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 Suriname and from Philadelphia.
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 1968 to 1971.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Mexico City and Beijing.
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 linndrum sounds with much patience.
I was there when Tom Verlaine 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 The Detroit Cobras to the funk 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 Masters at Work. All the underground hits.
All X-Ray Spex tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Minnie Riperton record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal punk hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '80s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a snare and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Electric Light Orchestra record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your harpsichord and bought a theremin.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin 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 Music Machine,
a-ha,
Ludus,
Kenny Larkin,
The Star Department,
The Divine Comedy,
Echo & the Bunnymen,
Vaughan Mason & Crew,
Marvin Gaye,
Lakeside,
Larry & the Blue Notes,
Nico,
The Trojans,
Chrome,
Scratch Acid,
The Cowsills,
ABBA,
Tres Demented,
Prince Buster,
The Alarm Clocks,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Ultramagnetic MC's,
Fear,
The New Christs,
Ronan,
The Barracudas,
Cheater Slicks,
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth,
Grandmaster Flash,
Monks,
Aural Exciters,
Mary Jane Girls,
Sarah Menescal,
Leonard Cohen,
Pharoah Sanders,
Sex Pistols,
Mr. Review,
Sam Rivers,
Patti Smith,
DeepChord presents Echospace,
The Last Poets,
Lee Hazlewood,
Mission of Burma,
Avey Tare,
Stereo Dub,
Bush Tetras,
The American Breed,
Supertramp,
DJ Style,
Isaac Hayes,
Bluetip,
Public Image Ltd.,
Outsiders,
The Raincoats,
The Seeds,
Danielle Patucci,
Johnny Clarke,
Deepchord,
Surgeon,
Liaisons Dangereuses,
Joe Smooth,
La Düsseldorf,
Rekid,
Marine Girls, Marine Girls, Marine Girls, Marine Girls.
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.