suicide,
Suburban Knight,
Public Enemy,
Mr. Review,
The Misunderstood,
One Last Wish,
Loose Ends,
The Modern Lovers,
Sun City Girls,
Easy Going,
Index,
Donald Byrd,
Ultravox,
Al Stewart,
Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks,
Sandy B,
The Standells,
Grauzone,
Barclay James Harvest,
The Gap Band,
Hardrive,
Joe Smooth,
Thompson Twins,
Accadde A,
Outsiders,
The Stooges,
Albert Ayler,
Ponytail,
Patti Smith,
Louis and Bebe Barron,
Soul II Soul,
Hasil Adkins,
AZ,
The Cosmic Jokers,
Notorious Big And Bone Thugs,
D'Angelo,
Eric Copeland,
Silicon Teens,
John Coltrane,
Blancmange,
Max Romeo,
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band,
Rhythim Is Rhythim,
Sixth Finger,
Cheater Slicks,
Bootsy Collins,
Sugar Minott,
Drive Like Jehu,
In Retrospect,
Tropical Tobacco,
The Litter,
Lyres,
Alton Ellis, Alton Ellis, Alton Ellis, Alton Ellis.
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.